Key lessons I learned in the last ~year: 💡
- Give to causes/uses that (can) last long.
- Giving that lasts can also give you back a lot of satisfaction.

Wish I'd learned that sooner. 😳

#lesson #giving #satisfaction

Good morning. 🦆🪿🦢

22 May 2026

I had a recurring dream last night. Well, not exactly recurring, but the premise is always the same: I’m still in the Army, and I’ve already turned in my field gear in preparation for a PCS. “Permanent” change of station is a funny term, since nothing in the Army is ever permanent, but we all know it means you’re headed to another unit, usually halfway around the world.

In the dream, my gear is turned in, but for some reason I’m stuck — unable to leave, caught in a strange limbo. The details shift, the people around me change, but I’m always waiting for transportation that never quite arrives. Movement is paused for reasons no one can explain. So I carry on with only the odd bits of gear I bought myself over the years. Strange, isn’t it?

There’s a bit of trivia I’ve picked up from having served in both the Marine Corps and the Army. In the Marines, we called our field gear 782 gear, named after the form it was issued on: NAVMC Form 782. In the Army, the same basic gear is called TA‑50, after the authorizing publication CTA 50‑500 (CTA meaning Common Table of Allowances).

Two services, two cultures, and two sets of terminology for the same things. Think duffel bag vs. sea bag, hat vs. cover, latrine vs. head — the list goes on.

On a different note, teachers pour their own money into classrooms because budgets rarely cover what students truly need. They buy supplies, books, and basics so learning doesn’t suffer — a quiet burden they shoulder simply because they care. I mentioned helping my granddaughter’s kindergarten class in my last morning post. I’ll share her classroom registry again during one more two‑day cycle in case anyone wants to help equip her room.

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1DC2KJP067BP1

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — William Faulkner

#photo #photography #photographer #photographylovers #wildlife #nature #bird #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdphotography #morning #ducks #giving #hoodedmergansers #dreams

Good morning. 🍂🍂🍂

20 May 2026

Charlie apparently had an accident last night — I didn’t witness the crime scene myself, but my wife delivered the morning briefing as soon as I woke up. She handled the cleanup, which is unusual, because I’m normally the designated disaster response unit around here.

I told Charlie to get in his bed and informed him he was a “bad boy,” all while handing him his morning dental treat like some kind of confused, soft‑hearted warden. He stayed in his bed for about three seconds before returning to his regularly scheduled programming of doing whatever he wants.

I didn’t accomplish much yesterday. Traveling wears me out more than it used to, even though we spent a good portion of the trip languishing in hotel rooms like two retirees waiting for the early‑bird special.

I did manage to order supplies for my granddaughter’s kindergarten class, which she starts teaching on July 1. It’s her first paid teaching job — last year she was a student teacher, which is basically the same thing except with more stress and less money.

She made an Amazon gift registry to help equip her classroom. I’m not the only one contributing, but I’ll admit I got a little carried away. Honestly, the registry idea is genius. I don’t know if they teach that in college now, but they should — “Classroom Survival 101: How to Crowdsource Crayons During Budget Cuts.”

Most of the items have already been ordered, but a few things are still up for grabs. My calculus — and this is the only calculus I’m willing to do these days — is that I’m not just helping her get started. I’m helping 18–20 tiny humans begin their academic careers. It’s a small gesture, but meaningful. A win‑win.

If anyone out there wants to join the cause, here’s the registry link:

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1DC2KJP067BP1

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” — Ronald Reagan

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — W.B. Yeats

#nature #morning #education #giving

The following hashtags are trending across South African Mastodon instances:

#karaoke
#games
#pentecost
#church
#thanks
#giving

Based on recent posts made by non-automated accounts. Posts with more boosts, favourites, and replies are weighted higher.

A quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist
Column (1942-11), “If You Ask Me,” Ladies’ Home Journal, Vol. 59

More about this quote: wist.info/roosevelt-eleanor/84…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #eleanorroosevelt #charity #deserving #desperation #distrust #donation #giving #misanthropy #philanthropy #risk #trust #undeserving

The following hashtags are trending across South African Mastodon instances:

#castle
#tank
#durban
#karaoke
#games
#pentecost
#church
#thanks
#giving
#Methodist

Based on recent posts made by non-automated accounts. Posts with more boosts, favourites, and replies are weighted higher.