Are you ever confused by the texting “like” function?
I am.
Sometimes it means the text is “liked” but often it is just an acknowledgement of what has been sent.
A few months ago, I texted “I think I have Covid” to a friend (or former friend). He clicked like.
😑 I guess I should be glad he didn’t click “love” which is a thing now.
I guess someone “loves” a text if they either truly “love” it, really “like” it, “like” it more than a regular “like,” or are overly emotional in general about acknowledging text messages.
Both “like” and “love” functions do quickly express emotions. However, if we’re all honest here, sometimes a “like” is just a short, curt answer meaning, “Ok, thanks, now shut up?”
“Likes” seem to have become a thing on social media. Society, even pastors and church leaders, seem bound by the approval generated by “likes.” On Facebook, the “like” is a thumbs up, on Instagram and TikTok, it’s a heart. Maybe it should be called “Insecuritygram.”
My love language is “Words of Affirmation.” I admit that I smile when I see my posts being “liked,” especially by lots of people. I love seeing hearts and thumbs up emojis. Just like the rest of the world, I post and then check my posts to see how many people “like” what I’ve said. On the outside, I’m nodding my approval of their approval of my words. On the inside, I’m screaming, “They like me, they really, really like me!”
What we often don’t realize is that chasing after “likes” can be so devastating to our own self worth. We don’t realize that we’re setting ourselves up to be disappointed.
Louie Giglio writes, “If we live for people’s approval, we will die by their rejection.”
I think he’s right. If it would have been a social media post or text, I would have liked it.
So here’s one more thing to consider when evaluating the 2024 Olympics… the absence of pickleball.
Yeah, I know. I’m disappointed as well.
If you’re like me, you turned around and noticed that suddenly, people everywhere were playing this unusual game. According to APP, the Association of Pickleball Professionals, 19% of adult Americans played pickleball at least once from August 2022 to August 2023. The report didn’t share how many of them gave up after their first match.
Where did pickleball originate? I’m glad you asked. Retirepedia reports that pickleball began when three dads from Bainbridge Island, Washington invented a new game to amuse their children. They lowered a badminton net, tried a wiffle ball but settled on a Cosom Fun Ball. They created paddles from plywood from a neighbor’s shed. Legend has it that a dog named Pickles used to steal the game ball so they named the game after him. Others claim the game creators combined various sports into one which reminded them of a pickle boat crew where participants are selected from the unchosen oarsmen of other boats. My theory is that they first played the game using a pickle for the ball. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.
Speaking of opinions on Pickleball, Bill Gates once shared, “Everyone from the super young to the super old can take part. It takes minutes to learn the basics, games are short, and all you need is a net, paddle, and ball to get started. It doesn’t take much skill to hit the ball, either, because it doesn’t move as fast as a tennis ball. The best thing about Pickleball, however, is that it’s just super fun.”
Even though I often ignore the ramblings of PC users, Gates does seem to have a point about Pickleball. It is now played in over 60 countries around the world. However, despite its growing popularity, Pickleball is seen more as a recreational sport and its global recognition still leaves something to be desired. This may be why it’s not a current Olympic sport.
Will pickleball make it to the 2028 Olympics? Probably not. What about 2032 or 2036? Only time will tell. Maybe if it didn’t have such a stupid name…
So, I recently turned 55, the legal speed limit in many areas.
To celebrate, I decided to buy two new pairs of Levi’s, the jeans of my youth. However, my high school Levi’s were 501’s with the button fly. At my current age, that sounded dangerous somehow. So since I’m 55, I searched for Levi’s 550’s. Doing so seemed easier than researching the meanings of the jean numbers.
Buying “new” jeans at my age means a visit to my favorite thrift store which gives an even further discount to customers 55 and up (hence, my favorite). To my surprise, the first pair of jeans on the rack were Levi’s 550’s in my size. I know what you’re thinking. How could the jeans be “new” if I purchased them from a thrift store? I’m cheap, ok? Shut up.
However, there was only one pair of 550’s at the thrift store, so I went to a department store in search of a bargain. To protect the store’s identity, let’s call them J.C. Dollar’s.
Once inside, I headed straight for the 80% off racks. I knew exactly how to find them because I’m old. You might be familiar with the discount racks at J.C.’s – they give a “discounted” price on long sleeve flannel shirts and woolen coats to customers in southern Louisiana in June. However, I also found a pair of Levi’s 550’s on the rack identical to my thrift store find. I say “Identical” meaning they were both blue.
