Yesterday, July 2, the year 2025 was half over.
This has been the longest half of a year I can remember. So, 183 days after the start of the year, I decided to make Mid Year Course Corrections. I got this idea from Melissa Kirsch of The New York Times as she wrote in The Times' "The Morning" newsletter.
One thing I've started to do is floss my teeth while I read the Daily Devotion published by Chaplain (retired) Ken Hart through our church.
I've been reading Ken's devotions since he started publishing them years ago but last year he started making them available as a daily email post. That is perfect. Every morning, the first thing I can do is check my email and there is a new insight from Ken there waiting to inspire me or convict me. These devotions are especially nice because Ken usually takes one subject and does a series of posts about it. This way, he can study a subject and give deep insights into it. And now I can get my flossing done, too
After my last tooth cleaning, when I got the usual lecture about how much better my oral health would be if I flossed my teeth, I decided to do something about it. I always said I just didn't have time for flossing but now I do. And I won't have to feel guilty when I get my teeth cleaned twice a year.
Another thing my hygienist suggested was to get a water flosser. So, for my mid-year course correction, I got that, too. I bought a cheap battery powered water flosser from CVS. It works as well as you'd expect for $30. The water reservoir doesn't hold enough water to do my whole mouth and you have to hold it upright or the water pump doesn't work. But it gets the job done.
I don't use the water flosser while I'm reading the devotion. That would just asking for a disaster. The cheap flosser is hard to handle and keeping the water from spraying everywhere is tough. No one said doing the right thing would be easy.
Two other changes I've made since January are that I asked for subscriptions to The New York Times and The Washington Post for Father's Day. I am very glad I did that, too. These are times where knowing the facts are very important. Also, finding good writing can be hard, too. I find both in those newspapers. Anyone can write whatever they want and with the internet, that "anything" can be published or posted online and millions of people can see it, hear it or read it. That doesn't mean the ideas it presents are good or true or worth your time. But reading something from a trusted source is useful and enlightening. And for my money, the most important part of it is the editing. Editors are the unsung heroes of writing, video and audio. They set a standard and that standard is more important than ever. I wanted to throw my support behind sources of information and learning that I believe in.
