Merry Christmas from Out of the Wilderness!

Too bad they didn’t have cameras thousands of years ago. I would love to see footage from a GoPro mounted to one of the wisemen’s camels! Or Joseph wearing a chesty as he marvels at the newborn baby. Instagram would’ve completely shut down, along with Twitter, for that matter. #innkeeperfail
joseph with chestyjoseph with headmount

Hope you have a super Christmas day filled with laughs, family, and full hearts! To that end, here’s a video I came across that’s full of Christmas magic!

My Current Playlist

I figured now is as good a time as any to fill you in on my current playlist. That is, everything that’s not The Head and the Heart. Most of these are tagged through the awesome app, Shazam. Ronnie Milsap “You Don’t Know My Love”… I believe this country song is from 2006. Not sure how I missed it since I worked in country music that year. It’s catchy and just makes me feel good. Probably thanks to the harmonica. Plus I’ve waited around a phone that won’t ring, so I latched on to that verse. The Wild Feathers “The Ceiling”… first heard this on Lightning 100 in Nashville, which over the course of the year has become my favorite station. This song reminds me of a few other songs that I’ve loved, so obviously I love it, too. The 1975 “Chocolate”… I can see this song becoming my favorite very soon. Another Lightning 100 spin and I’m thankful I heard it. Something about how they say “petticoat” makes me want to dance. Deitrick Haddon “He’s Able”… heard this one day driving around Nashville. Gospel music like this cuts right to my soul, and at the same time, I think it’s the musical interpretation of how it would feel to be hidden under the wing of a protector. Know what I mean? Plus it makes me wish I could sing, and that I was black. Bad Actress “Guide Us Home”… this song plays at the end of Tyler Perry’s movie Temptation. The movie was forgettable, but the song is not. It’s haunting and yet, encouraging. Plus some of the lyrics could be about me! Jason Isbell “Cover Me Up”… my first experience with Jason Isbell was through a free song from iTunes. That one was called “Alabama Pines.” I make a point of listening to it every time I drive through Alabama. That one was free but both are worth buying. “Cover Me Up” is soulful, heartfelt, and Jason’s got a great voice.

Meeting the Ex’s Next

I’ve always thought our relationship was like Tom and Summer’s in (500) Days of Summer. When we were together, we weren’t ever quite on the same page. And there was a time after our breakup I really wanted to find (spoiler alert) Autumn first, like it was a competition. Honestly, what I really wanted was for her to find out I was with someone else, as if her jealousy would gratify me. That was a long time ago.

handshake
an example of a handshake

But I still didn’t know how it would feel to find out she had a new boyfriend. And in a dramatic twist, not only would I find out she did have a new boyfriend, I’d have the chance to meet him within the same hour! Holy I-Hope-This-Isn’t-Like-the-Dream-Sequence-In-Dumb & Dumber-When-Lloyd-Meets-Mary-(Samsonite)-Swanson’s-Husband, Batman! It was a curveball I wasn’t expecting. But hey, I’m a heck of a baseball player!

I was standing by the chili station at the company Christmas party and suddenly, there she was. And there he was. After the quick let’s-not-make-this-more-awkward introductions, I turned to the pot of chili. My buddy later asked, “On a scale of 10, how weird was that?” The answer is so refreshing. It was a zero. And it really was.

But if anyone had the expectation that I’d be happy for her, they’d be disappointed. I’m not upset or jealous either. I’m somewhere in the ballpark of indifference. And in reality, that’s a win.

-Out of the Wilderness

10 Signs She’s Not Into You… #1

First and foremost, any of these signs could hold more importance than the other, just depends on your situation. This last sign is tricky, because a lot of times girls will offer to pay for themselves simply as a gesture of kindness.

#1 She doesn’t let you pay for her.

They really want you to pay for them because that means it’s a date. However, if she insists on paying for herself, it might be time to yippy kiyiyay move along, little dogey. At least you got one date with her. Reminds me of the date I had at Which Wich. The one-date wonder, as I call her. I can’t remember who paid for who, but I never saw her again. Some would say the failure was when I thought a first date to Which Wich was a good idea. Others would agree.

And finally, thanks for reading! The list of 10 was in random order. There’s nothing that says your gut feeling is less important than her asking about your friend. But there had to be a #10 and there had to be a #1. If the order of this list bothers you, as my favorite girl on the cancelled show Kid Nation would say, “deal with it!”

-Out of the Wilderness