After trying them on, I walked to the counter with my 80% off discounted jeans. The clerk scanned my jeans and said, “With tax, that will be $32.57.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said as if I should be apologizing. “But those were on the 80% off rack.”
“Yes,” she replied, “Those jeans were originally $85.”
“$85?!” I gasped. “That’s a lot for jeans!”
“Yes, Sir,” she smirked as if I had just offered to pay with S & H green stamps. “Jeans have gone up in price, uh, recently.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “If these jeans are 80% off of $85, wouldn’t they be $17 before tax?”
“Sir,” she replied with a look that said shut up and pay, “Those jeans were on the wrong rack. They are discounted but not a full 80%. Now, there’s a line, so tell me, do you still want them?”
“Yes,” I answered in the voice of someone who has a stack of AARP invitation letters next to his chair, “But it’s entirely unheard of!”
Anyway, I’m headed back to the thrift store next week. Here’s to being 55 and up.
I love classic Christmas movies. There’s something about the poignant nostalgia that peeks into my world when I watch George Bailey battle with Mr. Potter, Ebenezer Scrooge soften at the sight of Tiny Tim, and Kevin McCallister chat with his scary neighbor in church. So many of these lines are perfect for this time of year and are perfect for sermon illustrations, blog posts, and Christmas conversations. I hope you enjoy this list.
“Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved.” – Ralphie, A Christmas Story
“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year” – Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol
“Faith is believing in things when common sense tell you not to.” – Fred Gailey, Miracle on 34th Street
“It’s Christmas Eve and we are going to celebrate being young and being alive.” – Miles, The Holiday
“Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing.” Judy Elf, The Santa Clause
“Tell her that you love her. You’ve got nothing to lose and you’ll always regret it if you don’t” – Daniel, Love Actually
“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” – Clarence, It’s A Wonderful Life
“The thing about trains… it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.” – The Conductor, The Polar Express
“This is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?” – Kevin McAllister, Home Alone
“If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep. Then you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.” – Bob Wallace, White Christmas
“Never be afraid when people can’t see what you see. Only be afraid if you no longer see it.” – Jeronicus Jangle, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!” – The Grinch, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
“Just because I can’t see it doesn’t mean I can’t believe it.” – Jack Skellington, The Nightmare Before Christmas
“I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” – Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas
“That’s what Christmas memories are made from, they’re not planned, they’re not scheduled, nobody puts them in their Blackberry, they just happen.” – Kelly Finch, Deck the Halls.
“That’s the one good things about regret. It’s never too late. You can always change tomorrow if you want to.” – Claire Phillips, Scrooged
“I suppose it all started with the snow. You see, it was a very special kind of snow. A snow that made the happy happier, and the giddy even giddier. A snow that’s make a homecoming homier, and natural enemies, friends.” – Narrator, Frosty the Snowman
“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.” – Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas
“When we love someone, we are really loving God.” – Courtney B. Vance, The Preacher’s Wife
“Surprised, Eddie? If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.” – Clark Griswold, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Buddy, Elf
“You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!” Every Adult, A Christmas Story
“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love is actually all around.” Richard Curtis, Love Actually
“A toy is never happy until it is loved by a child.” King Moonraiser, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
“This is Christmas, the season of perpetual hope.” Kate McAllister, Home Alone
“No matter what happens, we are family.” Sam, Love the Coopers
“Would you like to go eat food? You know, the code?” – Buddy, Elf
“God Bless Us, Everyone.” – Tiny Tim, A Christmas Carol
It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.
This is the lesson I learned on New Years Day of Y2K.
Y2K is the abbreviation for the Year 2000. It referred to computer problems expected when the 1999 changed to 2000.
Nothing of note happened that day around the world.
However, where I lived a truck drove into the electrical plant and shut off everyone’s power.
This was before most people had mobile phones, so I was convinced that power outage was worldwide. I jumped into my Cutlass Supreme and started it up.
A Cutlass Supreme was a midsize car produced by Oldsmobile from the mid 60’s to mid 90’s.
So, back to the story…
Uh, Oldsmobile was a 20th century automobile brand which produced over 35 million cars.
