#newbeginnings — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Slow Mover @[email protected] · 2026-09-11 · 13:35 UTC

Beyond the Pale

Stepping outside after an early-morning breakfast with friends, I carry a cinnamon roll to go for my wife, still warm in my hands.

The morning reveals itself slowly through fog and mist. Distant trees fade into white. Flags hang limply in the damp at half-mast.

I sit in the truck and watch traffic pass as people begin their day, and I wonder what mine will be.

Nearby, in the nursing home, a woman breathes slowly in and out, somewhere near the edge of crossing over.

Across the road, behind the thrift store where I used to work, another woman gazes out toward the marsh.

Next door, a man in work clothes walks from his truck into the Marathon gas station beneath the lowered flags, perhaps buying what he will eat for lunch.

Ordinary lives moving through an ordinary morning.

I think back over the recent conversations, wondering where the words will take us today.

Through the windshield, I see the geese rise from the marsh into the mist above the watching woman, beginning their long migration.

As they disappear into the white, I think of the trajectory of my own life. What flights will my body and spirit still make? Where am I going from here?

Such are my thoughts sitting here in a restaurant’s parking lot across from a former place of employment. I will probably drop by in a moment to say hello to past co-workers and others I have gotten to know. There are still connections—memories of those days, the people, the routines, the work itself.

I am grateful for my work there, for the continued friendships, but I am also grateful for the additional time I have now.

Time to pursue creative things.

Time to follow different flights.

Time to be more available for ministry.

Time, perhaps, simply to be more present to mornings like this one.

The watcher leaves her post.

The worker heads out to the job site.

The dying takes another trembling breath.

The trees in the distance are barely visible through the fog. I can see their shapes, but not their details.

The rest of this day feels much the same.

There are glimmers of what I might do, possibilities taking shape somewhere ahead, but nothing has been fully revealed yet.

That is true not only of this morning but of the rest of my life.

I can make out a few shapes in the distance.

A few directions.

A few possible flights.

But much of it remains hidden in the mist of the unknown.

For now, it is enough to sit here with the gift of a warm cinnamon roll beside me, watching the geese disappear beyond the pale, and trust that the way will reveal itself as I go.

#Aging #calling #ContemplativeWriting #Creativity #discernment #everydaySacred #fog #Freedom #geese #Gratitude #grief #Hope #lifeTransitions #liminalSpaces #marsh #memory #migration #Ministry #mist #morningReflection #Mortality #newBeginnings #ordinaryMoments #passingOver #retirement #Slowmover #SpiritualReflection #uncertainty #vocation

#aging #calling #contemplativewriting #creativity #discernment #everydaysacred

ᎬᏒᎳᎥᏁᎥsm @[email protected] · 2026-07-11 · 03:25 UTC

✮ Doors and Us ✮

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent van Gogh
His world begins with a mop.

The frayed and loose strings of the mop head that washes the floor, scuffed with the day’s elements and stained with indifference by the feet that walk on them. The surface looks clean again, and the love that beams from them is an understatement. For the rest who walk through those halls, they would never notice, even as they see their reflection on the polished surface. People may cast their eyes on the art hanging on the walls, but not on the floor. Who does? Who cares? Someone is pocketing change to do the dirty job. His skin might as well be made of glass. Nobody sees him, the person wearing overalls behind a yellow sign. Unless, of course, his services are required. Someone spilled something in the pantry. What is his name again?

Even so, he didn’t grumble. Didn’t flip off the pesky person behind her back. Didn’t mock her for the way she talks. He simply said, “I’ll be with you shortly.” He loved the opportunity. Somewhere in the past, people didn’t look him in the eye. His name was preceded by a title. A title that meant nothing here. He neither folded nor bent. Neither griped about the luminous appeal of the title he didn’t have. He was often heard saying, “How can one be expected to be blessed with such big responsibilities if one cannot be entrusted with a modest task, though unworthy of one’s skill, and not do it very well?” Quotable. Grade A philosophy. It made sense.

