.....we come upon something or someone that gives us a whole new appreciation for being alive. It can be a view of something majestic in nature, a person, a moment in time or?????
I have been lucky enough to have traveled much of the world and have seen many things and met many people. I have been to every country in the Mediterranean, every state in the United States and almost every territory in Canada. I have yet to travel to South or Central America, Asia or Eastern Europe. One day my friends...one day!
As for the people I meet and have met, most are nice and polite, but every so often I come across someone extraordinary. They are not extraordinary due to position, power, wealth or influence. They are extraordinary because of how they make others feel. It is a feeling one can only know by meeting that person. I had such a chance meeting. It lasted a little over an hour but it has had a profound impact on me. This person was kind, optimistic, funny, caring, vulnerable, in charge, and in some small ways sad but, over all, incredibly uplifting! This person I really don't know at all and yet I feel I know enough to make a sound enough judgement about this persons character. How can this be? It is a gut feeling mixed with looking into that persons eyes and seeing as much as hearing what is being said and unsaid. Therefore I am honored to have met this person and am also lucky enough to have absorbed a little of what they have. I feel a bit more optimistic, a bit more happy, a bit more uplifted. This individual makes the world a better place and we could use much more of what this person has......
......the ability to make others laugh, smile and feel good about ourselves!
May you all have a chance meeting such as mine...better yet... I hope you already have!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
It is a personal thing....
Well kiddies, another Christmas has come and gone....or has it? I, for one, hope not. What the heck does he mean by that, you ask? I will try to explain as best I can. Some of you will get it and some may not but that's o.k because we are all individuals and different.
You see, I am not a religious person. My beliefs are my own and in some ways I don't know what I believe because I am still in search of answers. Maybe I will find the answers I am looking for and maybe I never will but at least I am always searching, considering, weighing. accepting and rejecting. I am a very analytical person and if it doesn't add up I keep searching for what makes sense to me. That being said, I have come to a conclusion and it is this.... the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas should not be relegated to a single day on a calender. Noo...really? you say?lol. I know! It is not like that light bulb came on this morning when I woke up! It is something that I have always known. I know this because my Mom said so, and Mom is always right( well almost always).lol.
This year I was unable to go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My job schedules vacations on a seniority basis and I haven't gained enough seniority to get these coveted times off. I was, however, able to get two weeks at the beginning of December off. When I arrived at my Moms house the feeling of the holidays was all around me. Snow was on the ground, the tree was in the living room, Christmas carols on the stereo( sorry Mom, Kenny Rogers? Really?.lol) and all the food I could possibly eat! But, when it is all said and done, is this what Christmas and Thanksgiving are all about? No, of course not. The spirit of both holidays is so much more. It is about giving, loving, caring, laughter, forgiveness, etc.... It is the one time of the year that everyone seems to put aside their petty and, not so petty, differences and just lets the spirit take hold. All of this and more was in abundance at Mom's house, as it is every time I go home. There really is "no place like home".
I have heard that some Christians are offended at the fact that non- Christians celebrate this holiday. This has always confused me. I heard a great analogy on the radio as I was driving to my friends yesterday. Remember when, as a kid, you dressed up in your Dads or Moms clothes?You pretended to be your Dad or Mom. The shoes, jacket and hat were all to big at that time but you eventually would grow into these things. Well, Christmas is somewhat the same in that people who may be on the fence about what they believe may grow into it just by trying it on. Even if they don't grow into it they may go on, after absorbing or learning some important lessons, to be better human beings. These lessons on sharing, giving, caring, loving, forgiveness etc..etc... if carried forward past the holiday, would make the world a better place! So, please don't be offended! Look at it more as an opportunity to promote the spirit and lessons of your faith.
