Columns/Opinions

   One night last week I laid in bed for at least an hour, knowing I desperately wanted and needed a drink of water. 
      I was super thirsty, but refused to roll over towards my night stand. 
   It was like I was paralyzed. 
   Turning over in bed seemed like it would require too much work. 
   However, I was somewhat awake and knew mentally and physically that if I just got a drink - the world would be better. 
   I put it off and off. I missed valuable sleep that night because I dreaded making an effort to get myself a drink. 
   How crazy is that? How silly is that? 
   Sadly, it is human nature to dread what needs to be done, avoid it at all cost, and then end up miserable. 
   My closet is a great example of this. 
   It needs to be cleaned out and revamped. The job seems too big. 
   It is big and overwhelming. I just cannot get up the nerve to take it on. 

   There are some odd fears out there. 
   Ombrophobia is the fear of rain. I wonder if the person who created the umbrella had this. 
   Numerophobia is the fear of numbers. I’m sure we all had a small taste of this during math class. 
   Nomophobia is the fear of being without a smartphone. 
   I feel like that last one is something we can all relate to.  
   We are all afraid of something. The question is, what do we do with these fears?
   The Apostle Paul once told Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7) (NKJV).
Never make decisions based on fear. These three things all work together. 
   Power alone can corrupt. 
   Love causes what power we have to be in balance. 
   A sound mind gives us the ability to make choices between both power and love.  

   For the past decade, Guy Ritchie has directed, produced and possibly written some of my favorite movies – and that’s after his foray into British gangster flicks. 
   Those years include the Sherlock Holmes movies featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, the live action adaptation of Disney’s “Aladdin” and quite a different take on the legend of King Arthur in “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.” 
   “The Gentlemen” goes back to those criminal underbelly roots with a star-studded cast and is rated R for violence, language throughout, sexual references and drug content. 
   Gentlemen is an action comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, from a story by Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies, and Ritchie. 
   The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Samuel West, Tom Wu, Jason Wong, and Hugh Grant. 

   Howdy! Hopefully everyone has had a smooth transition into 2020 so far and is excited for all the potential a new year brings. 
   I know I am personally excited for the year and finding my place in Matagorda County.  
   Since my start with AgriLife Extension back in September, I have been meeting tons of new people and have been thinking about how I can bring our coastal and marine resources to the forefront. 
   We have a county filled with incredible marine wildlife and so many people depend on these resources to sustain their lives. 
   As of now, I have a few plans in the works for the year and I am hoping to see a lot of them come to fruition. 
   My programs will focus on sustainable fisheries, healthy coastal ecosystems, and youth education.  
   I am partnering with key players including the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the Matagorda Bay Foundation, shrimpers, youth organizations, and Texas Sea Grant.  

   I’m so happy today’s cell phone does so many wonderful things.
   After all, the cell phone is a hand-held computer, weather reporter, calculator, camera and, oh yea, telephone.
   I want to have a frank conversation about the cell phone as a camera.
   Improvements over the years have given most cell phones today with the ability to produce a sharp photo image.
   But really cell phones are trendy today because they’re everywhere.
   OK, we all know how wonderful they are.
   Cell phones have also become a formidable challenge for news photographers in many settings.
   Let’s talk about awards banquets.
   In a time not that far away, newspaper photographers – such as my ancient self – would be the only ones taking a photos of award recipients.
   That’s so not true nowadays.

   I have to admit that I’ve got a lot of pet peeves, which I sometimes just call “things” for the sake of trying to be less negative about them.
   Either way, they’re still preferences that I attempt uphold to make my walk through like much more comfortable for myself.
   And I share more of them on Facebook or to my close friends than out loud within a stranger’s earshot.
   Plus, some just fade away over time or become less important in the grand scheme of things.
   As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t stand people who don’t use their blinker in traffic situations.
   It’s my biggest road rage-inducing moment!
   Lots of people fail to do so when turning right and, I do give them a little more grace than the few I’ve seen turning left without a turn signal.
   It’s probably the most annoying thing for me and I’m even reminding my mom all the time to use her signal.

   A bad close to end of trading last week and a worse start to this week. 
   Some were attributing the setback to concerns over the impact of the coronovirus.
   I would contend that the two-day setback was just a market that was way too far out over its skis and took a tumble. 
   It was enough to pull the market to a loss so far for this year.
I am not suggesting that the virus isn’t a serious matter, but that there is much more at play. 
   We will get earnings reports this week from most of the tech giants. 
   The Federal Reserve will meet this week and we will get the first reports on the GDP for the 4th quarter of 2019. 
   Above all else, there is the fact that many decided to take some profits off the table.
In reality, it is remarkable that the run up since August hasn’t had more bumps in the road.

   The concept of mindfulness has gotten a lot of attention in recent years.
   When you practice mindfulness, you’re highly aware of your thoughts and emotions – but you don’t act on them.
   Instead, your decisions are based on cognitive skills and a rational perspective.
   And this approach can be useful in investing.
   Being mindful helps you avoid emotions such as fear and greed when you make investment choices.
   Fear can lead you to selling investments just because their price has dropped sharply.
   And greed can cause you to keep chasing after investments whose price may have gone too high and are ready for a fall.
   You can keep fear and greed out of your decisions by knowing your investments thoroughly, so you’re not shocked by their performance.

   Last week I had the pleasure of helping out a friend. I actually surprised her. 
   She went on a whirlwind trip to Spain. I worried about her jet lag, knee from walking so much, and getting right back to her busy job the next day. 
   Instead of sitting around fretting, or cleaning my own house, which would be no fun at all, I summoned the kids to help me spiff up her place.  
   While I was working in the kitchen, I got my son and hers on the laundry. I headed on home shortly after that, but reminded them all day to keep a load going. 
   I suggested they just throw all of the clean clothes on her bed. 
   The plan was I would help them sort, fold, and deliver when I came back. 
   When I got back later that afternoon, I was amazed! 
   I opened her door and expected to find a mountain of clothes, but only saw a tiny pile of socks. Socks…they did everything else!  

   One of Christianity’s main points is teaching forgiveness. 
   Paul told the church in Colossae, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins” (Colossians 2:13). 
   Through this verse we can see that in Christ we have forgiveness today. 
   How many sins were forgiven? If you believe in Christ as your savior, all have been forgiven. 
   So, let’s ask the question, what about 1 John 1:9? This verse reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 
   The question we must ask is this, “who was John writing to? Understanding who he was the intended audience can help us understand this verse.