"Every town...has its ups and downs...sometimes ups...outnumber the downs..." - Disney's ROBIN HOOD
It seems the past couple years have really tested our resolve not only as a society, but as individuals. At least it seems that way to me.
So much has happened to test us, to stress us, and to make us wonder and doubt.Sometimes it feels like a snowball effect, just building up and building up to overwhelm us.Sometimes it does. And sometimes it melts right before it hits us. Then again, sometimes it melts AFTER it hits us.
Either way, the point is that that snowball doesn't stick around forever.
I'm an eternal optimist. I've been told it's a personality flaw. But, seeing as I'm an optimist, I don't look at it that way. See, I tend to believe The Miracle until the very last second. Time and time again, I've waited as the clock ticked down, expecting that last minute miracle.
Most times, the miracles comes AFTER the last minute. Or, it could be a continuous thing that just takes so much time to complete a cycle we don't even notice it.There has been significant loss for so many people over the past couple years, and it certainly seems as if we're in a downswing. However, the good thing about a downswing is it eventually has to come back up.
So here we find us once again. It's fitting, I think, that this holiday comes when it does. I don't know if those who started it planned it that way or if it just happened, but either way... The year is coming to an end, things are getting ready to start over, and it's a good time to look back and reflect on what has happened during the past several months. Storms, vacations, births, deaths, illnesses, recoveries, just everything that has happened to us and those around us. Thanksgiving is just a few short days away, and that's what we do: we give thanks to whomever and whatever we feel deserves it. What are we thankful for? What do we have, what have we achieved, what have we accomplished, what did we manage this year? For those of us facing strife and difficulty, it's a chance to reassess our lives and take notice of the things we kept instead of the things we lost, the things we have instead of what we do not. This is when we turn to our family, and when they're not around, our friends.
That's where I find myself this year. It's different, I'll admit that. Because of miscommunication between my family members, I found myself without a place to go for Thanksgiving for the first time since... well, EVER. I had always come home for Thanksgiving, even when I was in college. It was always amongst family, and my family even invited some of our friends to join us if need be. This year, that didn't happen. I found myself thinking and wondering about other options. That's when Erika suggested we do something at MY house. Hm. Never done that before. OK, let's plan for that. Wait, a couple people we want to bring are highly allergic to my zoo. That's when another friend offered HER place. Hey, that works! Let's get a bunch of Misfit Toys together and have our own Thanksgiving. Kinda fitting, when you think about it. That's what it's all about, opening your doors to those in need and giving. The original concept of Thanksgiving was just that, a communal meal. Everyone put in, everyone was able to partake. This year, I will sit at a table with a small circle of my closest friends and laugh and have fun with them.
I'm not going to dwell about how I lost my job. Instead, I'm going to enjoy that my blood pressure has dropped and my foot and leg pain have decreased exponentially. I'm not going to dwell on how I lost my kitty. Instead, I'm going to be happy that she chose to come to me for warmth and comfort in her final hours. I'm not going to stress about fighting for my home. I'm going to be thankful that I have one. I'm going to love and snuggle my puppies, I'm going to love and cuddle my kitties (except for Millie because I'll lose a limb, but I'll pet her and let her cuddle ME.) I'm going to enjoy the company of my friends and those around me, and I'm going to be thankful for what I have. I do this not because I have to, not because I'm supposed to, but because I AM. I'm thankful for my home when so many have lost theirs. I'm thankful for the warmth in my life when so many are out in the cold. I'm thankful for ALL my family and ALL my friends when so many are alone during this season. I am thankful for all I have, for all I have done, for all I have achieved and accomplished, and I am HOPEFUL for all that is to come and all that I plan to do.
This is when we give. This is what we give. So give it. Happy Thanksgiving.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
LET'S GET POLITICAL
OK, I know I haven't written as much as I had planned. Things never go the way way you think and/or hope they will.
That's actually kinda what i want to talk about. We just had an election, what, a week ago, and seriously, PEOPLE NEED TO CHILL. THE FUCK. OUT.