One day, he left. Thanked everyone. Not one dry eye in the room. Years later, he popped in to say hi. He held the firmest handshakes. His eyes in sync with his classic smile. He walked the hall every morning. Feet shod in Derby, brogue, or Oxford daintily slapping the floor. Heads would sometimes turn his way when he stopped, dug in his pocket, and wiped off something on the floor. Now, why would the CFO do that? He shrugged. “Creature of habit,” he remarked.

So when the new guy, who kept leaving the trash behind the door for the morning shift to deal with, told everyone that the man above couldn’t relate to him, laughter ensued.

If a door is offered, big or small, take it. Be grateful, and you will never feel empty.

Whether it’s ego or shame, people pass up the chance that comes from humble beginnings. God often leaves doors of opportunity half our size, and most of the time, people fail to recognize them because they are unwilling to bend and squirm their way through. It is only by being grateful that we can walk through these doors or windows, and we cannot expect them to warp themselves to fit us. It’s a matter of adjustment and spirit. If by humility we will be led into a better tomorrow, then crawl through if we must. Fortune favors the bold, and the boldest course of action is to have the courage to be humble enough to learn what we don’t fully understand.

You see opportunity in pleasing people, but pleasing people will get you nowhere. No matter how hard you try. Of the thousand good things you have done, some people— especially the entitled ones—will perceive them as your obligation to them and nothing more. Sadly, when your usefulness has run its course, they will see you as incompetent. Instead, be just and be the best of who you are.

Opportunities are only valid when people are impressed, wrong! The minute you stop impressing people is the moment you set yourself free. Many of us believe that we are what we wear, or at least we try. It’s not what we wear that gives us personality; it’s our character that defines who we are, no matter what we wear. Stripped bare, are you no longer who you are? The true meaning of value lies in who we are.

Surprise and impress yourself with something new every day. Poke it with a deep sense of wonder and curiosity until a new school of thought and an array of new talents burst inside you. You see, even doors can be walls that keep people out. It’s not that they don’t have the key. It’s not that they don’t have what it takes. But some are passive. Their door isn’t glossy enough for them. Yet, when it comes to doors that waste their time, they would gladly pay to get through them.

Leave your ego at the doorstep, and when you do, you get to learn something. That’s what usually gets in the way of people; many of us are too good to be modest. An example of this is when people get laid off. A number will never cease to complain and will eventually bury themselves in the grief of what was.

Sometimes, all it takes is to take little steps and try to run again.

Transpose! Don’t stagnate believing that you will always be invincible. If the magic is no longer there, there is no sense in dwelling on the past long gone. Avenues are waiting to be explored, only if you are willing to lose sight of the past, so that they become material.

Our lives are littered with doors that often lead to new adventures and, with such, challenges. Some keys are not meant to be in your hands; sometimes, the only key that unlocks doors leading to your destiny is you.

Copyright © Erwinism. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical reviews or scholarly work. This work is protected under international copyright laws. Unauthorized use or reproduction of this material is strictly prohibited and may result in legal action.

Live it Up!

