And that's the way it is!

I thought as I got older I  would get wiser. I don't think I have. I still have that boyish, wide-eyed hope that people will do the right thing and maybe, just maybe they will see the light and change even in the the most mintiest way. People have disappointed me. I have even disappointed myself many times. The one small difference is that I have had introspection. I have drawn lines. I think I do know what is right and wrong. Don't get me wrong, I'm far from perfect. I have my childish outbursts. The red lights that you notice when you first meet someone don't turn to green too often. Sometimes they don't even border on amber. They stay red. Yes, first impressions do mean a lot. I have had the good fortune to work and play in large groups. The grumpy, mean spirited members never failed to portray their real personalities. It wasn't until someone had the gumption to call them out and confront them they relented for a while. Only for a while because these people don't change. Can't change. Because they are convinced they are right and the hell with everyone else. So it is with neighbors, relatives, and  co workers.  Regardless of their realization that the red lights are flashing brightly they will defend and stand by each other. What do I do now?  Nothing! I steer clear of these malcontents. Stay to myself. Enjoy life with my wife and pets. Nothing I do will ever change a thing. I have tried and now I am wiser. Why? Because that's the way it is!

Pet Pain

Pets are a unique part of the family. I have always had some sort or pet. I have had dogs, rabbits, cats and grasshoppers. Even from an early age I had a hard time dealing with the loss of a pet. I am at the stage of my life where I have lost my grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends. I haven't lost a sibling nor a child yet. Those losses would seem to be especially hard hitting. But even those I think are incomparable to the loss of a beloved pet. I have spoken with many people on this topic and most agree the hurt is indeed deep. A hurt that doesn't subside with time. The mere mention or thought of a pet lost is cause for a tear to be shed. Kids stay close to their parents side for a few years and gain their independence as well they should. Pets stay by our side all the time they are in our care. Many have relationships with their pets far longer than their marriages and much happier ones too. Could it be the unconditional devotion a pet brings to an owner? Is it that never a discouraging word is heard from a pet? Is it the meow from a cat or the guttural moan from a dog that gives the owner the sense that all they have done to make their pet's life as safe and comfortable it could be is somehow really appreciated. I have grieved for friends and relatives and time has lessened the hurt. Time has never eased for me the pain of losing the pet I loved. In "Of mice and men" there is the line that a man should always be the one to put down their own dog. A task that no one looks forward to but one that gives us the opportunity we rarely get in life. The chance to say good bye at the final moment and be with the pet or person you loved. 

So This Is Christmas

So this is Christmas, the fun time of the year
The time when we hold our loved ones so dear
The time when older parents wait while at the mall
To see which kids actually pick up the phone and call.
The season is for gifts to be given and meals to be shared
A time for people for people to act like they really cared
Many kids wait for Santa by door
Most of us old folk hope we don't end up on the floor
The gifts have been opened and thanked
Think of all the money you could have banked.
Now the end of the day and little time remains
I hope the pills kick in so I get rid these pains.
One more thing to be said
I'm forever grateful my wife's in my bed

Winter Rants

It's winter again and it's getting colder every day. Time for some winter rants about recent news stories that drove me to write.

People need to remember that Freedom of Speech always comes with a price.

Too many threats made by people are never taken seriously and then disaster happens.

If you can't keep a school secure from trespassers then don't open it.

People who continue to travel to dangerous countries and then get arrested or detained got what they deserved. Leave things that happened in the past alone. Not every country or  tribe needs to be prosletyzed.

Interviewers need to ask the tough questions or don't bother.

Parents who take their kids on dangerous trips, have accidents but get rescued should still be prosecuted for child abuse.

When did the amount of Christmas lights one puts up equate to the true understanding of what Christmas is?

I don't answer group letters from friends.

Why in all sports do the players with the least amount of talent boast and complain the most?

Showing appreciation is the highest form of Thank You!

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas!

Fantasy Sports

Let me start by saying that I love Fantasy Sports. I have played in Baseball and Football leagues and I have started a few of my own. Fantasy Sports leagues are often maligned. They are said to be for losers with no lives. Guys who live vicariously through their fantasy sport teams. I look at them differently. Anything at this point in my life that gives me something to look forward to each day. Something that keeps my competetive juices flowing. Something that helps me keep the little mind I have left active is a great thing. I enjoy meeting fellow sports enthusiasts in my leagues. Some Sundays Lea and I go the local sports bar and watch with amazement the fun that everyone is having following their fantasy players. The ability to talk and interact with strangers is so much fun. Fantasy Sports or Facebook and Twitter. Such an easy decision for me. Try it and you may even like it.

Time

Time is that wonderful thing that starts ticking the moment we are born and counts down till we demise. Time is also knowing when to hang it up. We all do that many times in our life. We add and lose friends throughout our lives starting in childhood. Realtionships come and go. Spouses come and go. Jobs come and go. Knowing when, though, is the tough part. I know people who stay in terrible jobs. Live with non compatible people. Are married to the wrong people. They have friends who stretch the meaning of the word. When is the time to stop something?  I had many jobs while I was in college and I knew any job that restricted me so I couldn't freely communicate with my co workers when I wanted was not for me. I hated department stores and factories or any sort. I found out early that I could only have friends who had some of the values that I held to be important. The toughest things I left were my children when I got divorced, teaching High School, and some of my dear friends in Rhode Island. I did know that for each of them it was time to hang it up. The marriage had run it's course, 30 years of teaching was enough to have accomplished what I wanted, and my friends were dear but I knew it was time to move on. People know when it's time. Is it hard? Incredibly hard. Heart wrenching. Does it have to happen? Yes! You can't hang on forever. I am getting older now. My body is visibly changing. My abilities in certain things are diminishing. Will I have to make more compromises? Sure as hell but I will. Moving on isn't so bad because you always move to somewhere or something else. Until it's time to hang it up one last time.

Till It's Done

Sports are an interesting metaphor for life. Every game I've watched or played in has played out the same way. Taken as individual plays or points clouds what really happens. Sure the individual play or point can be thrilling or disastrous. That is when taken as one portion of the whole event. Each play or point leads to the next one and so on on till the conclusion of the game or match. Each subsequent play wouldn't have happened without the previous ones. The final score is what really counts. All the errors and singular plays are forgotten.  I think that happens with one's life too. Every bump in the road of life, every success in life, all contribute to the whole of one's existence. When we die a person's entire life is looked at as a whole. No one would have reached that end without one event having a profound effect on the others. I know when I look at my life there are many strikeouts and double faults but some aces  and hits too. Each one led to a part of life that never would have happened without them. Everyone needs to realize this and then we wouldn't despair so much when maladies come our way. Just a part of life so deal with it.