This was a hotly contested election. I know, it always is, but NO. This time was absolutely horrendous. Entire families were polarized by this election, both on a national and local level. You had people DEMANDING that Obama fall in flames and Romney take over because he would be SO MUCH BETTER at the job. We've had enough of the blue-collar black guy, put a rich white guy back in there. Sadly, in some of the Southern states (and some of the Northern red states, as well), that's almost exactly what they were hollering at rallies. It was happening here at home, too. The split between Linda McMahon and Chris Murphy was astounding, and the debates... you kept waiting for them to start throwing things at each other and calling each other "poopie head" to "doo doo brain."
In the end, it was a Blue Day. President B-Rock went back to his place on PA Ave for another four years and Murphy took 95 to the Beltway again. And people were MAD.
A lot of them still are. Everyone saying "Just you wait, You'll realize what has happened soon enough." All the RedHeads so mad and so upset, and there are some people petitioning to LEAVE THE FUCKING UNION. Over an election.
In the middle of the 19th Century, a bunch of states tried this before. Anyone remember that little spat? Lasted until the end of the 1860s, killed more men than any other war we've fought, and blew away one of the greatest leaders this country has ever seen? No? Nobody? Well seeing as how nobody seems to remember the past these days, it doesn't surprise me. And that's sad.
It may be just a statement. It may be simply symbolic. But I would like to point out a few things.
1. The same thing happened back when GW Bush was elected to a second term. About half the country said "Are you people RETARDED?" and "The world is laughing at us right now." Kinda funny these are the same things I'm hearing from Conservatives and Republicans over the past week.
2. With this new Petraeus scandal, people are up in arms. And they should be, but they're blaming Obama for it. maybe he knew, maybe he didn't, but I'd like to bring up something people may have forgotten about: remember the CIA scandals while Bush II was in office? No? Look it up. It's public info. I'd also like to say three words people may have forgotten: REAGAN, OLLIE NORTH. Yeah. Let's think about those, huh?
3. No matter who won, a huge chunk of people were gonna be pissed off. "Obama lied." "Romney lied." THEY ALL FUDGED. It's sad that they do. I don't know where it started. Did it go all the way back to that summer day in Philadelphia 236 years ago? Were Tommy, George, and Benny a bunch of bullshit artists? Possibly. Somewhere along the line, Politicians got lost and we stopped being a Government Of The People, For The People, By The People.
The only way to get past that is TO COME TOGETHER. That's harder than it sounds, seeing as how split right down the middle we are right now. We need change. We HAVE NEEDED change. A great many people don't believe Obama has lived to that promise FOR change, and here's the issue with that:
IT TAKES TIME.
We have become a society so bent on instant gratification that unless there are immediate, visible, tangible results in something, we think it's not working. We say we've been lied to. Trickle-down Economics doesn't work. Voodoo Economics doesn't work. So, what does work? I think it's been so long since we've seen something that works, we can't even identify if something IS working or not.
FDR pulled the world out of the Depression with his New Deal. It took a while, but by the mid-fifties, we were fairly economically sound. So what happened?
There's the key. We need to backtrack and find out where we went wrong and figure out how to repair it. We're not gonna do it alone or one person at a time. We need to quit fucking squabbling about who's the best leader and who lied more and TAKE ACTION. Don't like the candidates? You have the ability and the power to RUN YOURSELF. Go for it. Don't like the way it's going? Bring up your own ideas. Make the process work. There has to be a way, because it seemed to work for quite some time before we fucked it up.
We can pull through whatever issues we have. We can work through all adversity if we work as a team and do this together. One problem with that is people need to learn to be accepting of other people. You heard that, right?
ACCEPT THE OTHER OTHER FUCKING PEOPLE AROUND YOU. We need to accept that fact that we're all different. ALL OF US. Nobody is exactly alike. NOBODY. Even twins have fundamental differences that distinguish them from each other. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT. It's one of those things that makes this country great, is we're supposed to be ALLOWED to be different. Religion, tattoos, sexual orientation, income levels, education levels, ideas, thoughts, jobs... accept the fact the people other than YOU live here and people other than YOU have the right to live their lives. That seems to be a major issue we've been having, is so many people are absolutely ASTOUNDED that some people are not like them. Skin color, background, who they love, what they like to do... WE'RE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST FUCKING CENTURY AND STILL ARGUE OVER WHO CAN DATE WHO. Holy fucking CHRIST IN A BUCKET. REALLY? We have phones so small that can do amazing, incredible things. We have "communication" out the wazoo, and we still treat people differently because the level of melanin in their skin is higher than others. We have massive technological advances but we can't get over that Bob loves Kevin and Christina loves Gina and they want to be with each other the same way that Scott and Amanda do. Why is that so hard to fathom? Why is that so hard to accept?
