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REBOOT
GRRR – the computer messes up what I am working on – or the TV goes wonky. Sometimes I fiddle around trying to get back to where the problem seemed to start and get really lost, and the mess remains. Finally, I turn to a trusted source for help. The expert says “turn it off, unplug the modem, wait 10 seconds, reconnect, turn it back on”. And it works!!!!! Sometimes it takes more than one try because I don’t get the sequence just right, but eventual success is inevitable. REBOOT is the word.
Sometimes, the same thing happens with other elements of my life. Something goes awry and I must finally ask for help - with the furnace, the broken door lock, or whatever. Sometimes the mess is my thinking – “stinking thinking”. The events in 2020 have caused me to say too many times “totally unbelievable”!! We (think we) are so advanced in technology, understanding, and life skills that we can’t be stymied by a little bug, by viewing the death of George Floyd, or by out-of-this-world conspiracy theories. But it has happened. Unbelievable.
That’s when I need to take stock of MY priorities and remember to REBOOT. It’s time to get back to the basics and turn to old favorites. The Bible is first and always good; many of us have favorite verses or stories we learned years ago. The study doesn’t have to be complicated. Basic rules are spelled out pretty clearly (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5);
1. I am the Lord thy God
2. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord they God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy
5. Honor they father and they mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house
11. Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is they neighbor’s
and (Matthew 7)
In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you
We don’t need to complicate these rules by interpretation. I know that I am not successful in following these commands, but I try, consciously or subconsciously, to use them as a guide to how I relate to others and to the world. They remind me to rethink where I am and what I’m doing.
My wish for me, for you, for all of us is to be serious as we REBOOT and start over in 2021, leaving behind the sadness and the messes of 2020 as experiences we do not want to see repeated.
About the Author
Joan Bachman is a Registered Nurse, Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Registered Health Information Technician, and Faith Community Nurse. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Joan has experience as a Nurse, Administrator, Developer, Trainer, Grant Writer, and served as Administrator of SD State Survey Agency. She has consulted with health care facilities and nonprofit organizations and presented leadership training. Joan is the author of Guidebook for Assisted Living Facilities and Senior Service Providers and Guidebook for Physician Services in the Nursing Facility, and she has published in professional journals.
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