A while back, Mrs. MZM and I were toolin’ along through a fairly nice neighborhood when we noticed a pile of stuff stacked out by the curb of one particular house. There were, let’s see, several big palm leaves, assorted sticks and branches (obviously some trimming going on), and three or four large cardboard boxes.

But what caught our eyes were several of those bi-fold louvered doors like the one you see in this photo, stacked on top of the whole pile. As a matter of fact, it just so happened we’d been searching for some (they make good decorating items – and who says you can’t find ‘em, y’know, free!), so we pulled over to check ‘em out (sound of car, screeching to a halt).

How many times have you found something wonderful amid a pile of old stuff? Have you ever looked? If not, you might be surprised at what you’re missing! For instance…

It’s a Kind of Seque…

Did you know there’s an amazing amount of really good stuff located deep in the archives of the Middle Zone? (And how’s that for a segue?) Like what, you ask? Well, stuff you may have missed completely, or maybe even *ahem* forgotten about. And I’m tellin’ ya, there’s some pretty nifty gems there! In fact, each one of ‘em is sorta like a door, right? (cue the Twilight Zone music) A door to another time, and another place… well, you get the drift.

Anyway, I’m gonna make it easy for you to check some of ‘em out. So every now and then (particularly when things get a little busy ’round here), I’ll post a few links so you can check ‘em out. If you’ve already read ‘em, no worries. But if they’re posts you missed, then it may behoove you to go have a gander. Just sayin.

Let’s start with something I no longer do anymore: OOB. What in tarnation is an OOB, you ask? (And my, aren’t we full of questions today?) Well, it stands for “Out Of the Box”, and for about the first two years of the Zone’s life, it was a monthly collection of unusual, strange, and odd stuff discovered during the course of each month. The way I put it for OOB#1 was, “a few odds and ends that don’t necessarily have anything to do with anything”.

I stopped collecting these a while back, but still, I get a kick out of rereading ‘em every now and then. They’re filled with some truly memorable items, if I do say so myself! (And I believe I just did, right?)

Here’s a couple from ‘waaay back you might find worth a look:

OOB#3

OOB#4

OOB#5

Y’all have fun! (Also note, some references may be to things no longer ON the Middle Zone.)

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Can a tiny little bit of resentment really be all that bad? I mean, it’s so small, and that – well, let’s call it anger ’cause that’s what it really is – is just a lil’ tiny thing, ain’t it? Besides, sometimes holding a little anger in can be kinda delicious, can’t it?

But over the years I’ve come to realize that no matter how teeny tiny that anger starts out, it can still have an amazing grip on my heart. Here’s what I mean…

Lord of My Domain

There’s just something about owning your own home, you know? Please forgive me if I come across as all that, y’all. I dunno; maybe it’s a sortof “lord of your domain” kind of thing when you “own” a patch of God’s green Earth for yourself, y’know?

Anyhoo – I derive a certain satisfaction standing on my front porch, looking out over the small patch of land I owe so much money on own. Having performed this exercise more than a few times, I’ve gotten rather familiar with my own property. What’s more, it’s pretty easy to tell when there’s something not quite right. A disturbance in the force, perhaps? An object that didn’t belong?

Suddenly I spotted the offensive element – right at my feet! Oh, the horror! There in my front garden – right next to the walk where any visitor could see it – was a (sound of terrified scream) weed! Well, it really wasn’t all that big. In fact, it was only about 2 inches tall. But set against our dark brown mulch, the bright green leaves made it easy to see.

OK; now you’re probably thinkin’ to yourself, What the heck is the big deal? I mean, it’s only a weed, right? I mean, it’s not like it was a triffid or anything. And you’d be correct up to a point. After all, when you have a garden, finding a weed here and there is pretty much a given. (Find a triffid, on the other hand, and you’d better run for your life! Just sayin’.)

Anyway, I did what any self-respecting homeowner woulda done: I reached down to gently, er, rip the little booger outta the ground (you have to do it just right or you don’t get the roots out, you know), only to find… the darned thing wouldn’t budge! Harumph.

Now, that kinda surprised me, since this particular weed was so small. I mean, how deep could the roots be, anyway? And how strong? After all, I’m a big, giant man – and I’m ‘waaay stronger than any puny little ol’ weed! So I bent down, got a better grip on the weed’s stem, and started pulling, gently but firmly. With fairly steady pressure, it would eventually let go.

At first, nothing happened. Finally, I saw it slowly coming loose. The only thing was, a surprisingly large patch of the garden was coming up with it! My eyebrow lifted in a remarkable imitation of Mr. Spock, and I’m almost sure I heard the word, “Fascinating” in the whisper of the breeze.

Sheesh, I thought, what’s this thing wrapped around? Those dang roots must be down somewhere near China! I had visions of unearthing a misplaced treasure chest filled with lost pirate’s gold or something. And now I had to pull that out along with the offending weed.