THESE are the reasons our country is divided, not just which politician lied more about whatever. WE NEED TO GET OVER OUR PETTY DIFFERENCES, and yes, they are FUCKING PETTY. It's sad that this is who we are as a species, unable to accept the differences that are inherent among us. There will be no balance and no peace as long as that occurs, but we all know how damn-near impossible it is to assuage somebody's BELIEFS.
This talk of division needs to end. This talk of secession needs to end. The only way things are going to get satisfactorily better is if we work together. Honestly, I don't think enough of us want that. There's too many of us that are Veruca Salt, wanting it THEIR WAY and RIGHT BLOODY FUCKING NOW. There's too many of us unwilling to compromise and try something new, it's their way or no way and they will do whatever they can to keep any way other than their way from succeeding or even seeing the light of day. That's where our problem is. That's what we need to change.
That's actually kinda what i want to talk about. We just had an election, what, a week ago, and seriously, PEOPLE NEED TO CHILL. THE FUCK. OUT.
This was a hotly contested election. I know, it always is, but NO. This time was absolutely horrendous. Entire families were polarized by this election, both on a national and local level. You had people DEMANDING that Obama fall in flames and Romney take over because he would be SO MUCH BETTER at the job. We've had enough of the blue-collar black guy, put a rich white guy back in there. Sadly, in some of the Southern states (and some of the Northern red states, as well), that's almost exactly what they were hollering at rallies. It was happening here at home, too. The split between Linda McMahon and Chris Murphy was astounding, and the debates... you kept waiting for them to start throwing things at each other and calling each other "poopie head" to "doo doo brain."
In the end, it was a Blue Day. President B-Rock went back to his place on PA Ave for another four years and Murphy took 95 to the Beltway again. And people were MAD.
A lot of them still are. Everyone saying "Just you wait, You'll realize what has happened soon enough." All the RedHeads so mad and so upset, and there are some people petitioning to LEAVE THE FUCKING UNION. Over an election.
In the middle of the 19th Century, a bunch of states tried this before. Anyone remember that little spat? Lasted until the end of the 1860s, killed more men than any other war we've fought, and blew away one of the greatest leaders this country has ever seen? No? Nobody? Well seeing as how nobody seems to remember the past these days, it doesn't surprise me. And that's sad.
It may be just a statement. It may be simply symbolic. But I would like to point out a few things.
1. The same thing happened back when GW Bush was elected to a second term. About half the country said "Are you people RETARDED?" and "The world is laughing at us right now." Kinda funny these are the same things I'm hearing from Conservatives and Republicans over the past week.
2. With this new Petraeus scandal, people are up in arms. And they should be, but they're blaming Obama for it. maybe he knew, maybe he didn't, but I'd like to bring up something people may have forgotten about: remember the CIA scandals while Bush II was in office? No? Look it up. It's public info. I'd also like to say three words people may have forgotten: REAGAN, OLLIE NORTH. Yeah. Let's think about those, huh?
3. No matter who won, a huge chunk of people were gonna be pissed off. "Obama lied." "Romney lied." THEY ALL FUDGED. It's sad that they do. I don't know where it started. Did it go all the way back to that summer day in Philadelphia 236 years ago? Were Tommy, George, and Benny a bunch of bullshit artists? Possibly. Somewhere along the line, Politicians got lost and we stopped being a Government Of The People, For The People, By The People.
The only way to get past that is TO COME TOGETHER. That's harder than it sounds, seeing as how split right down the middle we are right now. We need change. We HAVE NEEDED change. A great many people don't believe Obama has lived to that promise FOR change, and here's the issue with that:
IT TAKES TIME.
We have become a society so bent on instant gratification that unless there are immediate, visible, tangible results in something, we think it's not working. We say we've been lied to. Trickle-down Economics doesn't work. Voodoo Economics doesn't work. So, what does work? I think it's been so long since we've seen something that works, we can't even identify if something IS working or not.