My Christmas was awesome, as was my Thanksgiving. You see, I have incredible friends that are more like family than friends. Each year, at each holiday, they open their house and their hearts to me. To Tim, Angela, Makenzie and Alexis, I say THANKYOU sooo much for making me a part of your family and sharing the SPIRIT of Christmas with me. But wait.... it wasn't just me.....they also invited Steve and Chelsea. They also invited others who were unable to make it. They displayed the true spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas, by inviting those of us who couldn't make it home to be with our loved ones, to share in their warmth, love, giving, laughter and sense of family! I just want to say Thank you so much for, if not for them, I would have been home alone and, believe me, it is a much better movie than it is an experience.
What I'm trying to say folks is that the spirit is far more important than just a single day on a calender. Imagine if we take this feeling of love, joy, happiness, forgiveness, caring, giving and laughter forward with us into 2011 and try to treat each day as though it were Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you think life might be better? More enjoyable? More satisfying?
What do you say kiddies? Want to make a New Years resolution with me? Right here, right now? Let us resolve to carry forth the holiday spirit into 2011 and to do our best, each and every day, to have a positive impact on those around us by implementing the lessons that we learned on these special days. I'm in...how about you?
Love you all and thank you for taking your valuable time to read my thoughts. I hope I was able to impart upon you something you can take with you into 2011. Merry Christmas to you all.
You see, I am not a religious person. My beliefs are my own and in some ways I don't know what I believe because I am still in search of answers. Maybe I will find the answers I am looking for and maybe I never will but at least I am always searching, considering, weighing. accepting and rejecting. I am a very analytical person and if it doesn't add up I keep searching for what makes sense to me. That being said, I have come to a conclusion and it is this.... the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas should not be relegated to a single day on a calender. Noo...really? you say?lol. I know! It is not like that light bulb came on this morning when I woke up! It is something that I have always known. I know this because my Mom said so, and Mom is always right( well almost always).lol.
This year I was unable to go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My job schedules vacations on a seniority basis and I haven't gained enough seniority to get these coveted times off. I was, however, able to get two weeks at the beginning of December off. When I arrived at my Moms house the feeling of the holidays was all around me. Snow was on the ground, the tree was in the living room, Christmas carols on the stereo( sorry Mom, Kenny Rogers? Really?.lol) and all the food I could possibly eat! But, when it is all said and done, is this what Christmas and Thanksgiving are all about? No, of course not. The spirit of both holidays is so much more. It is about giving, loving, caring, laughter, forgiveness, etc.... It is the one time of the year that everyone seems to put aside their petty and, not so petty, differences and just lets the spirit take hold. All of this and more was in abundance at Mom's house, as it is every time I go home. There really is "no place like home".
I have heard that some Christians are offended at the fact that non- Christians celebrate this holiday. This has always confused me. I heard a great analogy on the radio as I was driving to my friends yesterday. Remember when, as a kid, you dressed up in your Dads or Moms clothes?You pretended to be your Dad or Mom. The shoes, jacket and hat were all to big at that time but you eventually would grow into these things. Well, Christmas is somewhat the same in that people who may be on the fence about what they believe may grow into it just by trying it on. Even if they don't grow into it they may go on, after absorbing or learning some important lessons, to be better human beings. These lessons on sharing, giving, caring, loving, forgiveness etc..etc... if carried forward past the holiday, would make the world a better place! So, please don't be offended! Look at it more as an opportunity to promote the spirit and lessons of your faith.
My Christmas was awesome, as was my Thanksgiving. You see, I have incredible friends that are more like family than friends. Each year, at each holiday, they open their house and their hearts to me. To Tim, Angela, Makenzie and Alexis, I say THANKYOU sooo much for making me a part of your family and sharing the SPIRIT of Christmas with me. But wait.... it wasn't just me.....they also invited Steve and Chelsea. They also invited others who were unable to make it. They displayed the true spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas, by inviting those of us who couldn't make it home to be with our loved ones, to share in their warmth, love, giving, laughter and sense of family! I just want to say Thank you so much for, if not for them, I would have been home alone and, believe me, it is a much better movie than it is an experience.
