John Guthrie's Ready Room

An American Tradition

On January 4, 2024, there was a shooting at a high school in the small town of Perry, Iowa. Like almost everyone else, I had to look the town up on the map because I'd never heard of it before. Sadly, Perry, Iowa, has become the latest trend

January 3, 2024

Today I slept in as much as possible because I had to go to the dentist for a cleaning in the afternoon, and I don't like going to the dentist at all. I already have dental surgery scheduled for later this month, which I'm not looking

I Want To Believe

My outlook for 2024 versus my partner's outlook for 2024. He's an optimist. I'm a realist. I want to change. As the New Year starts, I want to find reasons to be optimistic, but the first thing that hits me is the election year

The Adventures of Karma Cat

Karma Cat occupies a place of regal importance in front of my iMac. Whenever I write in this room, Karma Cat watches me, silently proofreading everything I type and letting me know if it is good or garbage. As I slowly adjust to writing here at the desk and continue

January 2, 2024

I spent most of New Year's Day in bed, sleeping. I needed the rest. I stayed up till about 2:30 on New Year's Eve with Hal, watching the celebrations and hearing some of the music, and woke up again at about 9:30 with my

A Post Each Day

It's already 2024! I want to write at least one story daily; That is my goal. I'm not making this a resolution, but I do want to write at least one story per day during 2024. I think it's a good exercise that will

Getting Good At Failure

The title of this story seems like a contradiction in terms, but there is an important lesson when you read through the entire story. I was going through my meditation this morning when I came across this title, so I decided to check it out. I’m glad that I

One Thing At A Time

I am more determined than ever to get this room straightened out so I will have room to work and create at my desk. It is incredibly frustrating to move things all over the place so that I can sit and type on the iMac when I want to. 2024

Another Random Posting

Sometimes, finding a subject to write about is complex, and this is one of those days. There isn't much to comment on here except for a trip to the dentist to pick up impressions for some upcoming bridge work early next year. Then, I take those impressions to

Preparing For A New Year, Or Up In Smoke

2023 is nearly gone. Rather than try to write another personal summary of the year, or make resolutions that won't be kept, I'm going to focus on the here and now. The week between Xmas and New Year's Day is always hectic for so

Tuning Everything Out

I’m the outsider. I’ve always watched the crowds rather than getting caught up in them. My strong beliefs in Equality and Individuality preclude my ever joining any large group. I live my life comfortably , knowing these facts. I don’t feel like I miss out on anything special.

Successful Trip

Hal and I went to lunch today at one of the bigger shopping areas around here. The only expense was lunch. We mainly went to watch people caught up in the shopping frenzy.  Not to sound superior, but many years ago we learned to be happy with what we already

Finding My Groove

Monday started out very busy. I had to take the car in for a paint protection job this morning, and they gave me a rental, which I'm just not comfortable driving. Hal and I came home, and we'll wait for the dealer to call and then

Rainy Sundays

There is a major storm that is supposed to impact the East Coast, and our part of Virginia felt the storm most of the day on Sunday. While I'm sure this will impact lots of holiday shoppers, that won't affect Hal or myself.  Rainy Sundays mean

I Just Don’t Care Anymore

Every day, the situation gets worse and worse. People have become nothing more than loudspeakers for the hatred that is consuming our nation. The art of communication is vanishing right before our eyes, but we act like we're powerless to stop it. That sums up how I feel.

Time To Reflect

I woke up early Friday morning and decided to focus my daily meditation on reflecting on my life right now. I have so much to be grateful for; it is a strange thing coming from a disabled, almost 60-year-old man, but it is still very accurate for me. I am

Friday Eve At Last

🎶On The Road Again🎶

Wednesday’s adventure began with another, although hopefully the last, 100 mile round trip to see one of my doctors. My goal for 2024 is to find a new medical team closer to home now that my disability was approved.  Interstate 95 is no joke. It is never a pleasant

Resisting The Sweet Siren Song Of Negativity

Sometimes, when I read through stories on Medium, I'm struck by how many are negative stories. I try to stay away from negativity as much as possible because I used to be one of those people.  Keeping a positive outlook on life can be very difficult because I

Tuesday Recollection

went to see my therapist this morning and I realized that there is a problem that I need to address. Every time I visit my therapist, she is late because some other appointment runs late, but she always makes sure that I’m out exactly on time.  I realize that

Must Be Monday

I woke up in the middle of the night because of low blood sugar. This happens to me occasionally and I know how to quickly deal with it after so many years.  The news wasn’t all bad though because while I was awake I found that one of my

Sleeping and Sunday

My CPAP and the adjustable bed are making it easier for me to sleep at night. I am finally getting almost 8 hours of sleep each night, and that hasn’t happened in years. I hope that this continues.   The weather today will be rainy and miserable around here. I

It’s Time To Clear Out My Backlog Of Stories for 2023

All through 2023, I’ve managed to keep my story backlog under control. The number of incomplete stories, and idea sheets has stayed under twenty, which is a manageable amount. Now that we’re in December, it’s time to see how many backlog stories I can clear out. Naturally

My 1-Year Anniversary On Medium

December marks my anniversary since I joined Medium. I am having a wonderful time reading stories and writing my own. Medium has exposed me to some marvelous people I wish to meet in person.  I know that my writing has improved this last year, but I still have a long

Everyday Is A New Journey

I am grateful for each day. When I wake up, I marvel at the promise of each new day. The first thing I do as I brush the sleep out of my eyes is to open the window blinds and see what the outside world looks like. Is it bright