Randy Elrod's Blog, page 19

Curiosity

Curiosity means endless questioning, like when I was a child, asking about everything, ad infinitum. Who? What? Where? When? How? And perhaps most importantly, Why? It means refusing to take “no” answers as the final word. It prefers questions over answers. A curious mind (the mind is the human aspect directly tied to this essential […]

Father’s Day “Changes”

Seasons change and so did I Oh my children You will too Longings change and so did mine Oh my children Yours will too Beliefs change and so did mine Oh my children Yours will too Fortunes change and so did mine Oh my children Yours will too Families change and so did mine Oh […]

Think Getting Older Sucks? Think Again.

Hollywood, culture, and yes, even the medical industry tells us that getting older sucks and that people over fifty should slow down and act their age. Guess what? We are not listening. Instead, many of us are living out our dreams. A growing number of older people are showing there is much to enjoy in […]

What Was The Last Book You Read?

We were watching Jimmy Kimmel Show as they did a street interview asking people what the last book they had read was. Not one could think of the last time they read a book. Not one. This absence of reading is inconceivable to me. Reading brings me joy, and there is rarely, if ever, a […]

Second Half of Life Questionnaire

I recently found this fascinating questionnaire by Oldster Magazine and promptly filled it out. Most people seem to feel about 20% younger than their actual age. Please take some time to complete it and then post it in a comment below. It will take a bit of time, and it is personal, so if no one does […]

Random Ways To Enjoy Life After Age 40

—Spend your free time the way you like, not the way you think you’re supposed to. —Discover your natural personality and how to make the most of it. —Develop a newfound sense of entitlement to be yourself. —Love knowledge for its own sake, not necessarily as a blueprint to action. Pursue an activity for its […]

Kitchen Appliances & Utensils I Could Not Live Without

(In No Particular Order) 1. Samsung Induction Oven—I was induction before induction was cool. Now that the gas oven hoopla has surfaced, everyone is talking about induction. I first discovered the technology by accident at the farm in 2015. Our Samsung Chef Collection oven malfunctioned, and because we were so remote—they asked if they could […]

The Evangelical Flight of Creatives

It is heartbreaking to receive countless texts, private messages, and calls from creatives forced to resign from Evangelical churches worldwide, particularly in America. It has become an epidemic. I have been out of the cultic fray for almost seventeen years, yet I still have a public and vocal presence on social networks. And because I […]

The Artist as Dionysus

As I read and continue researching the quest to enjoy the second half of life, Dionysus repeatedly surfaces as the “god-like” archetype I most identify with. Dionysus is the nature god of fruitfulness, theatre, and vegetation, especially known as a god of wine and ecstasy. Historically, he is depicted in art as an androgynous, long-haired […]

Reborn