Stepping Out of Zen

2025/11/24

8:25am

I slept okay last night. I was so tired yesterday. But I pushed myself to stay up until bedtime. In hindsight, I should have just gone to bed early. I'll probably do that next time. My body was telling me I needed the extra sleep. My mind just didn't want to. I was too focused on routine. I already go to bed earlier than I like for my newest schedule, but I really need to listen when I'm tired. That's a lesson I've learned these past 4 years. I need not ignore that voice... LOL.

Speaking of routine... time for coffee and toast... hehehe

8:45am

Speaking of coffee... I'm almost out... LOL. I ordered more yesterday. But since I'll be in Indiana, I'm having it delivered there. A few of them are gifts for Christmas. So that works out well. I can leave them there. I wouldn't be able to take them on the plane when I go up for Christmas anyway... hehehe. Since I'm driving this time, I can bring my coffee back with me with no problems whatsoever.

9:35am

Today is going well so far. It's really the first day since I've been back from our vacation where the day actually feels normal. I was close towards the end of last week. But today has the feel, you know? Perhaps it's because I'm finally caught up on some things.

10:20am

I've had a few meetings today that were less business and more personal. It goes with the laid-back nature of such a holiday week as this. In the first, I was asked about my art. I appreciated they remembered I do that. In the second, I was able to share about Bingford's adventure at Walt Disney World. But in both, we spent a few minutes talking business too.

11:30am

I've been experiencing some pain lately. Nothing of concern or anything I haven't felt before. It often comes with the change in season. And it isn't nearly as bad now that I live in Florida. It was far worse when I lived in the Midwest. I have new, and much better, insurance coming in the new year. So I'm considering seeking the best medical advice for it. As a wise person once said (and I'm paraphrasing), it isn't normal, it's just common... wink.

I'm also experiencing some of the pain of the unspoken variety. The pain behind the smile. My smile is genuine, as my heart is quite happy and full of joy, but there remains some pain in the brokenness that words cannot express. For that, I continue to go to God for healing.

2:15pm

I've talked about my exploration into e-ink devices this year. I'm enjoying having them and they have changed the way I connect with things. And as I've mentioned, I have even started using these to do art. At some point, I discovered that there is a new space for this tech that seems to have started this year. New companies are emerging that are making digital art frames using e-ink. I recently started considering getting one, or more, to display my art at home. They can be a bit pricey for the sizes I would want for hanging on the wall. Something that sits on a shelf could be smaller and cost less, but I really like the idea of doing this. Especially now that I'm creating art on my e-ink devices.

3:35pm

I don't really care for the famous Bible App most people are using these days. They just announced that they've surpassed 1 billion installs. Good for them! I am genuinely happy for them and I do see it as a great resource. It just isn't for me. I have it installed on my iPhone for quick reference and searching, but I've not installed it on my e-ink devices. I've been on the lookout for something else that will fit me.

On my MacBook, I use something called Ezra. It does what I need in a way that works well for me. It uses the modules from The Sword Project. I've used software based on them for decades now. I was on their website today to see if they had an Android app I could install on my e-ink devices. As it turns out, the same Ezra app is available for Android. I've downloaded it to my devices and will see how well that works for me. It doesn't have a version for iPhone, though. But because my Palma 2 Pro has replaced my iPhone for things like this, I think that's okay. I won't be using my iPhone for Bible searches much from now on.

I've thought about creating my own Bible app. I may do that someday. I've tried it before. Maybe it's time to try that again. I can use the modules from The Sword Project, perhaps. But it's just a thought for now.

4:25pm

So, I've given it more thought. Shortly after I wrote that last section, I remembered I'm working on a Supernote Bible... LOL That one is formatted for my Supernotes and gives me the feel of a physical Bible. And I think it might work for some, if not all, of my other devices. It doesn't have a way to search like you would do in an app, but since it is a PDF, it might still be searchable. I'll have to look into that further. The way I'm formatting and building that is exactly how I want to use the Bible on these things. It simply feels better than a typical Bible app. This is a me problem... LOL

6:45pm

I watched the Bible Roundtable discussion of season 5, episode 7 for The Chosen during dinner tonight. The primary discussion was the foot washing. Rabbi Jason gave more context to the act Jesus performed. It seems to go much deeper than being a servant or having a servant's heart. He went into how Moses was told to take off his sandals because he was standing on Holy ground. The washing of the feet could have also been to prepare the disciples for standing, spiritually speaking, in God's presence as a new royal priesthood. The priests of the day would have gone into the temple barefoot. Or at least the High Priest would have when entering the Holies of Holies. Rabbi Jason went on to talk about letting go of our past as we are being sanctified by God through Jesus. The way he put things into perspective really hit home with me tonight.

8:30pm

I've been quite productive this evening. After dinner, I washed my dishes per usual. But after that, I worked on a special something and completed "Phase One" already. And then I went to the store to get a few things I needed. I'm about to make an evening cup of coffee and work on one of my digital paintings. This has been a really nice evening.

9:35pm

Well, the coffee and toast are gone and I made more progress on one of my latest pieces. I even named it tonight. I'm calling it Stepping Out of Zen. I'm thinking about giving it a backstory. I see things in it that make me laugh and I think a story is in there... LOL I really love how it is turning out. The process is not without its challenges. But that's part of the fun with creating art with an e-ink tablet, especially since it wasn't designed for it.

10:05pm

I'm going to wrap this up and get it posted. It has been a good day. I'm glad I went with a timestamp entry today. I'm also glad I spent some time on that digital painting. I hope to do work on some of my other art projects in the coming weeks. I especially want to get on top of that Christmas card. I was brainstorming that one tonight too. I have ideas...hehehe