#Adaptability #BecomingBetter #BuildingResilience #CareerDevelopment #CFOLeadership #CharacterBuilding #ChiefFinancialOfficer #ContinuousImprovement #CorporateCulture #CourageAndHumility #CourageToLearn #Creativity #Criticism #DignityOfWork #DoorsOfOpportunity #Dream #EmbracingChange #EmbracingOpportunities #Erwinism #EverydayExcellence #EverydayLeadership #Faith #FYP #Gratitude #GratitudeMindset #GrowthMindset #GrowthThroughChange #HardWorkPaysOff #HumanPotential #HumbleBeginnings #HumbleLeadership #Humility #Inspiration #InspirationalLifeLessons #InspirationalProse #InspirationalWriting #JanitorStory #LeadershipLessons #LeadershipPhilosophy #LeadingByExample #Learn #Learning #LeaveYourEgoBehind #Life #LifePhilosophy #LifelongLearning #Love #MeaningfulSuccess #MeaningfulWork #ModestBeginnings #Motivation #MotivationalEssay #MotivationalStory #NeverStopLearning #NewBeginnings #Opportunity #OpportunityAwaits #OpportunityKnocks #OvercomingEgo #Perseverance #PersonalDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #PersonalIntegrity #PersonalTransformation #PositiveMindset #ProfessionalGrowth #ProfessionalSuccess #Progress #PurposeDrivenLife #ReinventYourself #RespectAtWork #SelfImprovement #SelfReflection #ServiceLeadership #SmallStepsForward #StrongCharacter #Success #SuccessMindset #SuccessThroughHumility #Time #Understanding #ValueOfCharacter #WisdomInSimplicity #WorkEthic #WorkplaceInspiration #WorkplaceMotivation #WorkplaceWisdom

#adaptability #becomingbetter #buildingresilience #careerdevelopment #cfoleadership #characterbuilding

Chris' Morning Pages @[email protected] · 2026-06-22 · 13:35 UTC

22 June 2026

Writing a few words to get back in blogging shape. There’s been a lot keeping me busy and as soon as I sat down to write, my dog starting puking on the floor. For the last month I’ve been recovering from the acupuncture cure of Alpha Gal and don’t know how long before then I was dealing with the symptoms of meat allergy. For months I was complaining about the quality of ground beef at the grocery store, in reality I was probably having allergic reactions. The first time I got Alpha gal, it hit so hard that my entire life shut down. When it was cured, I acted like it never happened. Mentally I couldn’t acknowledge what happened. At the same time I was struggling with some mystery illnesses for years, now I believe those were allergic reactions from eating meat. Now that the acupuncture is out and I’m feeling better, I don’t plan to eat beef, pork, or lamb ever again with hopes that will give me new life. These are my first days back and I’m making plans for my future. In the Fall, for the first time all kids will be in daycare and I’ll get another part of my life back. My show has been going well and I’m proud of how the interviews came out. My plan is to turn my recording into an AI self that can read my blog writings as a script to create daily videos. One attempt at AI cloning was already made and failed, my thinking was that everything was too complicated, so I’ve been figuring out how to simplify things for take two.

#Acupuncture #AIContentCreation #AIVideo #AllergyAwareness #AlphaGal #AlphaGalSyndrome #ArtificialIntelligence #blogging #ChronicIllness #communityMedia #contentCreation #ContentCreator #Creativity #daycare #digitalMedia #FaithAndLife #family #familyLife #futurePlans #healthAndWellness #HealthJourney #interviews #JournalEntry #LifeAfterAlphaGal #LifeUpdate #MeatAllergy #newBeginnings #newChapter #personalGrowth #personalReflections #PersonalUpdate #Podcast #podcasting #recovery #stayAtHomeDad #technology #TickBorneIllness #wellness #writing

#acupuncture #aicontentcreation #aivideo #allergyawareness #alphagal #alphagalsyndrome

Duffney's Bird Barn @[email protected] · 2026-06-09 · 07:25 UTC

Starting Over, One Stitch, One Seed, and One Bird at a Time

Welcome to Duffney's Bird Barn If you've found your way here, welcome. I'm so glad you're here. My name is Misty, and I'm the creator behind Duffney's Bird Barn. I'm a mom, crocheter, bird lover, gardener, and someone who is still figuring things out one day at a time. This blog is where I'll be sharing a little bit of everything—backyard poultry, crochet projects, gardening adventures, homestead life, and the occasional lesson I've learned the hard way. Most importantly, I want this to […]

https://duffneysbirdbarn.wordpress.com/2026/06/09/starting-over-one-stitch-one-seed-and-one-bird-at-a-time/

#anxiety #backyardchickens #backyardflock #beginnergardener #chickenmath #countryliving