(This post is simply an exercise in musing. It means no disrespect to the Holy Spirit. It does not take on political positions. It is just lighthearted speculation. I have been dealing with very serious things lately - and I'm supposed to be fully retired! These things can really get you down. All sort of things that would not be appropriate to mention in this post. So, I just wanted to relax from the very serious things - and speculate on my chances of being elected the next pope. Haven't you mused about what you would do if you were pope? I know that I have. In my musings, I'm not going to say what I might do as pope.)
WIth some sense of melancholy, I would realistically observe that I am probably not a front-runner in the next papal conclave. But, this is simply because I have not been marketing my name, or brand. I realize that I need a concise, easily remembered slogan. Thus far, the only slogan I can come up with is this concise presentation of my platform: A vote for Jim is a vote for your golden retriever. Catchy? I think so. If you come up with someone who is against such a slogan, then I don't want their support.
I wonder whether I need to disclose some of the things I would do if I'm elected pope. Probably - so here is just handful of the great things that I can do to help the Church. Snoopy could provide spiritual insights to all the faithful.
Popes wear all kind of fancy clothes, including hats. In fact, if you are not wearing a special hat, how could you be pope? I would want to see how my closest advisers would look in special hats:
Who would not listen to the insights of this trusted advisor?
I am starting to get the feeling that this post will be a lot harder to write than I had planned. Could these controversial thoughts and well-constructed arguments cause rioting in the streets? Well, you never know. There are a lot of crazy people running around.
How do I present a policy based on Jesus' words about children - unless you become like a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Hmm.
Could this be what Jesus meant:
Oops, darn it, darn it, I'm starting to have trouble with my computer using images. My quandary is choosing between two sorts of actions: Making myself more stressed so that I can complete the idea I had for this post - even it will dramatically raise my stress level? OR Ending my work now on this post - and being willing to concede that my computer skills are not what I imagined - and clearly another thing I need to add to my bucket list for retirement topics.
I'm waving the white flag right now. This week has been really hard. I wanted to have a little lighthearted approach this week. It was not to be. So I declare this particular post - "an unfinished project." What the heck! Schubert wrote his "Unfinished Symphony" and it did not cause the stars to drop from the sky. So Jim's post can be just a declaration that he's not perfect. This also means that this perfectionist is getting a little more comfortable with being imperfect. It is a little peaceful reaching this conclusion - and I would like some of that peace that they preach about.
WIth my West of Ireland cry: Sigh.