Philosophize this...

I saw a beautiful new Chevrolet Corvette on the showroom floor of a local Chevy dealer.  Of course I was not in the market for such a car, but I could not help but admire it for its beauty.

It had the sleekest lines I had ever seen on a car.  The way the body was molded looked like it could weave through space and time.  A two person futuristic cockpit that could travel to other dimensions better than any DeLorean could.  Its color was deep and shiny and not only could I see my reflection in the layers of paint I could also see the image of a man dreaming of maneuvering through the ages…from birth to the present.

While I was there I decided to get in and position myself in the driver’s seat and I could tell that in its motionless state it could protect me through whatever course I would direct it.  The dashboard was like a space vehicle and the stereo could play the latest jams while I was blasting through time and space.

I retrieved the manual from the glove box and began to read about the upgrades and options that were available for this model.  Braking, steering, engine, suspension, and the like and I began to imagine what each of those upgrades would feel like as I was hugging the curves or speeding down the highway. 

I remembered the most exciting rides I had ever taken in an automobile and simply changed the vehicle to upgrade the experience…

But as I sat in this beautiful piece of machinery I began to realize that there is no amount of imagination or transference or previous experience that can translate to what it would actually be like to take this beast down the road and feel the engine, steering wheel, and the suspensions react to my guidance.  While my belief was that I could somehow imagine what it would be like, I would never be able to duplicate the experience in my mind without having the actual experience in my memory.

You can dream all you want about things.  You can read all the great philosophers.  You can subscribe to whatever school of thought you want, but until you get off your ass and experience life and the joys and pains, the success and failures, you will never be able to truly understand the meaning and purpose of life.   Spend your life with your head in a book and you will only know a portion of a thought of a person who is likewise flawed.  Grab the keys and take life on a test drive!  Blow the doors off and blast into this world with respect for others you encounter along the way, but still with some modicum of reckless abandon.

Otherwise life is just a Vet on a showroom floor.

Sitting at a bar, Drinking a beer...

You learn a lot when you sit at a bar with a beer and just keep your mouth shut.  For one thing you realize how stupid alcohol can make otherwise intelligent people.  Or not.  Since I did not know the person sitting beside me I have no idea whether or not he was smart before the alcohol kicked in.  but he was having a conversation with an elderly lady about the two newsworthy stories yesterday.  Obama giving the eulogy for the pastor shot and killed in Charleston with 8 others, and the Supreme Court decision on Gay Marriage.  It was quite obvious that he was not a fan of either while the lady was impressed with both.  But somewhere in the conversation he commented that 'today was the end of democracy in America.'  And I was thinking that perhaps I, myself, do not have a complete understanding of what democracy is, but this is how the conversation went in my head:

“You’re an idiot.  If this were a true democracy, I might agree with you, but the reality is that we generally don’t put things to a ‘vote of the people’ because that is why we have representatives.  In a republic, we send people to Washington, D.C. to speak for us.  And they do our bidding with the caveat that there is a constitution that has to be considered in all laws that we enact.”  I think the architects of the constitution were very thorough, but still, there was no accounting for progress.

Here is what I think is the real issue.  We are at a shift in thought in our country where people are beginning to realize the importance of equality.  Gender, racial, lifestyle, etc, but the representation hasn’t caught on to it…yet.  One of the reasons is that the people we are sending to represent us, for the most part, are career politicians.  And if I were to define ‘career politician’ I would have to include the phrase ‘out of touch with regular folks.’  Another reason is that there are millions of people with thousands of different ideas on issues that are not always cut and dry and that there are not enough people in congress to adequately represent all of us.  But that muddies it even more, because to rectify it would require growing government.

Do you see the dilemma?  I certainly do.  And  honestly I have no idea how to fix it.  But we have to be conscious of the needs of the people.  All the people.  We the people.

Perhaps if I had had more than one beer I could have added to his conversation…thank God I only had one.

The greatest of these is Love!

I lived in South Carolina for many years.  I went to college there and I worked and played there over the past many years. (since 1979)

In the early 70’s there were no black students at the university I attended.  They were not allowed.  It was a “Christian” university.  When blacks were finally allowed, there were rules in place to separate the blacks from whites by not allowing interracial dating.  That was not limited to blacks and whites, but also Asian, and Indian (India).  They justified it by using bible verses that talk about how races should be separate.

(for a complete understanding of the ignorance go to: http://www.drslewis.org/camille/2013/03/15/is-segregation-scriptural-by-bob-jones-sr-1960/)

Now I assure you that upon my arrival at this university I was unaware of the discrimination of races that were not white and I was completely immersed in this new religion that I had found after stepping away from Catholicism.  It wasn’t a main topic of conversation.  The brunt of the pressure had been eased in 1971 when BJU began accepting black applicants.  This was in no way willingly or philosophically in line with their beliefs, it was to avoid losing its tax status with the IRS.

While studying there I began to see the heavily racist attitude that was meant to be kept buried in the ‘good works’ that the university was selling to the public, yet at no time were there any doubts as to its stance on race.  But I have a strong suspicion that the university did not end up in South Carolina by accident.  It began in Florida, was resurrected in Tennessee, and finally found a permanent home in Carolina.  It gave honorary doctorates to the likes of George Wallace and Strom Thurmond.  But this was their culture…and it was in line with the states practices.

