Some Favorite Things

We were out of town this weekend so am posting a few thoughts and pictures.


Spent the weekend in Austin visiting the college boy, L.  A fun time enjoying each other's company and feeding our foodie adventures.

 We don't have an H.E.B. at home but we love their coffee so a stop to fill the coffee cupboard is a must.  Trianon Coffee Brewers is the second stop.  The first thing to do when we get home....is brew.

Pansies are my favorite because they stand up in the cold.  I've planted for this fall and with luck they'll still be a spot of color in March!

And just because I'm talking about favorites I love when my toes are pretty with polish.  I generally do them myself but I love the treat of going for a pedi.  It is just the icing on the cake.

Share with me some of your favorites.

 

Dating & Mating: Sexual Market Value

A link on a social media outlet led me to an interesting dating concept. 

The link went to a thread of comments where a 32 year old woman was lamenting her current dating progress.  There were multiple answers to her groans of bewildering outcomes although one male commenter posed an interesting conclusion.  His answer revolved around the disparity in what he referenced as the sexual market value of men and women.

A disclaimer is necessary here.  This is a one-sided, male perspective.  This view, as referenced here, is not meant as a broad sweep across the genders; there are too many exceptions for this definition to be considered a standard.

This is an observation that has enough commonality to merit examination and consideration.

Here is the link for those who who are interested in the complete exchange.

The disparity, our commenter said, is women have a high sexual market value from puberty through mid-30's.  A man's high sexual market value begins at age 26 and increases from there.

What has value, in women, that age begins to devalue would be youth, firmness, energy and sexual appetite.

For men, their sexual value begins to rise after college, when they mature and establish a career, respectability and solvency.

With these market changes the dating scene is flipped.  Where young women have a larger selection of males and can be choosy, and young men are 'friend zoned' frequently; older men may have a larger selection and can be more choosy while older women experience the 'friend zone.' 

His solution is the same for young men and older women; keep dating.  "At this point dating is going to be a grinding affair and a numbers game.  You will be regularly turned down and you're going to have to shrug it off and go on to the next date unfazed."

This is a simplistic view of the many faceted world of dating and relationships but his premise has enough truth that if you are a dating individual, give it some thought. 

You may, or may not, agree with this outlook but the commenter's final remarks hold some wisdom.  "Rest assured you will find someone who values you for exactly who you are, as we all eventually do and that's not a bad thing, as, if you wait for exactly the right person, you'll only have to wait once."

google images
ressourceti.com
avoidingkim.wordpress.com
tiptoptack.com
sxc.hu
gladlylistening.wordpress.com

Running the Risk

Taking a chance is the definition of risk.  A risk involves stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking the chance that things could go a different way than you want or expect. 

Good advice is to assess a risky situation for all the possible outcomes and then decide if the reward is worth the risk.  Similar to the art of making a good decision.

 As in most things, it is easy to assess risk for everyone else. Urging others to move outside their comfort zone is easier said than moving outside our own.

The older I get the smaller and more compact my comfort zones become, accompanied by minimal desire to move outside of them.  Technology has a small area of comfort for me.  I embrace computers, cell phones and digital cameras . . . the first ones I bought and learned to use.  I DON'T WANT TO UPGRADE!  There is little patience to learn the differences from one generation to the next.

On the other hand who wants to be the old lady who gets stuck in the past century, so I grumble through learning the next level of technology.

Last week I was on a blogging hiatus as I traveled north to visit family.  My return flight had a layover in Austin where L. attends school.  Here my comfort zone of travel was pinched.

Time has a distinct zone; I arrive 'on-time'.  It is usual to drive to a destination the day before to assure myself of the location and best directions.  It is also usual to arrive fifteen minutes early and wait in the parking lot.  When flying, arrival is a full hour pre-flight affording plenty of time to check-in and pass security. 

This should provide a clear picture of how nervous I was to land in Austin, hail a Taxi into downtown, meet up with L. between classes, have the Taxi return for me with enough time (should there be any traffic problems) to recheck, pass security and make my flight.

I thought through all the possibilities; Googled the directions and distance from airport to dormitory, priced a cab ride and checked for additional flights should I miss mine.  If all the conditions were met we could swing an hour and a half visit.  As nervous as it made me the reward of seeing L. for just 1 1/2 hours was worth the risk of missing my flight.

When my comfort zone is breached I remember a pivotal point made in the Bible study, Experiencing God, by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King.   
Often God calls us to take a risk outside our comfort zone in order to do the tasks he requires of us.  Those who are called make the adjustments and realize the great reward.  "You cannot stay where you are and go with God."

I encourage you to use the small steps outside your comfort zone as practice for those larger steps that are sure to come.


photos from:
merchantmaverick.com
clipartof.com
davesdays.wordpress.com