On the ways change pulls us along

I was late getting in the habit of pumping my own gas. Perhaps it's a personal trait: sticking to old habits. So I'm old enough to remember the standard old procedure of having a gas station attendant come out and fill 'er up. My dad always used to say "fill 'er up Ethyl." Ron Lindquist at the Morris newspaper once got a hoot out of two side-by-side billboards in Morris. One touted the "priesthood." The one next to it read "Kiss Ethyl goodbye." Get it? I believe Ron shared a photo of that.
I'm not as inclined to laugh at Catholic-inspired humor these days. These are dark times for the Catholics. Really we're in challenging times for the Christian denominations in general. It's all about change, understanding it and adapting to it.
I finally got dragged into the "new" habit of pumping my own gas. I went to Nashville TN and back doing it without a hitch. Ah, the contentment of being up to date. A complication emerged as years went by. I began noticing that the pump would not immediately dispense gas, even though I seemed to be doing everything properly. I had to get assistance from inside - they appeared happy to accommodate. I asked one day if other motorists were having this issue and she responded "yes."
"Really?" I repeated, to try to make sure she wasn't just making me feel better. "Yes."
I concluded I had to "play around" with the nozzle some, pulling it in and out, re-hooking it, putting the lever back down and then up again. So I found this worked, but it was very aggravating. On the morning when I picked up my late mother to bring her home from the Barrett nursing home, I had to give up at one place trying to get gas, and went to another. Then I hit a snag at the other place which was Cenex South. I was almost crying. A customer who was inside came out to take a look. She was perturbed with me. Somehow she summoned the proper magic incantations or whatever.
Since then I minimize my driving so to get my gas station visits minimal.
And now that I'm living alone, it's reasonable to think I don't need to drive a car. I have already discarded my late father's prize Lincoln Town Car which was a 1991. Getting old, yes. Heartland Motors got me a grand total of $200 for it. If I had to do it over again, I'd donate it to Kars for Kids. That's what I'll probably do with my 2004 Chevy Malibu. We always considered that our "new car." It's now in the old category.
I have a theory this is maybe why I had trouble with the gas pumps: having an older car. My theory is that the pumps are maybe made a little different now, maybe due to government regulations or whatever.
Living without a car? Well I'll keep my license. There are rare occasions where I might really want one and I can get a loaner. I'm told I'd still need a car insurance policy of my own, some sort of liability policy, hopefully for a low cost. But is anything low-cost these days? Charges that were once nominal have shot up. Have you noticed that? My gas gauge acted up in the Malibu a couple weeks ago and (expletive), I don't even want to tell you what that cost to fix.
Maybe that was the last straw. I assume I'm not the only one getting concerned about rising prices of things that used to seem so much more reasonable or nominal. How about going to the dentist? Or to the vet? Are these factors figured into official inflation numbers?
 
A new challenge
Re. change: Where will it end? Now I am making the forced adjustment to having to use a plastic card for a share of my purchases. The realization hit me when I was at Riverwood Bank recently and had trouble getting cash. Then I went to Bank of the West and the teller - are they still called tellers? - had to call over a supervisor just because I wanted $300 in cash. Really? What do families do that have lots of daily expenses? I guess they must use plastic a lot.
I'm a holdover as I so often am. So, on Saturday morning I went to a particular restaurant in Morris and decided to use the card. There is a $10 minimum purchase required there. My bill came to $10.62 because I had hash browns. So I go to the cash register and the employee sort of queried me in a way that made me realize he was alluding to the tip. I got a little testy and explained I just wanted to pay the bill. My plan was to tip the waitress with two $1 bills if that's OK.
My preferred procedure is to hand the tip to the server so I can be sure she knows I made this gesture, so I don't get lousy service next time. As for the employee at the cash register, I do not think any hint about the tip is called for because I believe that should be the customer's decision, totally.
Of course I tip. Everyone should, for as long as the custom remains, but there's more and more talk about how it should get phased out. Maybe it's because of the prevalence of plastic payment. It seems awkward, like a throwback. If everyone is expected to tip, and if there's no connection between tipping and quality of service, isn't it just a pointless procedure? Isn't it a hassle?
Restaurants can just raise their prices a little and then it's fine. It makes no difference, n'est-ce pas?
Oh, gas station attendants used to not just fill your tank, they'd clean the windshield and check the oil. This was parodied in the movie "Airplane" by Jimmie Walker, remember? There were two Simonson's gas stations in St. Cloud that kept this practice going after it was gone nearly everywhere else. The attendants wore white coveralls there.
 
And, the church
Today is Sunday so I was in the pews at our ELCA church. It's now the "progressive" church compared to some others. But I can't help but think this is odd now, because gay rights has become such yesterday's news. If the Christian faith wishes to jettison the whole young generation, just keep up with this stigmatizing of gay people.
It was in 2009 that the ELCA took its "bold" step of accommodation. Many were alienated. We have felt it right here in Stevens County. Not only do I reject the homophobic stance, I almost think the ELCA didn't go far enough. Why even refer to sexual orientation in church policy? Why not just judge clergy on the basis of performance and conduct? The other stuff is none of your business.
The ELCA decides its stamp of approval is on "gays in committed relationships." Yes, a stipulation. Is any such requirement imposed on heterosexual clergy? The pastor at my church of First Lutheran has been going through a divorce. That's sad in a way. It seems contradictory to a committed relationship. If a gay person has a meaningful relationship and simply decides to move on from it, finding another significant other, is he/she drummed out of the corps? Seems silly to even focus on these matters. Maybe just focus on the Gospel?
The Duluth Diocese of the Catholics was in the news last week. Guess why.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com