The idea of the flag of the Confederacy being about heritage, not hate has no basis in reality, it is merely what people say to justify their beliefs.  I mean blacks are an extremely important part of the Heritage of the south, but you will never see a black man or woman in a pick-up truck with a giant confederate flag waving from the bed.

The “black race” has taken nothing away from our culture, but has enriched it and made it fuller.  And the idea that the color of one’s skin makes them less of a person, or someone to be feared or repressed is just insane.  God is not a respecter of persons.  God does not see color like humans see color.  Jesus wasn’t a ‘white guy.’  Sorry if that bursts your bubble, but if Jesus were here today, many people (not all) in South Carolina wouldn’t even talk to him and would likely judge him based on the color of his skin.

It’s time to teach our children Love and acceptance, not hate and fear. 

A load of Crap!

Would you ever go up to Deepak Chopra after he finished speaking and ask “so who taught you that?”

Maybe not.  But how many times can you remember having an “AHA” moment, said something profound to another person or group and they say: “where did you hear that?” And because it originated in your mind, you have no chapter and verse that you can reference.  But perhaps you attribute to something or someone anyway because an insecurity says that it is easier to believe if someone of “importance” said it first.

I see it all the time on the internet and especially on Facebook.  You will see a meme that has a picture of Einstein, or Lincoln, or Ghandi, and it has a quotation that you have never before heard attributed to any of those people, and yet you believe it.  When in reality, someone had a great thought and figured it would be better received, and believed, if a famous person said it.

The fact is (I write tongue in cheek) is that nothing has value unless someone of importance is spouting it.  The Truth, however, is not the case.  There are wise people living quiet existences all over the world, and if it were only possible for them to be famous, even for just the moment when they say what it is that would inspire us, we would all be the better.

If it’s true, or rings true to your soul, does it really matter who says it?  If you have an enemy, and they say something life changing do you just throw your hand up, shout pffft, and ignore them?

I encourage you to listen. Please listen!  Listen with an open mind and an open heart.  And it doesn’t matter who is talking.  Old people, parents, single people, married people, teenagers, children.  Listen.

If you lay a seed in the sun it will not grow.  The sun alone will kill it.  If you soak it in water, in the dark, it may sprout, but it will never bear fruit.  If you stick it in sterile ground it will also come to naught.

Life, as well as plants, need many external influences to make it grow.  And even when you think that someone else is just spewing a load of crap…remember…fertilizer is a load of crap!

It's all been done (apologies to Barenaked Ladies)

I don’t know what it is about the wee hours of the night just before I fall off to sleep that brings out a creative surge in me.  Unfortunately for you, I do not get up at that time and head to my computer to write it down, so instead you are left with the dregs of a foggy morning brain.

But I will try…

Since the idea has been put in the mind of humans over many years (certainly within my lifetime) that there is nothing new under the sun, that there are no new thoughts, I began to ponder the reason for thinking at all.  If it has all been said and postulated it there any reason at all to continue?

Well, I don’t know who started spreading that crap around, but the reality is that until something is discovered and put to use it still has the good fortune to be considered new.  And thought is the one area that is the most excused for “not” being new.

In the 5^th century BCE a guy left his mansion and set out to discover what the world really looked like and what part he played in it.  He learned of peace, love, harmony, and the importance of treating others the way he would want to be treated.  He was pretty famous.  But then came along another guy, 500+ years later saying the same things and he became the figurehead of the largest religions (Christianity) in the world…but his message was the same. 

Balk at it all you want, but most learned scholars would be able to stand them side by side and compare more than contrast.

The thing is that preachers of peace are the fundamental basis for all that is good in the world, yet when you think of the religions that they have spawned (more indirectly than hands-on), they are based more on making every one believe their specific story and discounting all the rest.  Then comes dissension and then comes war.

Who out there believes that the basis for most (if not all) wars have a religious undertone?  Yes it’s true that resources are also a large factor, but have you ever heard someone argue “we are ________, the children of God, and so anyone not subscribing to our beliefs are infidels (sinners) and deserve to be proselytized?  I have, over and over.  Every race and creed have had it said to them at one time or another and many have been ‘made’ to observe in that time too.

There are no governmental answers to this problem.  They are personal and must be dealt with by each person as they, hopefully, become enlightened…even if only a little.

"My name is George Henry and I'm a Television Addict...

It’s the post-season – pre-season nothing good on TV blues…

My wife asked me ‘why have you been in such a funk lately?’

I have had the chance to think about it and I have successfully eliminated the minutia surrounding the real reason.  It’s not that I have been almost a month without sugar.  It’s not that I am starting a new chapter in my career today, and it’s not the weather.

It’s the Television!

Sweet addiction, why have you left me lonely?

In the past couple of weeks I have seen the end of the season to some of my favorite shows on the boob tube.  I have also seen the cancellation of shows that were good and now I will never have closure on those stories.  And the next chapter of good television is almost three weeks out. 

I am in Television Purgatory!

