@BruisedOrange
I'm going to loosely, go through your last post backward,s for reasons that will eventually become obvious .
I think you're a good investment, Drewbydoo. If there's ever anything I can do for you, that's what I do, and the best thing I've done for most of my life. 
For several reasons, the largest being spiritual, my sole focus starting in 7th grade was to focus on mind, body and soul. So your emoji collection,
, wasn't missed or nor did it fall on deaf ears.
Life's unpredictable that way, and about to get more unpredictable. It'll be a good time to be on the side of the One whose agenda will ultimately succeed, even though it will appear to be several runs down going into the bottom of the 9th.
I view this life as one of stewardship of all that I have been given or earned for they are one and the same to me. They are mammon and temporary and restricted to this life, but likely influence the next life.
It's also been my observation and experience that He will do most of the heavy lifting and I just need a small amount of faith and to put in some effort. Perhaps inspired effort, but effort nonetheless.
As for my own life, it's been both predictable and yet unimaginably unpredictable in a very positive way. I feel like the people alive right now are seeing society change dramatically faster and faster with each passing year. I feel like we are accelerating towards extreme turbulence and that's why I like talking to people who I view as "living history". People that are 70-90 years old have the best long view of what's going on, but so too does the internet. ie I believe The Great Depression was the 5th Depression that the USA has faced so far. Most people aren't aware of that.
One thing I'm on the lookout for is something I came up with on my own: If you take any 70 year contiguous period from 1776 up until now, only my parents generation hasn't been put to the test with severe trouble in the USA. No dust storms, or World Wars, civil war etc. As a percentage of the USA population, Vietnam, 9/11, the Great Recession that began in 2008, COVID don't rise to the level of how difficult life could be in the USA as the other events.
The same is obviously true for my generation, so it looks like my parents and my generation will go through that together.
Also, how end-times-ish did WW2 seem? It probably seemed that way, but here we are.
Finally, I believe there is a pattern in the bible where someone who doesn't look like a good candidate to be a good leader or someone is victorious when seemingly set up for failure is ultimately victorious. ie Moses or David of David and Goliath or Jesus himself given who gave birth to him and where he was born.
I think you've been reading or have read an interesting conversation that has occured (in this coming weekend game thread) where a dad was asking for advice about his son and he wrote thing along the lines that his son is at that age (17-21) where that age group doesn't want to listen to his parents and he's looking for another source. YOU may want to interject your wisdom into that thread, but for now, I'm hesitant to do so.
Thank you for your initial offer and reply by the way. Again, it didn't fall on deaf ears.
Okay, I'm onto the next part of your reply which is the ... most intriguing to me.... then, I'm just going to goof around, perhaps on Volnation or IRL. The last couple of days have been a challenge, but contemplating what you had written was inspirational for me and my housemates to discuss and contemplate. Your audience is slightly more than just me, but I hope others in VolNation are intrigued in your offer and perspective : )
www.wvtm13.com
