Email: Making friends [SD]

Making friends is hard only when some adults make it more complex than it should be. After all, kids do it easily. We adults may set conditions or expectations for ourselves; we have fears or worries. Yes, it is more of an effort for introverts or those with low self-esteem (which are two different things); but even the math-challenged can balance their own checkbook -- or according to Wilma Schneider, "Even a blind hog can find an acorn once in a while." It is all about stepping outside of our "comfort zone," isn't it? Growth is exactly that: Stepping into and exploring new territory rather than proscribing ever smaller circles outside of which one will not venture... Making friends is based on hope and adventure, not fear and timidity. "In love, there can be no fear, no fear at all, for fear is driven out by perfect love" (I John 4:18). Yes, God places people in our path in the normal course of events; but we decide those events and that path in large measure. (We choose our involvements, commitments, pursuits, locations and schedule from day to day.) It is easy to accord the Lord with much of the responsibility in our lives -- and a dramatic production will stink without a good director at the helm; but it will fail even more rankly without actors who can, in fact, act...

If the neighbor's dog is still barking at night, you can file a complaint with the police... They should check into it or issue a warning... Most cities or communities have pet and noise ordinances... Again, this is a matter of intuitively knowing (in your soul) what the right thing is to do, and pursuing it when necessary... Every owner is responsible for their animal... And every homeowner deserves a good night's sleep.