I have a long list of shows that I watch with passionate intent.  Castle, Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-O, and a long list of others.  Each one is on hiatus as they write new episodes.  In the meantime my favorite “off” season shows have yet to begin.  I am impatiently waiting for Suits, Rizolli and Isles, Royal Pains, and assorted others to give me some evening relaxation.

It is not a completely dry spell because a popular book trilogy by Blake Crouch was made into a series (Wayward Pines) and is showing once a week for ten weeks.  But HEY, it’s one hour a week!  I simply cannot survive on one hour of good television a week.

Now I know that you probably think I need to get a life outside of television, but the truth is I have one.  I work around the house, I go daily to the beach, I sometimes write ‘stuff,’ and I trim my toenails.

Last night, though, I found myself glued to American Ninja Warrior and that is when it was confirmed in my head that I am an addict.  How could anyone sit through 2 hours of that stuff and not be totally numbed to the real world.

I have decided to seek some counseling.  The trouble is that there are no shows on television that feature psychotherapy in their story lines.  So I guess until they do an hour drama on the life of Sigmund Freud, I have to continue to self-medicate with Alaskan Bush People!  God help me!

#Suits, #Elementary, #Castle, #Wayward Pines

Caveat emptor! (but then it's free...so...)

What is it about comedy?

I don’t think a day goes by when my wife doesn’t tell me that she thinks I am funny.  Not funny in the sense that I maker her laugh, but in the sense that she believes I have the ability to make others laugh.  Now I kind of get what she’s saying.  There are times when I can be incredibly funny, but when it comes to broadcasting on the radio I don’t feel the same way about comedy as she does.  I cannot try to be funny.  I either am or I am not.  And often it’s that I am not.

When I am on the air, behind the computer writing, or in a room full of truly funny people I can’t tell a joke to save my life, but give me the most inopportune moment: a serious event, a funeral, a board meeting, a doctor’s office, or a room filled with a diverse ethnic population and I am hilarious.

Recently, at my mother’s funeral – god rest her soul – I was in the back of the church with my nephews, their wives, and my oldest sister and her husband and you would have thought I was the headliner at the Comedy Store.  My poor mother was up at the front of the chapel, as she always was, serious as can be, not saying a word and me in the back getting a laugh a minute.  Sometimes even at her expense.  And the sick, indecent, disrespectful part of the whole situation was that I couldn’t stop…nor did I want to.  But in that moment, when tears were flowing from many of the visiting guests, I was killing it.

Now that was likely the most serious offense that I can remember committing, but certainly it was not an isolated circumstance.  My youngest sister, Joanne, passed 6 months prior and a similar thing occurred.  And I am thinking that this could be a new career for me.  Funeral Comedian.  Why not.  They say the more you laugh the longer you live…so I show up a little late for one of the guests, but the rest benefit greatly.

I am always the first to crack jokes immediately after a tragedy and either people will look at me in shock or they will fall over laughing.  Of course I learned that any such joke is completely admissible as long as you follow it with the obligatory “too soon?”  but seriously, do I have a responsibility to mourn?  Is it our culture that requires it of us?  Or are some people just too uptight?

Okay, so I will never be a standup comedian, but as long as somebody in the crowd is laying down…I think I can get a laugh…or two.

Vaccines do not cause Autism!

 Okay, I have your attention.

The truth of the matter is that I have no idea if vaccines do or do not cause Autism.  I know that there is a lot of research that would seem to support the claim that they do, and consequently there is a lot of government and pharmaceutical back lash against that research.

But let me tell you my twisted logic.  Or you can stop reading now and keep your mind in the state that it is in.  REMEMBER, I am not saying that I know which side is correct.  I am only making a personal statement from my experience.

I woke up the other morning and had this horrendous allergy attack.  Which for me is generally unheard of.  So I went to the ‘box of last resort’ and grabbed a Wal-dry from the foil encased plastic and placed it in my hand.

Now this is an amazing capsule.  It has a pharmaceutical in it that will shut down my allergic reactions in about 20 minutes.  What is really amazing is that it is smaller than the dosage in a standard round of vaccines for babies.  So even though I don’t like to take any pharmaceuticals, I put the tiny gel casing in my mouth and swallowed it.  20 minutes later the allergic reaction subsided.  10 minutes after that I felt completely lethargic.  My energy had disappeared and I felt as though I had been hit by a train.  This lasted for the entire day.

Now let me put this in perspective.  I am 6’3” and weigh 220 pounds and this tiny little pill kicked my ass.

Right there is an argument for anti-vaxers.  And for the Pro-vaxers, well, pretty much nothing will change your mind.  Yes we have eradicated polio.  Awesome!   Measles, mumps, and rubella?  Gone.  Awesome!  But here is the rub.  For every childhood disease that has been discovered they have included a pharmaceutical into a vaccine.  Currently the recommendation for vaccines from birth to 15 months (that’s months not years) is 26.

(see: http://www.vaccines.gov/who_and_when/infants_to_teens/index.html)

What may seem normal to many folks is not normal to me.  This seems outrageous.  A baby at 15 months averages between 19 and 24 pounds.  Forget about Autism, forget about ADHD.  What would make any sane person believe that this would not have a negative effect on the human body?  Has anyone seen the research that says for “20 years we tested this vaccine before putting into a human baby.”  NO…because there isn’t any.