What I'm trying to say folks is that the spirit is far more important than just a single day on a calender. Imagine if we take this feeling of love, joy, happiness, forgiveness, caring, giving and laughter forward with us into 2011 and try to treat each day as though it were Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do you think life might be better? More enjoyable? More satisfying?
What do you say kiddies? Want to make a New Years resolution with me? Right here, right now? Let us resolve to carry forth the holiday spirit into 2011 and to do our best, each and every day, to have a positive impact on those around us by implementing the lessons that we learned on these special days. I'm in...how about you?
Love you all and thank you for taking your valuable time to read my thoughts. I hope I was able to impart upon you something you can take with you into 2011. Merry Christmas to you all.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Mr. Assange
Let me see if I understand his position correctly. It is o.k. for his organization to release hundreds of thousands of government documents covering almost as many subjects but, it is not o.k. for any leaks of information about his alleged RAPE case. I am sure that you, like me, see absolutely no hypocrisy in this whatsoever.
Lets do a little comparison between the two situations. On one hand we have a government, that in many cases, has, is or, will be in sensitive discussions, negotiations or, operations with those very governments, politicians, military leaders and others that those documents addressed. Their cooperation is imperative to the success of such endeavors that our government may undertake to insure peace between other nations as well as our own national security. On the other hand, we have a man that has been accused, not once, but twice of, at the very least, sexual assault. The leak of information about this case only harms one individual as opposed to the countless many that have been harmed by his release.
He claims that Swedens release of information is a violation of law and that he has been unjustly hurt by that release. This may be a valid point but can one hurt others only if they break the law. I would say that it is possible to hurt others without breaking the law. I think we can all agree that the U.S. and some other countries have been hurt by the Wikileaks release and that a country is nothing without its people. So I would argue that we have all been hurt by those documents being made public.
He also argues that he didn't take the documents. This is true. He also has said that he only made a site available for such things to be released. Also true. He conveniently leaves out one step though. He had the final say on wether or not such information should be made public. He didn't have to release those documents, thereby creating angst between nations and peoples. He forgot the most important consideration of all.... Moral obligation. He had a moral obligation to consider which was more important. The release of the documents that most likely would and could cause some damage to foreign relations or deciding that for the greater good he would turn them back over to the government they belonged to thereby keeping the status quo.
His decision speaks more about his dislike or hatred of the U.S. than it does about his feeling that all things should be transparent fore if he truly believed that all things should be transparent then I don't think he would be shedding tears about the Swedeleak!
I'm JUST SAYING.......
Lets do a little comparison between the two situations. On one hand we have a government, that in many cases, has, is or, will be in sensitive discussions, negotiations or, operations with those very governments, politicians, military leaders and others that those documents addressed. Their cooperation is imperative to the success of such endeavors that our government may undertake to insure peace between other nations as well as our own national security. On the other hand, we have a man that has been accused, not once, but twice of, at the very least, sexual assault. The leak of information about this case only harms one individual as opposed to the countless many that have been harmed by his release.
He claims that Swedens release of information is a violation of law and that he has been unjustly hurt by that release. This may be a valid point but can one hurt others only if they break the law. I would say that it is possible to hurt others without breaking the law. I think we can all agree that the U.S. and some other countries have been hurt by the Wikileaks release and that a country is nothing without its people. So I would argue that we have all been hurt by those documents being made public.
He also argues that he didn't take the documents. This is true. He also has said that he only made a site available for such things to be released. Also true. He conveniently leaves out one step though. He had the final say on wether or not such information should be made public. He didn't have to release those documents, thereby creating angst between nations and peoples. He forgot the most important consideration of all.... Moral obligation. He had a moral obligation to consider which was more important. The release of the documents that most likely would and could cause some damage to foreign relations or deciding that for the greater good he would turn them back over to the government they belonged to thereby keeping the status quo.
His decision speaks more about his dislike or hatred of the U.S. than it does about his feeling that all things should be transparent fore if he truly believed that all things should be transparent then I don't think he would be shedding tears about the Swedeleak!
I'm JUST SAYING.......