FDR pulled the world out of the Depression with his New Deal. It took a while, but by the mid-fifties, we were fairly economically sound. So what happened?
There's the key. We need to backtrack and find out where we went wrong and figure out how to repair it. We're not gonna do it alone or one person at a time. We need to quit fucking squabbling about who's the best leader and who lied more and TAKE ACTION. Don't like the candidates? You have the ability and the power to RUN YOURSELF. Go for it. Don't like the way it's going? Bring up your own ideas. Make the process work. There has to be a way, because it seemed to work for quite some time before we fucked it up.
We can pull through whatever issues we have. We can work through all adversity if we work as a team and do this together. One problem with that is people need to learn to be accepting of other people. You heard that, right?
ACCEPT THE OTHER OTHER FUCKING PEOPLE AROUND YOU. We need to accept that fact that we're all different. ALL OF US. Nobody is exactly alike. NOBODY. Even twins have fundamental differences that distinguish them from each other. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT. It's one of those things that makes this country great, is we're supposed to be ALLOWED to be different. Religion, tattoos, sexual orientation, income levels, education levels, ideas, thoughts, jobs... accept the fact the people other than YOU live here and people other than YOU have the right to live their lives. That seems to be a major issue we've been having, is so many people are absolutely ASTOUNDED that some people are not like them. Skin color, background, who they love, what they like to do... WE'RE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST FUCKING CENTURY AND STILL ARGUE OVER WHO CAN DATE WHO. Holy fucking CHRIST IN A BUCKET. REALLY? We have phones so small that can do amazing, incredible things. We have "communication" out the wazoo, and we still treat people differently because the level of melanin in their skin is higher than others. We have massive technological advances but we can't get over that Bob loves Kevin and Christina loves Gina and they want to be with each other the same way that Scott and Amanda do. Why is that so hard to fathom? Why is that so hard to accept?
THESE are the reasons our country is divided, not just which politician lied more about whatever. WE NEED TO GET OVER OUR PETTY DIFFERENCES, and yes, they are FUCKING PETTY. It's sad that this is who we are as a species, unable to accept the differences that are inherent among us. There will be no balance and no peace as long as that occurs, but we all know how damn-near impossible it is to assuage somebody's BELIEFS.
This talk of division needs to end. This talk of secession needs to end. The only way things are going to get satisfactorily better is if we work together. Honestly, I don't think enough of us want that. There's too many of us that are Veruca Salt, wanting it THEIR WAY and RIGHT BLOODY FUCKING NOW. There's too many of us unwilling to compromise and try something new, it's their way or no way and they will do whatever they can to keep any way other than their way from succeeding or even seeing the light of day. That's where our problem is. That's what we need to change.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
BETWEEN HERE AND THERE
A lot has happened. A lot. You think time moves so slowly and gradually, but when you look at the scale of things and the line from Point A to Point B... it's like looking at a puddle and then looking at the ocean.
First was the job. I try hard at everything I do, I give my all, I dedicate myself to a cause and to doing it right. Never quit, keep trying and working until you get is flawless and correct. Didn't work. No matter what i tried, no matter what I did, it wasn't good enough, it wasn't right, and that was it. It just makes me wonder two things: 1. If ANYONE would be able to do it right according to the standards set forth, and 2. If he himself could live up to his own standards in similar conditions. Yes, I'm upset, but it just makes you think. When I was a boss, running things and setting things as I saw fit and I felt most efficient, I told everyone who worked with me and for me that I would never ask someone to do something I myself would not do. It's a different situation when someone who has been entrenched at a job for almost four decades and who has almost no communication skills expects you to do something without a given reason and without explanation. I was told to emulate and imitate him, but without know the WHY behind the WHAT, it's difficult to do.So, here I find myself for the second time in two years, once again on the hunt in a forest where game is scarce.