So again, I have no idea what causes Autism in children…but I do have suspicions.

I quit...

I quit.

Sugar that is.  It has only been 4 days (on the 5^th now), but I realized something important.  Things are only difficult to do if you tell yourself they are difficult to do.  I made a decision to give it up.  I didn’t question it.  I didn’t go back and forth and wonder if it was a good decision, or if I could actually accomplish it, I just did.

Granted it has only been 4+ days, but I expected there to be more of a hunger/craving for sugar.  It’s like my body said “hey, he’s serious, let’s get on board.”

What I will tell you is something that you probably already know (because the majority of people that I know are pretty smart) is that sugar is in almost everything that comes in a box.  Even things that you don’t expect to have it, have it in one form or another.  It may not say “sugar,” but some hidden word on the box will translate to sugar.  Isomalt, erythritol, pentos, to name a few.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services there are almost 100 different words that mean sugar on a label.  If you are cautious about sugar you would help yourself greatly by learning those words.

For someone like myself, who wants to eradicate all sugar from my diet, boxed foods are pretty much out.  Fresh, home cooked meals are the surest way to do that.  Those who just want to limit the amount can be very choosy about processed foods.

Again, I may be preaching to the choir, but did you know that the position an ingredient falls within the label is in direct proportion to how much of it is in the recipe?  Of course you did.  But just to recap, the farther down the list something is, the less of it is in the box.  So again, refer to the HHS list of sugar names in determining how much you are eating.  And beware…there can be several sources of sugar in one box.

What it all comes down to though is just being picky.  As it is in every other decision in life, the more educated we are on a topic, the more likely we will make the right decision.  Unless of course you are one of those who likes to preach, but not practice.  I HAVE met a few people like that.

Mrs. Escamilla.

This is the one person in my life that I will always cherish and always give credit to when I write something.  Even though the last time I saw her was in 1974.

She passed on many years ago, but her memory is still strong and the effect she had on my life is the single greatest influence to my passion for writing.

In sixth grade, Mrs. Escamilla would come to our school and help facilitate our learning by either reading to students (individually), or listen to us read to her.  She had two daughters that attended the school, Sonia and Marina, but she spent most of the time with other students.  And the way I remember it…mostly me.

The books and stories that she would read would inspire me to write.  Not that any of the books were inspirational, but the fact that she would give of her time to fill my imagination with stories of adventure gave me inspiration.

I would go home at night and begin to formulate stories.  In fact between the summer of 6^th and 7^th grade I wrote a complete science fiction story complete with Heinleinian culture.  Which for a 7^th grader might have been a little unsettling for most.  But not for Mrs. Escamilla.  She embraced it.  She encouraged it and, as I remember, very rarely blushed.

Mrs. Escamilla was my muse.  It was her enjoyment of my story telling (I would read to her each time I had the opportunity to sit with her at school) that made me want to write more.  And even read more.

I never got to properly thank her for the gift that she gave me, although I have had the opportunity to share it with her daughters. 

I have drafted two novels since then, countless short stories, and many songs.  Now?  I just have to do something with them.   And there my friends is the rub.  But I continue to write, create, and imagine what is would be like to see my stories on the Big (or Little) screen.  I envy you Blake Crouch!  Perhaps in time someone will also envy me.

...about writing

Write every day.  That’s what every accomplished writer says is the key to overcoming the obstacles associated with the process.  Even when you don’t feel like it or you feel you have nothing ‘in the tank’ keep writing.

I know that it is the ‘write’ thing to do, but sometimes the personal obstacles are just too present to be able to clear away the minutia long enough to express a coherent thought.  When that happens I find myself writing about writing.

It has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.  When I first learned the art of spelling and sentence structure (does anyone really understand sentence structure) I can remember writing.  Poetry, songs, and short stories were the first to come to light and then the attempt at a novel.  This was all before the beginning of 8^th grade.  I remember writing a sci-fi story about babies being born with an expiration date of 35 years old and one man’s struggle to find a way to remove the chip that would ultimately spell the end of his existence.  I also remember writing a complete Hardy Boys book about an adventure they had in Hawaii.  The sad thing is that this was long before dongles and auto save.  It was in the age of pen and paper.

What I learned most about the art of writing and the creative process is that the less distractions that one has in life the more prolific a writer can be.  The more it is necessary to work to pay the bills, or raise children, or have a social calendar, the less likely it is that you will find quality time to write. 

When you read some of the greats (contemporary) you can see why they are so prolific.  Churning out 1 or two books a year that have great story lines.  They had a moment when that first success allowed them to have that second, third, and so on.

When writing pays the bills, and it becomes the “job,” some writers excel.  I believe that is because they are (one) truly talented, and (two) don’t have the outside noise that keeps telling them that some bill is delinquent.

Of course that is an oversimplification. ALL writers have blocks.  They, we, all meet that wall at the end of a dark alley and have to find a way to scale it.  But in the long run, persistence and tenacity will have the victory.  The ones that crumble before the wall…they have ‘non-writing’ jobs.