Anyway, I drove off to see if things were impacted beyond my street.
I quickly drove into the Kmart parking lot.
Uh, well, Kmart was an American chain of department stores.
However, the lights were already off and the doors were locked.
So, I drove across the street because I saw a car at the Blockbuster Video.
Um, Blockbuster was a video rental store chain which ceased operations in 2014.
You know, they had VHS and DVD rentals
Yeah, VHS stands for Video Home System which plays movies on large black cassettes.
So, anyway…uh, DVD stood for Digital Video Disc. It ended up replacing the VHS tape.
Anyway, since the power was out, I went home and ate my leftover tacos from Chi-Chi’s.
ChiChi’s was a Mexican food restaurant chain in the 80’s and 90’s.
I washed them down with a bottle of Fruitopia.
Fruitopia was a beverage of “fruit integration” which went away in the early 2000’s.
Finally, the electricity came back on, so I kicked back and watched Freaks and Geeks.
Freak and Geeks was a one season show about a 1980’s high school which launched the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, and Busy Phillips. Even though it was incredibly popular, it was canceled after one season. But I’m not bitter.
Ok, whatever. I guess things really have changed a lot.
Next time you’re headed to Gulf Shores, Alabama and find yourself with several hours to spare, check out Buc-ee’s off I-10 at the Robertsdale exit. I was searching for just the right words to adequately describe Buc-ee’s, so I asked Siri who pronounced it as “Buc-eeeeeeee’s” and gave me directions to Bucky’s taxidermy in Loosas Armpit, Manitoba. My Google phone app came to the rescue and offered a description. It says Buc-ee’s is “a chain of convenience stores for snacks and drinks, plus eclectic T-shirts and knickknacks.”
Way off, Google. Especially since visiting Buc-ee’s is sort of like using Google for the first time – an endless supply of ways to blow your money and waste your time while seemingly having an ok time.
Let’s take an imaginary tour of this gas station theme park named after a giant rodent. First, you start seeing Buc-ee’s billboards about 750 miles before you arrive (exaggerated). They’ll have cute sayings on them like “Only 123 miles away, you can hold it,” “Jerky, one of the five basic food groups,” and “Restrooms so clean we put mints in the urinals” (not exaggerated).
When you finally arrive at the exit, the traffic line is backed up to the interstate. (Who do they think they are, Chick Fila?) It may take 15 minutes or so to follow the leader up the ramp, around their employee parking field, past their field of Tesla charging stations, and through the bumper-to-bumper traffic until you make it to one of their 200-300 gas pumps. (Not joking, the last time I filled up, I was at pump 250. I desperately wanted to pay inside just to say “Yes, $25 on pump #250.”)
After pumping gas and parking in southern Egypt, you check your step counter and begin making your way across the parking lot. Before entering the “convenience store,” you are forced by your peers to stop and take a selfie with the statue of Buc-ee the friendly beaver. You smile because you have to, take the shot and move inside past the rows of “snacks and drinks,” and wait in line once again for some of the cleanest restrooms in convenience store history. All joking aside, they are pretty impressive. These restrooms are so clean you almost forget you’re in a mall posing as a convenience store/gas station/Tesla charging station.
Afterward, you squeeze through the crowds and check out the snacks. Buc-ee’s is famous for their breakfast tacos, beef jerky, barbecue, chicken jerky, gummies, turkey jerky, beaver nuggets, elk jerky, klobasneks (I don’t know either), Bohemian recipe Garlic beef jerky, meat and cheese cups, Bohemian Rhapsody Garlic beef jerky, Sizzlin’ saltines, deli sandwiches, trail mix jerky, Beaver chips, Buc-ee’s Nug-ee’s, pralines, double fudge brownie jerky, and banana pudding. And that’s just on aisle one.
Then of course you have to buy either a Buc-ee’s t-shirt, a disposable cooler, some hunting gear, any type of home decor, or update your life insurance (when you start to doubt you’ll ever make it out alive). Then, you finally walk across the parking lot once again to your car, where you wait in line to get out of the parking lot, get back on the interstate, and realize you already have to use the bathroom again.
All joking aside, if you’ve never visited Buc-ee’s, it is worth the experience, just try to go when it’s not so crowded, like 5:30am on a Tuesday. 😊
JohnJFrady.com 