Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
Welcome back to another season of The Bachelor. This is the first time Out of the Wilderness will be covering this version of the show. You may recall some wild and hilarious (that’s called shameless self-promotion) posts about Ali Fedotowski on last season’s Bachelorette. She ended up choosing Roberto over Chris L. (recap here), though most searches directing viewers to this site were about Chris and his tattoo. Chris Lambton was slated to be the next Bachelor but he declined, so lo and behold, we have Brad Womack.
The Bachelor
This is Brad’s second time on the show, with the first being the season he surprised everyone by not choosing Jenni Croft or DeAnna Pappas. That was back in 2007. Now, in 2011, Brad lives in Austin, Texas and is sure he’s a changed man. His twin brother and their younger brother both are married and have families, so Brad is desperate excited to start a family of his own.
Out of the Wilderness will cover each episode as Brad narrows thirty desperate excited women down to one. Log on to the web either late Monday nights or early Tuesdays for a fresh, creative, clever and hilarious take on each new episode. Then check this site for my take.
Good luck to Brad and his once-twice-in-a-lifetime search for love!
Last year welcomed a new blog into the world. Since the birth of ‘Out of the Wilderness’ in April, the site has attracted 26,604 views. The postings on this site cover everything from dolphins to Nashville to mustaches, Boney M, music, the power of words, ghosts, personality types, the BP oil spill, online dating, and much more. With all the variety of topics, though, the highest viewed posts are about the 2010 season of “The Bachelorette.” I posted a weekly review after each episode from the very first episode (meet the Bachelors) to the last when Ali picked Roberto Martinez over Chris Lambton. Curiosity about Chris drew in the most clicks among Bachelorette posts. However, the post with the most views overall will surprise you. It’s about a band called Boney M, international stars from the 1970s. Sadly, the male lead from the band died recently so searches for Bobby Farrell and Boney M have surged quite a bit since then. Without further explanation, here are stats from ‘Out of the Wilderness’ this year, in order of most viewed:
Dear 2010,
It’s not that I don’t like you. We spent so much time together, 365 days to be exact, and most were fun. I believe our relationship has run it’s course, though. Honestly, I’ve found someone newer who won’t take no for an answer. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? 2009 still hasn’t forgiven me. I knew this would happen all along, but evenso, I was happy with you. Now there’s a knock on the door and I don’t have a choice but to answer. What mystery and promise awaits? A lot more than you have to offer at this point*. It’s time to say goodbye but I’ll always remember the fun times we had together. Unfortunately, I kept getting mixed signals from you. You’re hot, then you’re cold. You’re awesome, then annoying. I’m not accusing you of being bi-polar, but it’s something to think about. I’ll miss you, 2010. It’s been real. It’s been fun. And it’s been real fun. But I need something greater than you.
It was the summer of 2010 and Nashville just experienced a 500-year flood that devastated houses and families.
There were many opportunities to get involved with the clean-up effort; through churches, charity efforts, and even places of employment encouraging employees to help by lending a hand in the hardest hit areas. The building where I work lost power for the entire week after the flood so once I caught up on my own long overdue yard work, I volunteered in neighborhoods needing assistance. At one house, I helped pull up soaking wet carpet. At another I helped with a washer/dryer extraction. One task was simply sweeping water out of a kitchen into the backyard. Joining in with some other folks, I helped take torn up drywall out to a trash pile near the street. At this house, we had two wheelbarrows, one with a flat tire. Some may say it’s because I’m awesome, others may say it’s because I’m double awesome, but I used the one with the flat tire, without gloves and pushed it up hill in the snow. That makes me a triple threat guy. Ok, I had gloves. And there was no hill. Or snow.
The wheelbarrow rolled well enough until the flat tire hit a hole in the ground and immediately came to a halt. The problem was that I kept walking. My shin was pierced by a screw from the wheelbarrow. Yes it hurt. Yes it bled. A friend nearby had a first aid kit and was more than willing to attend to my new wound. Here’s how it went down before she applied ointment:
Me: Is this going to hurt? Her: Yes. [pause] [pause] Me: Ok, go. [cuss word]
In the few seconds between anticipation of pain and actual pain, I was able to prepare for what would happen next. And if it pleases the court, I’d like to make clear there was no cuss word, that was a joke.
That experience has finally served as a good example of how to handle the storm I’m currently in the middle of. This little storm started and I didn’t have time to prepare, just like my leg and the wheelbarrow. But as the rain falls and the thunder rolls, I’ve made time to seek shelter. If nothing else good comes from this storm, I can at least treasure the shelter and perhaps remember that the Lord loves me enough to carry my burden when all I can imagine happening is me crumbling. There will be resolution to this storm, the suffering will pass. It says so in the Bible: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” Either this statement is true, or none of the Bible is true. So I’m going to, again, take my chances that once the storm passes, it will still just be a storm. But me? I’ll be restored (which is enough) but then I’ll also be stronger, more firm, and more steadfast than ever before. That’s where I win and the storm loses. So when the next one comes, guess what my prayer will be?
Me: Is this going to hurt? Lord: Yes. [pause] [pause] Me: Ok, go. [cuss word] [just kidding]
“You’re a rambling man, you ain’t never gonna change. You’ve got a gypsy soul to blame and you were born for leaving.”
-Colder Weather by Zac Brown Band (download “Colder Weather” here)
One of my favorite songs right now is “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band. If you haven’t seen the performance with Amos Lee, click here and be moved. It’s one of those rare performances that happen at the lowest of expected moments, yet become the most memorable. The lyrics have power, relevance, and are so personal that sometimes I think it’s written about me. And therein lies the only problem I have with the song. When I begin to believe the song is truth, I’m tricking myself into thinking I can’t change. But I believe the way a person starts doesn’t have to be the way they finish. People can change. You may have been born a leaver, but you don’t always have to be a leaver. Your dad may have left you and your mom, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to follow those footsteps. I might blame myself, claiming that I was born with a soul bent on leaving, hurting others, and being alone. But even if that’s the way my life started, it does not have to be the way it ends. There is power, no, there is a power out there that can change a gypsy soul, can change a rambling man into a family man, take a hurt soul and mend the wounds. Please listen to the song. But when you’re finished, know that it’s not the total truth. You can be changed. Seek the power that makes tomorrow better. Hopefully you can start at your local christian church and go from there.
Out of the Wilderness 