Ramblings

I have been asked before, why do I get so emotional during certain scenes on television and emotional moments in real life I miss and don’t even recognize them?

So I have been thinking about that and here is that which I have deduced:

Television and movies have an arc to them.  There is a certain way (fantasy) in which a writer writes a story so that the ending has a somewhat predictable ending.  The good guy/girl wins, the hero gets the girl/horse/guy (whatever).  But the emotion on the screen has a believability that could happen in real life but without the disappointment that often occurs in real life.

While it is sad to admit, people disappoint.  I have disappointed.  Others have disappointed me.  Life, while wonderful, doesn’t always work out the way you think it should (even though plot twists are often better).  But in the face of disappointment, the guard goes up and the emotions get blocked. 

What I haven’t figured out is why it is only with direct connection with people in my life that this happens.  For example, when I am watching a YouTube video that someone has put up with a real life event I can get emotional.  I can connect with them.  But my kids, parents, siblings, spouse, friends, not so much.

So back to the first thought…I guess since the end is rarely like the tv/movie version I haven’t quite got the grasp on really feeling the moment.  Sad you say?  You bet.  It’s time to take a look inside to see if I can change that.  Perhaps with a little more introspection I can come up with an answer…or two.

But the real wonder I have is: Am I Alone in this Feeling?  Is it a problem that no one else but me is facing?  I guess it would be nice to know if someone else out there can sympathize. 

I am an empath, which makes this even weirder.  I feel, sense, recognize emotions.  One on one or in a room filled with people.  But then, maybe that adds to the desire to shut the immediate off and go for the safer, more predictable on screen performance.

I’ll look at that and get back to you. 

The Talk.

How many of you remember having that conversation with your parents?  You know, The Talk!  The Birds and the Bees!  The one about SEX!

I’m not talking about the obligatory conversation that goes something like this:

“If you have sex you will get pregnant and it will ruin your life!  Or: “Don’t you play with that thing in my house!” or even the ipso facto: “What the hell are you doing?”

No.  What I am talking about is an open discussion that discusses the importance of a sexual relationship.  The how’s and why’s of each part of the process and the responsibilities that go along with them.  How to achieve an orgasm for your partner and the importance of cuddling.

Okay, that just scratches the surface, but I am guessing that not many of you heard this from your parents and it is likely that none of them handed you a book and said “here you go…I can’t talk about this, but it’s all in here.”

And it doesn’t get any better when it is taught in school.  I remember in 8^th grade seeing films on child birth and it was intended to scare us rather than inform us. (hopefully that has changed since the 70’s but I’m not so sure).  There was nothing in those classes about the sensitive areas of the penis or the stimulation of the clitoris or of the female orgasm actually assisting in pregnancy.

Now these are all things I can get from watching an episode of Real Sex on HBO, but for me it’s too little too late.

I was in my early 30’s before I finally figured it out, and by then I had failed to satisfy my share of relationships.  And when I figured it out I finally realized the joy that I had been missing. 

The thing I realize though is that The Talk is not easy for any parent.  I even missed the boat with my own kids, but then I have the feeling they would have freaked out had I tried to talk to them about sex.

But thank God I learned anything at all, even if it came later in life.  I mean, hell, my 30’s was a pretty good time to figure it out.  I hope my kids are a little more prepared to talk to their kids, but I don’t plan on asking them!  Lol!

Something shiny!

What to write?

I admit that there are days that go by that I actually don’t even turn on the computer and attempt it, but it’s the days that I do…and I sit down in front of the screen and start a dozen different ideas and none of them seem to pan out.

This is one of those days.

I think about the topic of weight loss - which I am considering doing at some point.  Or moving on from a job that is not fulfilling my needs – which I am considering doing…at some point.  Or about how the apartment complex we chose to move into cannot fix a simple leak in the apartment upstairs that drips in our wall creating a hazard of mold for us downstairs.  I could write about this whole move across the country and how it is coming up on a year and I am still not feeling settled.  All great topics.

But I think what I will focus on today is global warming.  No wait…the economy.  Nah, rising gas prices!  No that’s not it either.  Coffee?

I love coffee.  Dark, rich roasts that have just a hint of bitterness.  The way is smells in the morning as it begins to wake you up…no not about coffee… it’s a subject with limited.

I guess what it comes down to is that the process of writing really is about just sitting down and writing.  Whatever it is you are passionate about (or whatever it is for which you are passionate).  Exercising the brain is just like exercising your body.  The more you do it the sharper and more focused the brain becomes.  Consequently, the less you do it, the more you sit on the couch, watch television, and lament the fact that you are not doing anything productive.  So in a sense, even though this has no particular topic to it, I am working out my brain and building new synaptic pathways in order to increase my ability to sound intelligent.

So while I look at shiny things around the room…

Oh, did I tell you that my job just hasn’t been able to find the hours to keep me busy so I turned in my notice and suddenly they are trying to put something together to keep me there.  Even the Executive Vice President of Programming reached out to me in a weird way (or should I say with strange timing).  He found me on Linkedin and sent me a request to connect.  Now that might mean nothing, but it certainly made my wife question it, or rather question my resolve to move on.  But hey, I have plans.  Goals to achieve.  An exciting life ahead of me.  It’s time to explore some more!

