Reminder to carpool (share a ride) :
“HOV [high-occupancy vehicle] lanes are normally introduced to increase average vehicle occupancy and persons traveling with the goal of reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.” — Wikipedia
Light the World
“Sharing Jesus Christ’s Light around the World”
LightTheWorld.org
Be Someone's Angel
Regardless of shopping and mailing not done, last evening I needed quiet time (non-chaotic) away from bustle and hustle of Christmas preparation. Unlikely choice for most folks, so perfect for me: the main public library I happened to be near. It was quiet, with workers being the majority. After serendipitously finding a book of historical stories, I saw a sign: “Fiesta de Cuentos (Story Fiesta) 6:00”. Checked the time — it was 5:58. Why not. I went and enjoyed children’s storytelling about musical instruments with a darling young family. Being in my second childhood made me happy.
Later at home alone (not really), I found a treasure book of Christmas stories, poems, and recipes to give a young couple in our congregation. It was an unplanned purchase last winter at my favorite used-book store. A quick review of all the contributors discovered some familiar, local names and a few famous authors. An example of storytelling serendipity: “The Story of The Other Wise Man” by Henry van Dyke. Reading it, I vaguely recalled this tale about a fourth pilgrim, who “did not arrive with his brethren in the presence of the young child Jesus.” He spent his whole, short life in his wandering quest for the King, giving away his precious gifts to the poor in need along the way. Thus, he did not fail … rather “in a strange way, he found the One whom he sought.”
Enjoy storytelling time this Christmas Eve. As Tiny Tim says, "God bless us, everyone!"
What is your time worth? Convenience stores may save you money by charging a premium. I like to shortcut the long drive-thru lines for fast food by walking inside to order, face to face. Regardless, it’s good to get out and meet people.
Light the World Giving Machines at Times Square and other locations make it easy to do good worldwide at Christmas time. Salvation Army bell ringers at store fronts provide a shortcut to help a good cause. Say hello and thank them. To easily help thru United Way, visit subforsanta dot org
Since the 1980s, I’ve used computer shortcuts. Efficiency motivated by laziness? For example:
“When you copy and paste on a PC, the data is stored in … a temporary storage area called the ‘clipboard’ which is part of the operating system; meaning the data is held in the computer's active memory until you paste it somewhere.” — AI Overview (Actually, until you copy again.)
[Apple iPhone] “iOS Clipboard is an internal function stored in a virtual memory that stores one item at a time.” (Learn more at Reddit.)
My experience: shortcuts to wealth generally do not work well. Time and effort are required.
Numerous programs on the market promise shortcuts for learning foreign languages.
“Duolingo, Inc. is an American educational technology company that produces learning apps and provides language certification. Duolingo offers courses on 43 languages ...” — Wikipedia
That may be what I need to get up to speed with Spanish — a New Year’s resolution?
This post is a fleeting effort or transient test for unknown readers, if any. In search of “ephemeral”, this marketing article got my attention:
Forbes 11/27/23 by Rebecca Kowalewicz
“… ephemeral content … is accessible for a short duration and then disappears. (Think Snapchat or Instagram Stories, for example.) … This form of content taps into users' fear of missing out (or what we marketers like to call FOMO). Because the content disappears after a limited time, users are more likely to engage with it promptly.”
I don’t often engage with ephemeral content, so most flies by without my being afraid of missing out. My interest lies more in classic films and old books, hopefully available for years in my local library. Some content in this post may disappear.