Finally, I got it completely out of the ground, and was rewarded with my Catch of the Day: a two-inch weed attached to a big clump of dirt – and a four-inch piece of wood! I’m tellin’ ya; that weed wasn’t gonna give up without a fight!

Anyway, having come out the victor in this particular battle of wills, I sneered in my best Jimmy Cagney impression, “Nyah; thought ya had me, ya little weasel! But I showed ya who was boss here, didn’t I! Nyah!” (Hey, sometimes I gotta be my own entertainment.)

Needless to say, that little weed never stood a chance against someone as big as me (not that I’m, er, big, mind you!) But what surprised me was the way the roots of that little guy managed to get such a good grip on that piece of wood – not to mention the sizable clump of dirt it brought out with it.

The thing is, roots can be like that, can’t they? They work their way into the tiniest of crevices in dirt, rocks or whatever, and can be heck to completely get out. And wow, they can have quite the deathgrip, if you know what I mean.

The Root of Bitterness

There’s an interesting statement in the Bible (actually, it’s in Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 15, if you care to look it up) that uses a word-picture combination that has always stuck with me. Here’s the verse:

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled…

… and the words of interest are right there in the middle: root of bitterness.

What’s a root of bitterness, you may ask? Well, it’s a fair question. A root of bitterness is what the writer of Hebrews calls that little, angry, resentful feeling you get when you don’t like bein’ disciplined for your own good.

Remember when you were a little kid, and you did something stupid, or wrong, or mean? Chances are good that your parents, or your teacher (or hopefully someone appropriate) laid some discipline on ya, right? It happens all the time, even when we’re grown up, too.

Everywhere we turn, life, the universe, and everything tends to discipline us when we do stuff that’s out of line, doesn’t it? Oh, it might not be right away. I mean, you may think you’re getting away with it. But I’m tellin’ ya; sooner or later, she all comes home to roost, if you get my meanin’.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road, though. If you’re still teachable (hopefully that includes you!), then that discipline actually serves to make you a better person. But if you’re not… well, you may just end up a bitter, angry person. Hey, you know it’s true, right?

I find the choice of those particular words “root of bitterness” fascinating, don’t you? It describes perfectly what’s happening down inside your heart. Even the tiniest bit of anger, just like that tiny little weed, can get quite a grip on the fabric of your soul. Once there, it can be pretty tough to root out, y’know?

What to do? Well, it’s pretty simple, really. Just deal with whatever the situation is that caused the anger. And whatever you do – don’t  let it fester or it’ll get worse! Roots have a way of growin’ deep when you ignore ‘em. I’m just sayin.

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Photo: Tiny weed, by bishib70

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… that is the question, isn’t it?

In fact, it may even be the question of the ages, wouldn’t you say? What, exactly, do you want to be? (In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if you’re grown up or not – or even planning to – hey, it’s a pertinent question for whoever you are, right now.)

As many of you may know, a few weeks ago I joined the several millions of Americans (literally) who have lost their jobs due to the condition of the economy. (I can’t begin to estimate how many have lost theirs worldwide.) In fact, this year alone I lost my job twice! Shucks. Alas. Dang.

I’m tellin’ ya; it’s takin’ a near-superhuman effort not to turn that into a political comment. But not today. (sound of big sighs of relief) But rather than just rant about that, it did bring up an interesting question. Now I’m sorta thinkin’ to myself, What, indeed, do I really want to be, anyway?

Oh, don’t get me wrong; as to my profession, well, I’m certainly a well-qualified Project Engineer. (That’s someone who manages either one or more “small” projects, or bite-sized chunks of much larger projects. Note: “small”, in this case, can be more-or-less defined as “less than $15-20 million” in total installed cost. And it’s usually more like $5 million or less.)

But is that what I want to do with my life? Well… when it comes to my professional life – the answer is yes! After all, I love the work, and I truly enjoy the things I do when managing a project. So, yes; I do want to be a Project Engineer – and perhaps one day, a Project Manager (which is the next step up).

But I’m thinkin’ along a slightly different wrinkle here. After all, a fellah’s gotta make a livin’, y’know, and I do love to do what I’m good at, y’know, doin’, if you get my meanin’. But that’s just a job, after all. It’s not who I am.

No, the real question is, who do I want to be. Can you hear the distinction? I’m not even sure I can adequately define it, for that matter. Hey, at least I know what I mean. And I think you do, too, right?

See, besides bein’ a darned good Project Engineer, I’m a whole herd of other things, too. For instance (and in no particular order): I’m a husband, a writer, an author, a Bible teacher (the Mrs. And I teach Newlyweds at our church – loads of fun, I’ll tell ya!), a Christian, a friend, a fine fellow (or an insane person, depending on who you ask) – I mean there’s literally no limit to the things I can be at any given moment.

So why the seemingly ambiguous question, you ask? Well, maybe it needs to be stated in a different way.

I guess the question is really, what do I want to be that will produce something that will outlast me? Or that affects other people in a positive way? (And that’s positive as defined by me, of course.) In other words, what difference do I want to make in that totality of existence we call life, the universe, and everything?

