It Happened

Richard convinced me I needed a new phone. My old one has been very close to useless for nearly a year. It restarted erratically, would not sync with my vehicle, broke my SD card, and was just a pain.

I usually get Samsung Flagship phones, but in reduced circumstances, I had to do differently. This is a top tier phone without the gargantuan price.

The Samsung Galaxy A32 5g on sale with some carriers now is an incredible piece of tech. It has six cameras, fingerprint, and facial identification, a six-inch screen, 64 GB of internal storage expandable with up to a TB SD card, Dolby ATMOS, and if you need a phone, you could not find a better deal.

So there, I wrote a tech review. I had a constant personal ad until I was overwhelmed. I will not do that to you. Consider it a Public Service Announcement.

The Out Option

For some time, there has been speculation about what it would be like to leave Facebook. I have long felt I contributed much more than I gained, making the proposition much less than profitable in a relational way.

I deactivated my account a week ago and have also abandoned Twitter and Instagram. A lot of consideration went into these actions. It was not the choice of a moment.

The time I have gained is tremendous. I am not subject to the harmful material posted by others and have freedom from politics—more than that, the bombardment from advertising is gone.

All my social media has come to seem frivolous, and of little value, so I temporarily quit. Whether I go back is to be seen.

I joined the social networks to build a creative platform, and none of it seems applicable in that regard. The freedom from the tyranny of having to participate and the quantity of time I recovered are strong incentives to opt out permanently.

So, I am reporting from the outside, and the scenery looks gorgeous.

Cannot Lose

If creative practice is coming hard, the feeling is uninspired; this is not the time to break off working or quit. Waiting on the muse is not the way to breakthrough; action begets action.

When working, even without vision, the focus often appears. Creativity is not always fire from on high; sometimes, it works in the dark when the well is parched.

The best way to grow ability, skill, and talent is to use those endowments every day. Even stolen moments give time for proper application.

Creative block is a myth, or most often. The work is always available when dearly sought. Sometimes it may seem a safari fraught with desert spaces, but the jungle exists and is lush. Putting in the time, presence, generates ideas – effort reaps priceless rewards.

Practice daily, even when love lapses, passion ebbs, tunes the imagination for more significant endeavors. Sometimes it falls flat, but mistakes and failures can fold in as ingredients in other projects.

Journals, sketchbooks, devices can gather up scraps, scribbles, those pieces that become something more defined. Having a place to collect all the fragments that appear throughout the hours of the day permits imperfection and play.

Creativity is always present, but it can be shy and requires inviting into every day.

Reading List

Wild Lands (Book 2 of Savage Lands) by Stacey Marie Brown, 297 pages, Five Stars.

The Art of Prompt by Camerson Monhagan, uncertain page count, 2500 prompts, Five Stars.

The above are my final reads in March.

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April 2021 – 12 Books

Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson, 460 pages, Five Stars; I have read several books by this author, and all are wonderful.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins, 390 pages, Five Stars; I like stories about books, libraries, and strange things.

Darke by Rick Gekoski, 321 pages, Four Stars, deals with grief and isolation and is well done, a bit dark and depressing.

Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore, 376 pages, Five Stars, you should read this; it is a romp.

A Witch In Time by Constance Sayers, 449 pages, Five Stars, is a story that invites deep thought.

The Secret Life of Books by Tom Mole, 239 pages, Five Stars, explores how books mean more than just what they say.

Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia, Kindle First Read, 487 pages, Five Stars; is a story of how a family survives a war.

D (A Tale of Two Worlds) by Michel Faber, 304 pages, Five Stars, a story of what might happen if someone made a letter of the alphabet disappear.

Unexpected by Jozua van Otterloo, 100 pages, Four Stars, an inspirational book, I would give Three Stars because it has many errors and I copy edit. However, the stories and references are very appropriate.

The Abundance by Annie Dillard, 288 pages, Five Stars, everything I have read by her is grand.

The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, 298 pages, Five Stars, is another story about grief, how we blame ourselves and involve others in attempted resolution. Booker Prize Winner

Ilium by Dan Simmons, 752 pages, Ten Stars, I mean, Five Stars, I love this author. I read Drood, Flashback, Black Hills, and I will read others. I think he is not as well recognized as he should be. His Horror is bone-chilling, his Syfy is riveting, his writing is literary and superb.

It Is Better…

I will put a little different spin on this, but the quote is: “It is better to burn out than to fade away.”

My thoughts run like this, if we belong to Jesus, we are candles burning that point toward the Savior. Often we suffer depression, grief, mental anguish, physical pain, existential loss, all the things that occur when living in the world.

Even though we are God’s children, we live here like everyone. Christ in His wisdom put us here to exemplify the depths of His love. He has not abandoned us. Within us burns God’s love; the Holy Spirit lives in us.

We may come to places too terrible to bear, pain that overwhelms us, desertion by those we love. Even so, we can abide in the hope given in Christ Jesus that we have an eternity that will outshine any difficult circumstance we encounter here. Life on Earth is only a beginning, and the promise of Heaven will exceed all our hopes and dreams.

Those who do not have the hope of eternity with Jesus will fade away. As with all that death touches, these will turn to dust.

But, the living, hope, there is an opportunity to assure eternal destinations. It is not God’s desire that any should perish. Jesus came that all might have life and it more abundantly. He took our sins to the cross and died in our stead. Jesus arose in victory. If we believe in Christ and ask Him to take charge of us, He will, and we will not see the second death but will spend forever with the Lord and His saints.

It is only a small thing that we endure, for we often receive miracles. Oh, what wonder to know Jesus. Burn bright, be a light.