(sniff, sniff)  I smell coffee!

Reveal...

I have often thought about the consequences of baring it all.  Not in the sense of the deep dark secrets of my life, but just the odd way I look at things.  The sarcasm, the irreverence, the skewed eye of reason that my mind tends to conjure up.  But then I wonder if anyone would read it.  If friends would suddenly think (to themselves or out loud): this is not the George I know.  Though a couple of friends would not be surprised at all.  The close friends.  But the rest?  Shocked.

What makes me wonder this is the level of my success to this point has been based on what I am willing to let other people see and the fear of judgment for the things that are out of sync with the “norm” of our world.  And I realize that by using the term norm offers up differing images to each individual that reads it.  So perhaps by being more true to myself and not to the opinions of others, I may make a Quantum Leap forward.

And while I have not completely come to terms with a decision I am, however, getting close to making that jump.  My reason is that the world has enough people that live within the boundaries of society because it is safe, or it is how they were raised, or they fear the backlash from society.  I HAVE to get over that.  I have to let my freak flag fly (so to speak).  The main reason?  Is that most people who know me, don’t.

Now, to be honest, there are not a lot of huge surprises in store for anyone.  I don’t secretly hurt or maim animals, I don’t worship alien beings, and the biggest shock (that I am prepared to share today), is that though I love beer I sometimes go weeks at a time without drinking one.  And on the weeks that I do I rarely go over 3…in a WEEK.  So, not a huge reveal, but those that hear me talk about my love of beer might have a different perception of my drinking habits.

I will call that particular reveal a fringe secret.  It isn’t in the deep, dark coffers, and really doesn’t change the overall perception of who is me (I know.  I said it that way on purpose).  It’s one of those “oh, I didn’t know that” moments.  A “no big deal” deal.

And I don’t wish to do this for the sensational aspects of it.  Not like the shock jocks, or the openly bellicose types (Miley Cyrus-Justin Bieber come to mind).  I just have a desire for people to understand “the who that I am” so that I can move on to the next level of success.  I mean at 54…it’s about time.  Wouldn’t you say?   Stay Tuned.  And feel free to provide feedback!

Politics...gotta love it.

Who in their right mind…

Who will serve?  The pool of honest, hardworking, moral people that are willing to submit themselves to the political microscope is dwindling.  And no wonder.

Now I cannot serve as judge or jury on the recent resignation of the Governor of Oregon because the only thing I know about him is what I have heard in the media.  And more so about the first Fiance’, Cylvia Hayes, than him.  Allegations and accusations that have been sensationalized for your pleasure.  News sources have found the way to sell their product at the expense of compassion and sometimes even truth.

So here’s some more truth for you:  The public will suffer the most for the way politicians are depicted in the media.  The process for vetting a potential candidate for office is so harsh and rigorous that instead of weeding out the riff raff, it weeds out the good honest people that may have a mistake or two in their past that they don’t want on public record.

But here is a thought for anyone who is considering running for an office and has a skeleton or two in the closet.  Own it.  Tell everyone outright.  Put on all of your colors for the world to see.  Because here is how I see that going down:  either you will be embraced for being forthright or your candle will be extinguished.  My sense is though you will be heralded.  We all want to know what we are getting ourselves in for and, if we know from the beginning, we get the sense that the surprises are over and we can talk about the job at hand.  But worst case scenario is that the public rejects you and your campaign is done.  But think of all the money and hard work you just saved yourself and the hundreds of people that were willing to volunteer their time.

That is what I would do if I decided to run for office.  I can imaging the looks of some people’s faces when they hear some of the stuff that I have done.  Oh but wait…You don’t get to know that yet…only if I run for office.  Although it would be completely freeing to relinquish some of those skeletons.  Even if it meant alienating some of my longtime friends and family.  Maybe in another blog!  Or maybe not!

I’m George Henry…and I am NOT running for office…Yet.

My Christian Heritage. (or how Obama 'killed' it)

My Christian Heritage.

I come from a long line of the church going masses.  I don’t know that I should use the word Christian here, because some of my protestant brethren still do not consider Catholicism to be “Christian” (but that’s their issue).  But after the uproar from the “Right” as a result of Obama’s comments at the National Prayer Breakfast I have to interject.

“Me Thinks thou doth protest too much!”

You can try to rewrite history all you want.  You can justify your heritage as ‘’fighting’ infidels or whatever excuse you want to use, but the ‘Church’ killed a lot of people.  And it wasn’t just the Spanish Inquisition.  The Protestants got involved too when they decided to burn “witches” or take on slaves (many which died at the hands of their Christian masters).

Who are we really kidding here?  Ourselves.  But I don’t write this as a condemnation of the Christian religions or as a “pass” for the Muslim faith.  I merely wish to point out that we get so bent out of shape over religion that it becomes a point of contention is someone believes differently…or not at all.  There are Christians that want to mount up and go kill Muslims in retaliation for a few radical extremists.