Do YOU know what I mean? Maybe we should throw that one against the wall and see what sticks.

So, how would YOU answer the question: “What do I want to be?”

As always, feel free to respond in the comment box. Or, if you need more room and it fits your blog, write it there. (Just link here so we can all enjoy – and learn – from your responses.) Don’t worry; I’ll leave the light on for ya.

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Photos

… or not 2B, by Robert Hruzek

find out who you are 3042×2154, by Joanna Young

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Howdy, y’all!

Hey, I’m not going to apologize for not writin’ so much lately. I mean, you’re not supposed to do that, right? After all, your friends don’t mind when you’re occupied with, y’know, the other stuff that sometimes just has to be done.

Still… I miss you guys! So lemme just leave you with a quick thought for the day:

The road to victory

looks a lot like

the road to defeat.

It’s just a mite longer.

I’ll be back real soon now, y’hear?

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Yeehaw, y’all; a tip o’ the ol’ Stetson to ya!

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Gee, I sure wish I could read those fine stories from the Middle Zone even when I don’t have online access,” well, Bubba, you wish has come true! Yessir, the first official book from Middle Zone Publishing is available now!

Now, I just know you can’t wait to get your hot little hands on your very own copy, so click on this link: MZM Books, or on the “MZM Books” tab up there at the top and you’ll learn everything you need to know!

[p.s. Do me a favor, won't you? Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. In fact, tell your friends' neighbors, too! Thanks a herd, y'all, and again, a tip o' the topper to ya!]

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As you know, I’ve been giving away free copies of Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-figure Income one lucky participant in each of our last four What I Learned From… groupwrite projects. Today I have the fifth (and last) copy to give away.

So, without further ado (because a further do makes no sense at all) I’ll pop on over to Random.org and pick a number:

The number this time is 5, and it’s no surprise that it belongs to an entry by fellow Bubba Luke Gedeon (sound of crowd cheering). I mean after all, he only submitted 6 entries this month! (Hey, I never said you couldn’t stack the deck in your favor, if you get my menanin’. Just sayin’.) And it also celebrates a milestone for the WILF project in that it’s the first time we’ve had video entries (also from Luke)! (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically)

Way to go, Luke, and a tip o’ the hat to ya!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the first Monday of every month when we kick off yet another What I Learned From… extravaganza!

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A big ol’ waa-hoo (sound of waa-hoo!) and a round of applause (sound of applause) for all you wonderfully talented and incredibly fine-looking folks (my story and I’m stickin’ to it!) who joined us for this month’s group writing project: What I Learned From… Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments.

Yup;  I admit it may have been a tad more of a challenge than usual; after all, you might have had to exercise a brain cell or two for this one! (Just kiddin’, y’all!) But I truly do appreciate you sharing your stories (and more importantly, your lessons learned) with the rest of us. For this month, we had a total of 16 entries! (sound of crowd cheering enthusiastically)

Hey, don’t forget this month’s WILF is a contest, too! That’s right; I’ll be drawing one lucky winner from all the entries (except, of course, mine) who will receive a copy of Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett’s book, Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six Figure Income. (Tune in tomorrow for the winner!)

Now, for your edification you’ll find each and every entry listed below (in no particular order, other than it’s how I found ‘em). Do yourself a favor and check ‘em all out. Heck, why not do something really out of the ordinary – why not drop by the authors’ blogs and start a conversation, why don’cha?

You just may be glad you did!

• “Bad” Words and Storytelling, by Geoffrey Philp at Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot
• Following Instructions, by Fred Schlegel at Frog Blog
• What I Learned From a Blooper, by Lillie Ammann at A Writer’s Words, an Editors Eye
• Don’t Let Testimonials Dictate Your Marketing Strategy, by Brad Shorr at Word Sell, Inc.
• What I Learned From Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments, Day 1 – by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• What I Learned From Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments, Day 2 – by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• What I Learned From Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments, Day 3 – by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• What I Learned From Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments, Day 4 – by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• What I Learned From Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments, Day 5 – by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• Happy Birthday 2009 – Tabetha, by Luke Gedeon at Luke Gedeon
• Oops – now what have I learned from that? by Jackie Cameron at Jackie Cameron
• Oops, by Jean Browman at Stress to Power
• What I Learned From Blowing Up a PC, by Joanna Young at Confident Writing
• I Worked in an Adult Bar – Lessons Learned, by Deb Brown at Deb Works
• The terrible tale of the cinema trip without a handkerchief, by Emma Newman at Post Apocalyptic Publishing

And of course, last, but hopefully not least, here’s mine:

• What to Do When You Mess Up Bad, by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings

Y’all give yourselves a big hand, my friends; once again you’ve outdone yourselves! As always, a big ol’ tip o’ the hat to ya! And don’t forget, y’all – drop by tomorrow when I’ll announce the winner of the last free copy of Problogger! And then plan to join us next month for the next What I Learned From… project.

What’s the topic going to be, you ask? Well, now… that would be tellin’!

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