Time Well Spent 3/27/2025

 Good Morning,

My  cup was just filled with Door County Inn Keepers Blend Coffee and it is time to write.

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmuring or complaining.

Yesterday I was able to spend some time with our neighbor Mike on an outing for a few hours. Mike lives next door to us in a residence for assisted living and also attends the same church as we do. 

On to yesterday. Mike suffered a stroke a few years back and needs help with daily living. He needs a cane and has to walk slowly. He is prone to falling and we try to avoid that at all costs. 

I picked Mike up and as always he was ready to go. He is always prompt and walks out to my truck with his cane in hand. I had invited him to tag along as I performed some tasks that would take me to a few different places. Mike pretty much never turns down an invitation for an outing. "I like to get out of there and just go anywhere." Mike's speech was also impacted by the stroke so our conversations are brief but I am getting better at understanding what he is saying. 

Mike was all smiles as we went to Cabelas. The store afforded lots of things of interest to Mike and me as well. We walked around the inside for about an hour. I made a couple of purchases and we moved on to a country cheese store and I picked up some cheese and gave Mike a sample to eat later and we were off to purchase lunch. We picked up a take home lunch from Jersey Mike's Sub Shop. Mike liked the fact that yesterday was the day that Jersey Mike was donating the proceeds of all purchases to charity. We discussed other options for lunch earlier but Mike made the choice to help out others. 

As you read this and wonder where I am going with it, I really only have one simple point. It is not to pat myself on the back for taking my handicapped neighbor with me for a nice drive on a sunny day. That's not it at all. What you don't see in this blog is one time where Mike complained about anything. Mike is pretty crippled up and if anyone had a right to complain and moan he does. But he smiles and is just happy to be out of his room and on the road. He listens to the Country Western music in my truck and now and then he comments on a song that triggers a memory for him. He is the one friend I have who never complains. When I invite him to go with me on the most mundane of outings, his reply is "You don't have to ask me twice. What time do we leave?" Mike is very quick to thank me for taking him along. I probably enjoy the time spent with Mike more than he does. 

We all should take the view of life that Mike has. One where we just enjoy being out and going somewhere with a friend. No Complaints. 

Have a complaint free day!

Marty