This is what is infuriating.  God, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha (granted he is a philosopher), etc, none of them taught violence as a means to an end.  Now, granted, the Jewish faith of old was pretty much based on that tenet, but even today I think you would be hard pressed to find someone to blanketly support the utter annihilation of non-believers as the old testament dictated.

What is really going on here is the denial of fact in order to push an agenda.  Obama did not lie, he did not alter the facts, he merely made a correlation between two extremes that are a matter of historical fact.  I am NOT a Muslim, and yet I know his comments to be fact-based and poignant.

If you don’t like the guy…don’t like him.  Fine.  I take issues with many of his decisions as I did with many other presidents.  But I will not impune him for making it real.

How about we start living our faith(s) based on the preachings of its founders and not its followers.  It just might make for a better world.  It says something when non-believers live more Christ-like than the Christians that profess.

Why?

If you have children that are at least 8 years old or older, then you remember the time when everything ended with the question: Why?

It is our nature to be curious and our desire to have knowledge that make children ask that question, but as an adult I realize that I still ask the same question.  Why?

Now the reasons may be different.  As a child I did not know why the oven got hot or why birds flew or why the sun was hot in the summer but not in the winter.  And the list goes on.  But today the question has a different slant to it.  Why was I born?  Why do things happen to me, or for me?  Why is he rich?  Why is she poor?   Why do people hurt and kill each other?  Why? Why? Why?

The difference is that some questions have a specific answer that fulfils the desire we seek.  Laws of physics are a lot easier to explain than questions about human behavior.  In fact, there may never be good answers for some human issues, and the search will always be futile.  We search for all the reasons why, and in my opinion, we miss the important piece of the puzzle that lies within our reach.

Is it easier to roll a ball or a boulder?  Is it easier to stop the rain or to wear a raincoat?  The answers all make sense to me.  If you can affect something small, then do it.  Not because it is easier, but in making small accomplishments they inevitably make larger changes.  When the reverse is not necessarily true. 

So we do our best to embrace a world and spread love throughout, which is good, but if we have not first done all we can to love ourselves, then our efforts are for naught.  You know “save the world-Lose your soul” philosophy.  When the answer lies with loving ourselves.  Because at that point we have the knowledge and power to love others.

It is a large task, loving ourselves.  For some it is too large and they simply quit.  Surrender.  Give up.  But the ones that seek answers from within make a more powerful force throughout.  Jesus did say ‘love one another even as I have loved you,” but I think it’s important not to forget that you first must love yourself.  Never forget the power that lies within you.  It must well and spring from you.  And then, and only then, will you see the change in the world that you wish to see.

"War...huh...good God Y'all"

I have never really taken a look at what starts wars, but I have the sneaking suspicion that it comes down to two basic premises. 

1.       Someone says something that is offensive to another

2.       Someone says something that is construed by another to be offensive

Silence rarely plays into the realm of war.  Now you can wonder what someone is thinking and make up all sorts of issues in your mind as to what is really going on inside of them, but rarely is it used as an opportunity to launch a full out assault on someone.

Now let’s take it down to the basics of a relationship rather than two countries at odds.  I often find myself at the wrong end of a conversation because of the aforementioned premises.  But of course it is 4-pronged.  I either say something that is offensive or say something that is construed as offensive…or something is said to me that is offensive or I believe to be offensive.

Recently there was a conversation about Cracker Jacks.  There was a package of 24 of them in our kitchen.  They had been there since October 1^st, 2014.  128 days.  There were three of them left in the original box so I broke them down and put them in the cabinet and threw away the box.  Upon noticing the box in the recycling my wife says to me, “So you’ve been eating the Cracker Jack!”  To which I immediately snapped back with all my gruffness “No, I haven’t!”

Now I realize that I was super sensitive because I took the question to be a negative rebuke towards me because ‘I was eating sugar’ or something like that.  When my wife told me that it was merely an observation.

So here’s the funny thing about wars.  The statement may have been innocuous and I merely overreacted, but in dissecting the understanding of it in my mind I could not reconcile it.  What was the purpose of the comment?  If I had been eating them, then I would have been aware that I was eating them and therefore no need to point it out.  If I had not been eating them then the statement is one of misplaced culpability and therefore, intended or not, would have been the basis of defense.

My best reaction in that particular instance (remember this is in hindsight), would have been to smile and say nothing.  Instead I tried to remember each bag that had been eaten over the last 128 days.  That’s accounting for an average of about 1 bag a week and my memory is just not that good.  And besides, the bulk of them had been eaten in the first 4 weeks.  And the last two bags eaten were sometime in early January.  Other than that….Who knows.

My point is that I acted in a knee jerk fashion because of some personal sensitivities.  And while I would like to correct that in myself, I would also like more substantive conversations that are not about who ate what and why.  I think that my wife, whom I love, and myself can find better, more edifying things to banter about.  Just saying.

Building.

Have you ever built something?  You had this great idea in your head and you map it out.  First you check to see if you have the proper tools.  Hammer, saw, tape measure, square, chisel, it all seems to be there.  Then you think: a table saw would be better than a circular saw, but what the heck, you can do it.   Then you put the list of things you need to buy.  Wood, nails, screws, wood glue, dowels, whatever you need to complete your project.

