Who decided how we tell time, anyway?

Who decided that a day is 24 hours? And who decided a would end and begin in the middle of the night? Why do 60 seconds make up a minute? Why not 100 or 63? What would happen if 48 hours made up one day? Would it still be recommended to brush our teeth twice a day? Now would it be 4 times a day? I’m trying to figure out which hygienist determined that, yes, your teeth will be happy and healthy if you brush them twice every 24 hours. Who knows that?

Candle-Timer2What if the world were spinning at half the speed it is now (500 mph vs. 1,000 mph)? It would get dark outside every 48 hours. What would the added daily meals be called? Would military time go all the way up to 4800 hours? 4759 then ticks over to the new midnight? Noon would still be noon, though, right? Would there only be 3.5 days in a week? Would college football be on Wednesday now? Or the middle of the night between Wednesday and Thursday (what used to be Saturday)? A 40-hour work week becomes an 80-hour work week?

sundial
Sundials are used to measure time, avail. on Amazon*

Gravity is only slightly affected by the earth’s daily rotation. So if the earth is spinning half as fast, does it have even less affect on gravity? How would our weight change when we stand on a scale? Would our electric bill be affected? I guess not since, while there is more daylight, there is also an equal amount of more darkness, right? Would it be more like living in Alaska, as they are known for having long days of sunlight and barely any darkness or mostly darkness with a couple hours of sunlight?

If we aren’t using military time, would there be four 12 O’Clocks each day?

Guy 1: Hey, I’ll meet you at the coffee shop at 12 O’Clock.

Guy 2: Which one? 

Guy 1: The one over on 5th Avenue.

Guy 2: No, which 12 O’Clock?

See what I mean? Guy 1 could’ve said 12 P.M. but what would P.M. even mean in that scenario? There would have to be A.M., P.M., and another set of x.M.s, right?

But what I really want to know is why I have to brush my teeth twice a day.

-Out of the Wilderness

*I am an Amazon Affiliate member, which means I’ll receive a percentage of any transactions made through the sundial Amazon link above.

 

Some of my favorite clever song lyrics

I remember a few years ago when I first heard REO Speedwagon’s “Roll With the Changes,” I thought to myself, “Are they still coming out with new songs? I love this one.” I was completely wrong. It’s not that they aren’t touring together, because they are, but the song is from 1978! I couldn’t believe it’s as old as me, since I’m from 1978, too. In fact, the album featuring the song was released 9 months before I was born… wait a second… ew gross, never mind.

I recently had Spotify on and this song played. You think people in 1978 ever thought in about 30 years you’d be able to listen to music in your car, through your phone, on your way to…say, vote for a woman President? They would’ve said you’re crazy! Oh, what, then you got in your time machine and hoverboarded over to the drive-in? Delusional is how they’d classify you.

I totally went down a rabbit hole there, sorry. This is about clever song lyrics! I didn’t catch this line till the other day…

If you’re tired of the same old story, turn some pages.
–REO Speedwagon, “Roll With the Changes”

I love the sentiment of taking action. The line is simple and yet, so clever. Here are a few other favorites of mine.

You’re gonna catch a cold from the ice inside your soul. So don’t come back for me. Who do you think you are?
–Christina Perri, “Jar of Hearts”

All of these people I meet, it seems like they’re fine. Yeah, in some ways I hope that they’re not and their hearts are like mine.
–NeedtoBreathe, “Wasteland”

The bride walks down just to start the wedding, and there’s one more girl you won’t be getting.
–Young MC, “Bust A Move”

Ain’t it funny how some people pop into your head so easily. I haven’t seen you in there for so long.
–Dawes, “All Your Favorite Bands”

Or tell your Aunt Louise, tell anything you please. Myself already knows I’m not okay. Or you can tell my eyes to watch out for my mind, it might be walking out on me today.
–Billy Ray Cyrus, “Achy Breaky Heart”

If you have some favorite clever lyrics, feel free to share them in the comments!

-Out of the Wilderness

I always wear protection

I don’t remember caring about wearing protection when I was younger. But now, I do it every time. It’s just too dangerous to take a risk, too much is at stake.

So every time I go out to mow the grass, you’ll find me wearing at least some of the following:

  • ear muffs or ear plugs
  • protective glasses
  • a giant Quicksilver straw hat
  • long pants

Now that I’m 38 and mature about all things, I know the danger of sun exposure. I know the result of not taking care of my eyes and ears. So if I go out and my shadow looks like Princess Leia, so be it. I would rather be mistaken for the fictional Star Wars character than get diagnosed with skin cancer (again), or damage my ear drums, or take shrapnel to the eye.

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Mowing the lawn whilst wearing ear muffs for ear protection makes me look like a princess

If you’re reading this and thinking it couldn’t happen to you, think twice! Wear protection!

-Out of the Wilderness

Worship made worship better

Yesterday I arrived at church somewhat ready for worship. I guess that is to say, I was coming off a week where I think I made strides forward in my relationship with God, which still definitely includes a generous amount of grace from above in those moments I come up short of the target. I walked in and grabbed a seat, the band started with one of my favorite hymns, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Bang! Worship has begun!

posture-worship
not my picture, got it here

But then something even more awesome happened. There was a particular row of folks in front of me, and a guy I didn’t know sitting to my right, a couple of seats away. The row of strangers along with the guy next to me made me fall even more into an awe of God, if that can somehow make sense. You see, when I’m in church, I don’t typically raise my hands, or move around too much. I would love to be that kind of person, but it’s not really my personality. I am more inward as far as that goes. So when I can be around people that are outwardly expressive, I LOVE IT. I love witnessing someone showing passion for the Lord that way.

Yesterday I was encouraged and my worship was even more personal ,somehow, by being near this kind of genuine worship. It made me think, yeah, I feel that way, too! And I might have even swayed a little 😉

-Out of the Wilderness

A guy who (sometimes) shaves his legs

Now before you judge this guy, we’ll call him “Wen” for the sake of privacy, he doesn’t shave his legs consistently. He may do it once every couple of months. Except maybe not in the winter, am I right ladies?

img_20170916_193736660.jpgIt’s not that Wen is interested in having smooth legs. Heck, he doesn’t even use a razor! He uses hair clippers and it’s more to keep things from getting out of control. Think about your front yard. You don’t mow it down to the dirt, right? You just clip the grass so it looks nice and clean. Manscaping, you might say. Wen also does this on his arms, too. It’s not vain, it’s not weird, and in reality, it’s not that uncommon. According to this graph, 48.4% of men in 2015 admit to shaving their legs.

In this world of gender equality, let’s give Ben– I mean, Wen– a little freedom to shave when he feels like it, mmmk?

-Out of the Wilderness