Next came the storm. Years ago, the Gulf region was devastated by Katrina. To this day, there is still strewn wreckage, missing people, and broken dreams still being repaired. Our home felt this impact this past week. The greatest city in the world was battered and beaten, a waterlogged wreck. The news pictures looked like something out of a Michael Bay movie, and for many of us it was hard to believe it was real. Further south, New Jersey was slammed like a rape victim and left in ruin. Like Katrina in the Gulf, Sandy will leave a permanent scar on New England and the mid-Atlantic states. People returning home to find it is gone. Landmarks and memories swept away or broken to splinters. Yes, we can rebuild, but some things can never be replaced, or even substituted.
Driving from East Haven to Milford you can see a handful of the effects. Piles of sand pushed against beach guardrails as a precaution did little, as the beach extends for a quarter mile uphill into the residential area. Telephone poles broken in half resting on their dead wires, trees torn by the very roots like giant weeds. On the West Haven/Milford line, you could see the waterlines on the front of homes and the deep gouges that were once driveways. Trees resting against roofs, home accessories that hadn't been tied down or brought in strewn around like children's toys. Down into Woodmont, were seawater still sat across the road several feet deep. Fences twisted and flattened, roofs lifted, sheds battered. One thing to remember: we're all "someone else" to someone else.
I lost a few things these past couple weeks, but not as much as others around the region did. Some neighbors are still without power, without water, without fuel. Sometimes, it's easy to forget or take for granted what we have. I've said it before, but it's sad that sometimes it takes something horrible to make us realize what we DO have and how fortunate we truly are. Until you experience disaster and loss yourself, you never truly understand. It's the nature of things. I wish it weren't so, but it is. Thanksgiving is coming, you know. This year, i think it bears some real consideration and real thought as to what it means.
First was the job. I try hard at everything I do, I give my all, I dedicate myself to a cause and to doing it right. Never quit, keep trying and working until you get is flawless and correct. Didn't work. No matter what i tried, no matter what I did, it wasn't good enough, it wasn't right, and that was it. It just makes me wonder two things: 1. If ANYONE would be able to do it right according to the standards set forth, and 2. If he himself could live up to his own standards in similar conditions. Yes, I'm upset, but it just makes you think. When I was a boss, running things and setting things as I saw fit and I felt most efficient, I told everyone who worked with me and for me that I would never ask someone to do something I myself would not do. It's a different situation when someone who has been entrenched at a job for almost four decades and who has almost no communication skills expects you to do something without a given reason and without explanation. I was told to emulate and imitate him, but without know the WHY behind the WHAT, it's difficult to do.So, here I find myself for the second time in two years, once again on the hunt in a forest where game is scarce.
Next came the storm. Years ago, the Gulf region was devastated by Katrina. To this day, there is still strewn wreckage, missing people, and broken dreams still being repaired. Our home felt this impact this past week. The greatest city in the world was battered and beaten, a waterlogged wreck. The news pictures looked like something out of a Michael Bay movie, and for many of us it was hard to believe it was real. Further south, New Jersey was slammed like a rape victim and left in ruin. Like Katrina in the Gulf, Sandy will leave a permanent scar on New England and the mid-Atlantic states. People returning home to find it is gone. Landmarks and memories swept away or broken to splinters. Yes, we can rebuild, but some things can never be replaced, or even substituted.
Driving from East Haven to Milford you can see a handful of the effects. Piles of sand pushed against beach guardrails as a precaution did little, as the beach extends for a quarter mile uphill into the residential area. Telephone poles broken in half resting on their dead wires, trees torn by the very roots like giant weeds. On the West Haven/Milford line, you could see the waterlines on the front of homes and the deep gouges that were once driveways. Trees resting against roofs, home accessories that hadn't been tied down or brought in strewn around like children's toys. Down into Woodmont, were seawater still sat across the road several feet deep. Fences twisted and flattened, roofs lifted, sheds battered. One thing to remember: we're all "someone else" to someone else.
I lost a few things these past couple weeks, but not as much as others around the region did. Some neighbors are still without power, without water, without fuel. Sometimes, it's easy to forget or take for granted what we have. I've said it before, but it's sad that sometimes it takes something horrible to make us realize what we DO have and how fortunate we truly are. Until you experience disaster and loss yourself, you never truly understand. It's the nature of things. I wish it weren't so, but it is. Thanksgiving is coming, you know. This year, i think it bears some real consideration and real thought as to what it means.
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