Journal – Potatoes, Thriving and Mining

Potato Garden Update

With the weather getting colder I felt it was potato harvest time so I dug up what I could from the garden. I got maybe a pound or so. I guess I’m not the world best potato farmer but I was happy because I didn’t really have to do anything but plant some potatoes that I would have thrown in the compost and watch them grow.

I left the plants in the ground after harvesting what I could from them - the deer have taken a liking to eating them. Perhaps they will produce some more but I doubt it because of the weather and being munched on.

The plants really were not growing for long. Here’s a view of them at their prime.

Thoughts on HDR Photos

I was hoping that Google would process some of the bracketed photos that I have been uploading so I could post some more HDR photos but so far that has not happened. I guess I could take the trouble to get back into processing them myself but so far I’ve resisted that.

I really like the way they come out sometimes, but it is a very subjective thing. If you hear comments that aren’t encouraging or don’t get much reward for what you do it sometimes gets me into my “why bother” kind of mindset. (This is not from any comments on Steemit) I guess I should really just focus on what I like but I have a hard time figuring even that out.

It is kind of hard sometimes because so much of what I do is geared towards bringing some type of benefit to those closest to me and humanity in general. It is very tough to measure this and focusing too much in this area brings me difficulties I have found.

Thriving

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really takes to be bring abundance and a thriving lifestyle to everyone. We are all so different and a lifestyle that works for one person at one point in their life does not work for everyone.

An interesting question I ask myself is, “What would happen if everyone did that?” Luckily we all don’t do the same thing at the same time. If that happened there would be all kinds of trouble. It is a very good thing we are not all of the same mindset with same type of values. Sometimes it it easy for me to forget about this. I guess I’m trying to find my way towards those opportunities that allow me personally to thrive and wanting to find some way to allow everyone to thrive as well.

It is not an easy task; it is bad enough trying to figure out what brings you pleasure and how you can work with those things well enough to provide some value to other people. I’ve tried a variety of things but so far haven’t found my “Big Mac” of product or service that lets me thrive.

I keep trying but I’m not young and strong or the greatest potato farmer. It is even getting hard for me to think now. I watch as the world seems to slide back and forth through strange economic times with one group of people feasting while others experience famine.

If civilization collapsed I would probably be among the first to go. I’d likely be forced to drink hemlock for corrupting the youth along with the other free thinkers. Or more likely I would be too slow to get out of the line of fire or make the hard decisions. Maybe thats why I feel so compelled to find a way for us all to thrive together. Yet somehow it feels more like my motivation is based on just wanting to give back in some way and feel like I have something to offer that is worthwhile.

Lasting world peace… Is that too much to ask? Maybe that is not everyone’s idea of thriving but it is mine. Or at least not having to worry about being killed for your shoes.

Mining Cryptocoins

At one time I thought mining cryptocoins was the way to achieve financial success and do something of value. I invested a lot in hardware and was getting a reasonable return for a few months. I was happy for a bit with the amount I was making but I’m not really that good an investor and never cashed out or sold while I was ahead. Gradually the amount I could mine grew smaller and my hardware became obsolete. What was once over $1500 in alt coins turned into less than $10.

Crypsy folded up taking much of my profit with it as I purchase many alt coins at way above market price in an effort to get my value off the exchange before they closed. Bitcoin was just not possible to get off the exchange at this point.

On the plus side I still have a lot of value in proof of stake coins and I mint new coins every day. These coins could have lasting investment potential if communities continue to support them.

Steem is a kind of proof of stake coin that grows in value as you hold it. The really nice things about coins like this is there is no elaborate hardware to purchase plus you are not wasting as much energy.

When you start comparing block chain technology Steem really has a lot to offer. Plus, the real value that will set apart any alt coin at this point is that community that supports it. This is as important as great technology imho.

My Steem power grows without any investment in esoteric hardware and I don’t need to run my own computer all the time to gain new coins. I can grow Steem power just by posting my thoughts and having fun showing my photography and other creative work. At this time I’m really very hopeful that this will be my ticket and that of many other people to a better life. Only time will tell.

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Photo taken with my Galaxy S7 phone. Thanks for reading!