John Guthrie

Figuring things out, just like everyone else.

Spirits In A Material World

There are times when I feel like I am alone in the world. I am with Hal and The Stooges, but we seem to exist in our own little world. Most of this is my own fault because I chose the path of Kindness, which automatically separates me from so

Choosing Isolation

I like to think of myself as a people person, but I’m finding that more and more difficult as I grow older. The art of conversation has died, and in its place, we are left with arguments seemingly decided not by the validity of a position but by the

A Prisoner Of My Own Device

With thanks to the Eagles and their classic “Hotel California,” I am also a prisoner of my own device. I’m a diabetic and that limits some of my activities each day. On Sunday afternoon, I once again tried to check out without my insulin, only to be brought back

A Beautiful Ending

I saw the video for the new Beatles song “Now and Then” and I thought it was a beautiful ending to the career of the band. I’m fascinated by the technology used to create the song from an old cassette tape recorder. I watched the story of the song

Time To Take Charge Of My Life

I talked with my therapist the other day, and we discussed how things are going in my life. I told her that my disability claim was finally settled after the threat of a lawsuit. She told me it was time to start enjoying my life again. The stress of the

My Perfect Halloween Costume

Halloween has changed through the years. It used to be focused almost completely on children and trick or treat. Sometime in the 1980s, if memory serves me correctly, Halloween started to change into a more adult-themed holiday. The Halloween events became parties, chances for adults to cut loose and get

Trying Something New

Kindness is in short supply right now. All my efforts to focus on the here and now are falling short, and I am letting the tension go and relaxing before making any rash decisions I know I will regret later. With that being the case, I wrote my story using

Every Once In A While

Sometimes the world just seems laser-focused on fucking everything up. This is one of those times, I don’t need to mention all the bullshit, you can probably guess. At times like this, I shut down and walk away from the chaos. I try to go as far away as

Kindness Journey - Killing Time, Or My Views On Suicide

When I made the decision, or rather Hal did, for me to see a therapist earlier this year, one of the first things I had to do was filling out a questionnaire for my new therapist. I was surprised at how generic the questions were, except for the questions about

Radio - My College Days

I thought about one of the strangest things that happened while I was in college. This was many years ago, but I still remember it vividly. This story happened many years before I embraced Kindness; I was young and headstrong. I was assigned a roommate in the dorm from a

Welcome to my newest follower

Salmon, I’m honored to have you as a friend and follower.

Karma Cat

Karma Cat always sits patiently next to my computer to remind me that no matter what inflammatory things I see on the internet, I can always choose the path of peace. Karma Cat never gets upset, which inspires me on my bad days when it seems that nothing is going

Trying To Keep Calm

“I will always find something to worry about.” Those words from my therapist race around my mind on days like this. I keep the news turned off, because I worry that the propaganda machine is gearing us up for something catastrophic in the Middle East. I haven’t seen anything

Welcome to my newest follower

Welcome to my newest follower Amethysta Herrick I’m glad you’re here. I look forward to sharing with you ❤️

A Massive Weight Has Been Lifted From My Shoulders

Friday, October 6, 2023 started like every other Friday. Hal and I went to the chiropractor and then picked up groceries. We had a minor scare when the low tire pressure light came on in the car, so I drove to the neighborhood AAA service center and they quickly determined

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Tom Petty really nailed how I felt on Wednesday at the doctor’s office. The waiting is the hardest part. We drove. Fifty miles to get to the office, and my appointment was scheduled for 1045. Naturally, it was nearly 1130 by the time I was led from the waiting

Cruel To Be Kind

A song title from the past came to be when I was meditating. The artist was Nick Lowe, and the song was titled "Cruel To Be Kind." I always draw strength from that title because it teaches a valuable lesson about Kindness. There are times when you cannot

Dungeons, Dragons, and Disaster…. Well, There Was Beer Involved

Someone I genuinely admire and consider a friend commented in one of his stories about his younger years and playing Zelda. Jason reminded me of something that happened to me many years ago. My story involves Dungeons and Dragons, nerds, and beer. I forgot everything until Jason's story

Dysfunctional Is The New Normal

Republicans love to tell everyone how they are completely opposed to Communism and Fascism, that they stand for law and order over chaos, yet behave like spoiled children when they don’t get everything they want. Republicans today follow Lenin’s idea about a small group leading others. I predict

I Just Created My Own Discord Server

I have existed on the periphery of Discord for over a year. Honestly, it seemed so disjointed that I never thought about putting effort into it. Then I started finding friends from Medium who used Discord, and that got me interested again. I sat on the sidelines and tried to

And The Stupidity Just Keeps Getting Worse

When I woke up Wednesday morning, Hal greeted me with the “news” that House Nazis have decided to launch an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. I consciously tried to avoid the infoporn that the media shovels at us every day, but my serenity was only slightly disturbed by what Hal

I Can’t Stand Watching The News Anymore

The constant repetition is so annoying I always wonder what we're not being told as the washed-up wannabe actors try to emote until they wet themselves. To make things even worse, they repeat the same nonsense every hour. I believe that this endless repetition will eventually kill the

9/11 Meh

I remember that terrible day. The morning news bulletins started out reporting a tragedy, and right before our eyes, cane the proof that we were under attack. Time moved at a different pace that day. Fear was tangible everywhere. People at work were glued to TVs or their computers, or

Kindness - Pass It On

I follow the Kindness lifestyle as closely as I can. Kindness is a gentle teacher who forgives our blunders and always gives us another chance to prove ourselves. Kindness doesn't judge, but it provides our conscience with a clear foundation for guiding us. I feel that gentle tug

Moving Slowly Through The Pain

Right now, it feels like my life is starting over while I recover from last month when I had to ration my medications due to an insurance screw-up. I made it through without any significant complications, at least none that I know of so far, and I can feel myself