A hard time accepting kindness

A good example of what I mean in the title is my neighbors here in Nashville. So many times over the years the neighbors (on both sides of my house) have gone out of their way to help with my yard work, give me trinkets, tools, etc and pretty much every time this happens I have a sense of debt in my mind.

Does that ever happen to you?

At times I consider it noble to feel this way, I want to earn everything that comes my way. But I think something else is actually closer to the truth. It isn’t noble at all to deny someone their kindness towards others (in this case, me). The feeling that I “owe” them is not a good thing, it’s probably unhealthy, and it very well could take away the full joy of receiving something as a gift.

I think I have been this way for a long, long time and in one sense it’s not a bad thing to treat others the way I want to be treated (when I’m given something, be on the lookout for how I can return the kindness), but if it comes from a place of repayment, that isn’t good.

Have you dealt with this sort of feeling before? What have you done to change this internal struggle?

Thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

Big Sky – Music from Season 2 Episode 1

*Episode 2 music is posted here*

*Episode 3 music is posted here*

*Episode 4 music posted here*

The season 2 opener for Big Sky packs a wallop of intrigue into a couple of storylines. Of course, there’s Ronald, but the budding story of the car crash/murder/money already has me hooked. Along with the return of the characters we love, this first episode of season 2 has a long list of soundtrack music. Without further ado, here are the songs featured in the episode…

“Where You Gonna Go” – Gregory Alan Isakov

“The Wreck” – Mr. Knightowl

*Unidentifiable song with lyrics “…turned as you walked into the light lyrics*

“Take Me to Hell & Back” – David Bradley Mau

“Oh You” – Rj Full Range featuring Romell Kidd, Itzfreshmen & Rich I.E.

“What It’s Like” – MOONZz

“Landslide” – Caveboy

“The Party Song” – Tamara Dabney Jacobs & Paul Taylor

“Happy Together” – The Turtles

Thanks for stopping by! Check back each week for more music from the latest episodes of Big Sky.

-Out of the Wilderness

When I’m feeling blue…

How does that Phil Collins song go, “when I’m feeling blue all I have to do is take a look at you.” Sitting in my backyard not feeling so great about a particular thing in my life, then I look over and see this.

…then I’m not so blue. It was just what I needed for a boost of encouragement. A look from my pup reminding me it’s all gonna be OK.

Feel free to come back to this photo if you need encouragement, too, and if you are thinking about adopting a dog, you will not regret it. They might become your best buds.

-Out of the Wilderness

Cemetery Photos on a Foggy Morning

I promise I’m not morbid but for the longest time I’ve felt something deeply moving by visiting cemeteries. I even went on a date to a cemetery. OK, that might be a little weird. It was really fun, though, because we had pencils and paper and were able to decipher the dates on some very old headstones. I am fascinated by the dates, especially when they are hundreds of years old. It affects my soul in a good way to think about these lives from times gone by. How was life for them? How did they envision life would be in 2021? What did they do for fun, for work, for rest? 

Sometimes I write about it. Sometimes I also take photos when I find cemetery grounds that have character or just seem interesting to me. Don’t think it morbid to check out the photos below from a recent morning in Nashville, Tennessee. I hope they might make you think about how big the world is, how short life can be, and maybe today you and I can take advantage of the breath we have in our lungs, the beating of our hearts, and the time we have on this planet. 

This first set is from that foggy Nashville morning. After that group are a few more I’ve taken that I love. 

-Out of the Wilderness

Does this count as teasing my dogs?

While I was out running a thousand errands, I stopped by Sam’s Club to pick up dog food. As you know, almost anything you get from a warehouse store like Sam’s is going to be enough food to feed a pack of dogs for a year, so I loaded up dog food for my two pups and might have simultaneously triggered an FBI (Federation of Beagle Investigators) for cruel and unusual punishment. 

How terrible of a dog owner am I for doing this? And you KNOW beagles have a nose that can smell food from a mile away. In my defense, I should get some points for taking them on a walk only a half hour before this pic was taken! Because, of course, the errands I had for today included walking them at a nearby Greenway. 

OK, your turn. Tell me how bad I am and how many treats I owe them for this!

-Out of the Wilderness