day 290 - no heat

Today is the 3rd day of the 42nd week, the 17th day of the 10th month, the 290th day of 2023, and:

• Birth of Baháʼu'lláh - Observed the second day after the eighth new moon following Naw-Rúz
• Black Poetry Day
• Edge Day
• Forgive an Ex Day 
• Four Prunes Day 
• Information Overload Awareness Day
• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
• Mulligan Day
• National Pasta Day [World Pasta day is next week]
• National Pharmacy Technician Day
• National Playing Card Collection Day
• National Vehophobia Awareness Day - okay, I had to google this one.  It is exactly what you think it is, the fear of driving or being hit by someone else driving
• Pay Back a Friend Day
• Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity
• Spreadsheet Day
• Wear Something Gaudy Day
• World Geothermal Energy Day
• World Trauma Day
• and Voyager 1 is 22h 26m 17s of light travel time [or 24,216,000,000 km / 15,047,000,000 miles / 161.88 AU] from Earth

Quote of the day:
"A weed is but an unloved flower."

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American author and poet

I learned about the Baháʼí faith at Towson, and was surprised to find there was a very active community in Catonsville.  I went to their meetings, worshipped with them, sang with them, dated a man from Persia.  Two people that I knew and hung out with became a couple, and converted - I lost track of them after graduation.  I found the faith compelling, with similarities to both Islam and Christianity.  They believe in one God, one religion, and one human race.  Based on the revelations of the Bab, they  teach that every so often, a great teacher is sent to Earth to show us the way, to build on the teachings of the past, and so they accept the teachings of Mohammed, Christ [but do not recognize His divinity], Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, and all others.  The Bab is seen as the latest of these great prophets, and Baháʼu'lláh founded the faith, and is the author of their most holy book, the Kitāb al-aqdas.   

One of the things I found the most appealing was the Baháʼís never once claimed to be the possessors of the whole truth, nor did they claim to be the pinnacle of God's plan for mankind and the Earth,     Indeed, they taught that there would be another revelation to come, and that part of their religious duty was to seek inspiration and revelation - a difficult task at times with would-be saviors claiming to have the one true way, neh?  They teach that we have free will, and that true religion is totally compatible with science - every individual has the responsibility to refine their inner character and to be of service to all of humanity.  

On the other hand, the faith is intolerant of homosezuality [which pretty much marginalizes any LBBTQ individuals], prohibits in very strong terms any premarital intimacies [extramarital affairs are also prohibited], demands the right of censorship if you want to publish about the religion, and women are often placed in a subservient role.  The Baháʼí are criticized by the Islamic countries for not following Islamic traditions, and by the West for  the use of prophecy as well as lacking inclusivity. 

Faith and forgiveness are related topics in my mind.  I think that those with truly strong faith find it easier to forgive, taking to heart the parable of the unforgiving servant.  The rest of us struggle along with the faith that we can muster and try to define what forgiveness actually looks like and how we can implement it, especially when it comes to our ex.  And I know that neither of my first two husbands will ever forgive me - they both have made that abundantly clear through the years - so it makes it that much more difficult to tender real forgiveness and not just lip service.     

Of course none of these musings on religion or forgiveness have anything to do with the title of today's babblings.  No that has to do with the fact that despite two weeks for nighttime temperatures below 50°F, there is still no heat in this apartment building and no word from management when there will be.  Fortunately those of us who have lived through past season changes have space heaters, but I'm betting the office is getting a lot of complaints and I wouldn't doubt that someone may contact the Housing Department as well.  

oh and my mailbox is still not fixed

And I am still doing EOQ stuffs.

But on the whole, it's been a good day overall.  I actually got a good night's sleep last night.  I am working from home.  My vet instituted a mail-order pharmacy so I don't have to drive to Columbia to get Triscuit's meds.  

And it's not Monday.

So?  definitely a win!