Monday, December 20, 2010
WTF..........
.........Good morning....or is it? I woke up at 2:30 am and the first thing that entered my mind wasn't "hey, I'm alive and life is good!"....Nope.....it was "WHAT THE FUCK!". I know...I know.....not good right? Well, hold on, let me see if I can help you understand where I am coming from. I went to bed at 9pm because I have to get up at 5am so that I can be to work by 6am. Lets do the math together.......9pm to 5am....lets see ....9 to 12 is 3 hours uuuummmmm and 12 to 5 is ....uhhhhh....5 hours....uhhhh 3+5 is .....uhhhh....8 hrs! Glad I went to school otherwise I would never have been able to figure out how many hours I WAS PLANNING TO SLEEP! So...anywho.......here I am at 2:30 in the AM staring at my ceiling and all I could think is "What The Fuck". You have to understand...I LOVE TO SLEEP....so when I wake up at the crack of ass and I have only had a little over 5 hours of sleep and for some weird reason can not fall back to sleep all I can think is WTF.
Now, one of the worst parts about me is that my mind is always thinking about something...usually something important to somebody somewhere and sometimes even important to me. So what happens as soon as my mind realizes that it is not going back into hibernation? Thats right kiddies....it starts revving up and thinking of shit and I can't turn it off...hence my being awake right now and writing something that no one is going to read....or who knows...maybe I will get my first follower today....lucky them!lol.
So...what to do for the next hour and change...lets see...made my coffee....made a lunch to take with me only because I want to drop a few pounds(rant for another time).....look at todays news but everyone else is ASLEEP so there is no new news being made and always remember..no gnews is good gnews! Looked out the window to see if it is still raining....it's not....just made my own news there.
Well ....ok......rant done....now what do I do for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Hmmmmm....I could rub one out...ok...that still leaves an hour and ten minutes..an hour and five minutes after I wash my hand!lmao. Crap.....I don't know......this sucks....hope your day is better than mine and your sllep was everything you hoped it would be. LATE!
Now, one of the worst parts about me is that my mind is always thinking about something...usually something important to somebody somewhere and sometimes even important to me. So what happens as soon as my mind realizes that it is not going back into hibernation? Thats right kiddies....it starts revving up and thinking of shit and I can't turn it off...hence my being awake right now and writing something that no one is going to read....or who knows...maybe I will get my first follower today....lucky them!lol.
So...what to do for the next hour and change...lets see...made my coffee....made a lunch to take with me only because I want to drop a few pounds(rant for another time).....look at todays news but everyone else is ASLEEP so there is no new news being made and always remember..no gnews is good gnews! Looked out the window to see if it is still raining....it's not....just made my own news there.
Well ....ok......rant done....now what do I do for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Hmmmmm....I could rub one out...ok...that still leaves an hour and ten minutes..an hour and five minutes after I wash my hand!lmao. Crap.....I don't know......this sucks....hope your day is better than mine and your sllep was everything you hoped it would be. LATE!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The repealing of "Don't ask, Don't tell".......
Really? Who thought this was a good idea to begin with? Last I checked, this is the United States of America and that means that we are a free people.....free to chose whatever type of life we want, be who we want, love who we want. Don't get me wrong. I am as straight as they come. I have always loved women and can't even begin to understand the attraction of one man to another but if an American is gay does that make him/her less of an American? I say NO!
Let me tell you first that I am a political conservative and a veteran. I served from 1981 to 1985. I do not see the danger in having someone who is gay serving our country. After all, does that person not have the same instinct for survival that I do? Will that person not try to save my life if it is in harms way? Will that person not try to defend his or her country if called upon to do so? Of course they will do all of these things and more just the same as every other person who is called upon. Their interests are the same as yours and mine....defense of our country, our friends, our families and, our way of life!
