Shift in Paradigm?

It has been a long time since I learned about a paradigm. Roughly 5 years ago, on the island of Japan. I never had heard the word until I went there. I was told to shift my paradigm, or change my way of thinking. At the time a quote came to my mind: "The first thing to do when you're dealin' with a slick S.O.B. is pin him down and change his oil." I have started to learn that the first oil change I need to do is with me. You know, "Kindness begins with me." Sometimes I am a bit quick to judge. I need to take my finger off the trigger, and maybe even keep the gun in the holster...
Moscow is not such a bad place. Olivia and I are attending a great ward. She is the Ward Chorister, I am the Elder's Quorum Secretary. Church is a nice blessing. We have also been blessed with good friends, both old and new. I sure miss my old friends, the folks that understood my usage of various verbs and such. I thank the new friends for putting up with such said verb usage. I don't think people can ever really understand how much good friends mean in this life. I feel bad for the feller that has never experienced the joy of a good friend.
Olivia and I have picked up a new habit, we have been playing a large amount of Scrabble. That is a fine game. It's nice to test your mettle when it comes to building a larger vocabulary. We have a good time.
The thing I miss the most is being able to spend ample time outside, running on four legs and chasing bovines. This is the longest stretch of time since I was in Japan that I haven't roped steers. I have taken to other pursuits, besides studies (if that was all I did I'd croak!), but nothing has quenched my thirst. I guess you could call roping an addiction, but it is one I have no desire to kick.
What keeps me going is my sweet wife and her loving support, along with that of friends and family. I am so glad I waited this long to find Olivia. I don't think I would have appreciated any other woman as much. I can say this because I have lived a little longer as a lone man in the wilderness. I am one lucky feller. No surprise there, though.
By the way, the picture is somewhere around Alamo NV. This was from last year's run to Hemmet. I still need to tell that story, you can see it in the archives, Hemmet Bound Prt. One. Then there is a line from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,"When legend becomes fact, print the legend."