Off you go to the local hardware store and purchase the raw products, strap them to the roof of your car and bring them home, where you amass everything together on your deck or in your garage and begin the task of building.

Now not everyone has the skill to build something, but one thing I learned about myself is that never stopped me.  I forged ahead with all the confidence of a master builder.  What I ultimately discovered is that no matter what I decided to build there was always a moment when I thought the “thing” I was building was too difficult.  There were moments of deconstruction, re-measuring, re-cutting, re-shopping for the piece I cut incorrectly or the “right” size nails.  I haven’t done this with every project, but enough of them to know at some point I might have to go to the store for something I forgot.  But if I was willing, and somewhat patient, when I was finished there would be something for which I could be proud.  It wasn’t always the most beautiful, but it was always functional for its intended use.

I cannot, in recent history, remember a project that I just left on the garage floor and walked away.  Perhaps there were times when it would have served me to just pile the wood in the corner and forget it, but I couldn’t.  Too much invested in time, materials, sweat, and sometimes a little blood, and besides, even with each one containing their own ‘Persian flaw’ I was proud of what I built.

Life is sort of like building something.  Hell, it’s a lot like it.  It’s not always easy.  You often don’t have the right tools to do it perfect.  You might have to go to the store to get the things you forgot or to replace something you really screwed up, but in the end, when you look at it, there is a moment of pride when you realized that you did a pretty good job.

The difference in life and building is that sometimes you are on the garage floor scratching your head trying to figure out how your plans are not exactly like the finished product, but still happy that you managed it all by yourself.  While in life, if you are smart enough and humble enough, you can turn to someone and say “hey!  How about a little help?”

“Hey! How about a little help?”

The Bucket List…

My wife said “let’s watch a movie that’s fun.”  So I went through the list of movies in our collection naming off the ones that were light-hearted, comedic, and even some silly ones.  As I leafed through the pages of DVD’s I passed the “B’s” and she chose the Bucket List.  Now we had seen this movie before and my recollection is that it was not any of the adjectives for which we were looking, but it struck a chord with her, so…why not.

I spend the next 97 minutes on the edge of tears.  It’s a great movie, don’t get me wrong, it just wasn't what I thought we were investing our time in, but that’s okay.

I don’t know at what age most people begin to contemplate life and consider the things that they wanted to accomplish, but a movie like this has to stir the inner workings of the conscious mind. 

It did for me.

Even as I sit here now pondering future and looking back upon my past I wonder if I have already done the things on my bucket list.  You see, I have never written one, but I can see that what I have lived has fulfilled many of my desires over the period that has been my life.  None of them were terribly earth-shaking events.  I haven’t climbed the Himalayas (nor do I have any desire), and I haven’t parachuted from a plane (I would, but not something that I have to do).

One thing that I really desire is to communicate with people with whom I would not normally have the chance to speak.  Coffee with a former President, a sitting Justice on the Supreme Court, the Dalai Lama.  Stuff like that.  Most people might say “so what,” but then they have their own list, right?

A couple of other things that come to mind is writing the novel that everyone wants to read, writing a song that is on everyone’s music player, and of course the thing that I would hope would be on everyone’s bucket list, do something that impacts the world for good.  Who knows, it may be within the writings that that one is accomplished.

I always thought that a bucket list would be a clear, concise set of sentences that can be crossed off one at a time as it was in the movie.  For me?  Not so much.  I don’t need to climb Everest, sail the ocean, or shoot a big game animal on the African plains.  I still have things I want to do, but they can only compliment the life I have already had.

Be Different!

Do you ever get tired?  Tired of not thinking like the pack?  Tired of not following the path that everyone else seems to be following?  I know some people that constantly get criticized for not following the norm, for not buying into the status-quo and following the story that big business or big government is telling.   When I see these modern day rebels I am in awe.  Awe of their ability to stand for something when the rest of the world calls them crazy.

I am a silent rebel, which in reality means that I am not a rebel at all.  I mean I make my comments here and there, but in general I just “like” something when I agree with it rather than being the one that starts the conversation.  I even secretly want to be that person.  In fact a few people that know me would say that I am, but they know that I am not about to step into the fray.  It almost seems that conflict and controversy are a necessity in social media.  There is no idea that your opinions will be widely accepted, in fact you will likely be chastised by large groups of people with blinders on.  –You know who you are.

The idea that someone doesn’t believe in vaccines, or God, or YOUR God, or past lives, or life on other planets, or eats meat, or doesn’t eat meat, or has gluten allergies, or whatever the controversy or conspiracy of the day is…is just sad.

It goes back to my post on belief versus truth.  We are not truly free to believe what we want as long as someone else has a belief that they hold as truth even in the light that there is no real evidence to support it.

If we never think or do things outside the box we will never grow.  Individually or as a whole.  If every out of the box thinker said ‘screw it!’ then we would likely still be sitting in a cave somewhere.

Stay true to yourself.  Follow your own heart where it leads you and always be open to ideas that are strange to you.  One day…one of those strange ideas may turn out to be TRUTH, and it’s always cool to be able to say that you knew all along!