So, I have a problem with the so called "conservatives" on this issue and it is this.... YOU have been hijacked by the far right and as far as I am concerned the "far" of anything is not a good position. The "far right" is too restrictive, the "far left" is too liberal and it seems the only people who are rational are those that actually have listened to both sides and taken it all under consideration and decided which arguments have merit and which are just a bunch of B.S.. So lets knock it off. Stop the insane rhetoric and just think for a moment. You on the far right....use that "God given" brain of yours for more than what you have been using it for. Do some serious critical thinking. Ask yourselves, "are these people not Americans, are they not free, do they not love this country and want to protect it?" I believe you will reach the same conclusion that I have. To you on the "far left"... enough already with the idea that this won't be uncomfortable, a challenge and possibly dangerous. Of course it will! It will be all these things and more, the same as when we de-segregated the military. That was not easy and it took many years for those service members to accept the concept that minorities are every bit the equal in combat and every day military life but we overcame and we are better for it.
History is our guide and history is also our judge and jury!
I'm just saying.........
Let me tell you first that I am a political conservative and a veteran. I served from 1981 to 1985. I do not see the danger in having someone who is gay serving our country. After all, does that person not have the same instinct for survival that I do? Will that person not try to save my life if it is in harms way? Will that person not try to defend his or her country if called upon to do so? Of course they will do all of these things and more just the same as every other person who is called upon. Their interests are the same as yours and mine....defense of our country, our friends, our families and, our way of life!
So, I have a problem with the so called "conservatives" on this issue and it is this.... YOU have been hijacked by the far right and as far as I am concerned the "far" of anything is not a good position. The "far right" is too restrictive, the "far left" is too liberal and it seems the only people who are rational are those that actually have listened to both sides and taken it all under consideration and decided which arguments have merit and which are just a bunch of B.S.. So lets knock it off. Stop the insane rhetoric and just think for a moment. You on the far right....use that "God given" brain of yours for more than what you have been using it for. Do some serious critical thinking. Ask yourselves, "are these people not Americans, are they not free, do they not love this country and want to protect it?" I believe you will reach the same conclusion that I have. To you on the "far left"... enough already with the idea that this won't be uncomfortable, a challenge and possibly dangerous. Of course it will! It will be all these things and more, the same as when we de-segregated the military. That was not easy and it took many years for those service members to accept the concept that minorities are every bit the equal in combat and every day military life but we overcame and we are better for it.
History is our guide and history is also our judge and jury!
I'm just saying.........
Saturday, December 18, 2010
So........
......now I am going to share my thoughts with one and all! Still haven't decided if this is such a good idea but I met a very special person on my flight home and she told me that she had a blog and it got me thinking. So first let me give a shout out to Barby....Thanks for inspiring me to do this. After reading her blog I decided that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to share my thoughts and observations. By the way... you can read Barby's blog at http://barbywithaybytch.blogspot.com.
Well, here it goes. My first observation is this....I would like to give a tip of the hat to those of you in rural areas. I recently went to Idaho and I must say that the level of courtesy and manners are by far and away superior in rural areas compared to major cities. I can't remember so many people holding doors open for others, saying please and thank you or for that matter just saying" hello" and "have a nice day". I have only been back in L.A. for 2 days and already I miss that level of courtesy and community.
My wish for this holiday season is, that in your mad dash to do all the things that you have to do, don't forget to be polite, courteous and, gracious. Enjoy what and who you have in your life, be grateful because it is not forever.....nothing is forever.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and hopefully you have a great day!
Well, here it goes. My first observation is this....I would like to give a tip of the hat to those of you in rural areas. I recently went to Idaho and I must say that the level of courtesy and manners are by far and away superior in rural areas compared to major cities. I can't remember so many people holding doors open for others, saying please and thank you or for that matter just saying" hello" and "have a nice day". I have only been back in L.A. for 2 days and already I miss that level of courtesy and community.
My wish for this holiday season is, that in your mad dash to do all the things that you have to do, don't forget to be polite, courteous and, gracious. Enjoy what and who you have in your life, be grateful because it is not forever.....nothing is forever.
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and hopefully you have a great day!
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