A Poem For Vo!

Some wives like knives

Some wives use their charms

Other wives use firearms

My wife likes to play

Other wives like to slay

My wife likes it gory

But she's in a different category

She's fine like the wine

Because she makes me feel so fine.

The End!

A Big Fear

The other day I was driving in the big ocean called Interstate 95. There were fish of all kinds, sizes, and colors. We were all navigating along at different speeds. The one thing we had in common was a common fear. The fear that all helpless fish feel. When was that menacing shark going to appear and gobble up one of us? Some had devices to detect the shark. Some were helpless like me. All of the sudden it appeared behind me. Weaving in and out. Laying back in wait. Who was it going to get. I could see the apprehension in the other fish. I did see some fish swimming really fast past me. Could it be them? I stayed in the middle of the school for safety. I tried to be inconspicuous. It was coming ever so close and then it snagged it's prey. A helpless fish with a broken right fin was devoured by the shark. I was safe for now but I knew there was always danger in the ocean.

Dying and Dead

Black and white, that's how I used to look at everything. I still do for some things. Now I hope I see things things in shades of black and white. The absoluteness of things no longer exists. What once was steadfast and and unwavering, now blows in the breeze. Plans change, appointment times change, dinner plans change, the time of meeting a friend changes. Life is unpredictable and I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that I cannot be so rigid and no be open to change. Yes even a plane reservation can be changed. Will there be an inconvenience when we change? Absolutely! But look at the alternative. Some one's feeling will be hurt, toes stepped on and an unhappy outcome is assured. It seems that only someone dying or a funeral brings things to a halt. All of all sudden people find time in their busy, hectic, rigid schedules. Amazing! Well I try and hopefully you will try to to make more time for the breathing, living, loving people in your lives. I have found it almost impossible to talk to someone dying or dead. I do regret it.

Common Thread

Our kids grow up and have lives of their own. As they get older parents develop threads with their children. They are not here so the apron strings no longer work. It takes work and some creativity to do this. Is it worth the work? I think so. The alternative is unthinkable. Some children catch these threads and hang on. They, too, know the consequence of letting the thread break. Threads like eggs are not easily repaired.

Kids and Grandkids

I saw a commercial with an older couple at the airport rejoicing their frequent flier miles. Now they could visit their grandchildren. I don't know about you but I didn't connect these people. I have kids and grandkids. I love my kids and I love my grandkids. The kids came first. They are mine. I visit and talk to my kids because I am interested in them. Yes, I am interested in my grandkids but it's different. I would be happy to have air miles to visit my son or daughter not just my grandkids. I think it's sad that parents would rather see their grandchildren than their children. Skype and Face time are great inventions. What a great means to see someone not at home. The face of my grandkids give me joy. The face of my kids touches my soul. If you could my wife when she Skypes with her children. A million Chanukahs wrapped up in one moment. What a sight!

The Egg

I was thinking the other day how our lives are like a dozen eggs. Some people put all their eggs in one basket. Stay on only one course their entire life. Works for them. Others keep their eggs in that wonder invention called the egg carton. Protected from everyone and everything. Never doing or saying anything that could cause an egg to crack or break. Very sad. I, on the other hand, have seen many of my eggs break. The first one I broke taught me that once an egg is broken the pieces are impossible to put together. You know the yoke and egg white oozes. It's a real mess. I tried to be careful with my subsequent eggs. Unfortunately, being the indelicate person I can sometimes be, others have cracked too. Some of my eggs have broken through adventure and travel. Those demises have been worth the scramble. I will be more careful with my eggs but like the warranties I have, they won't outlive me.

It is what it is!

It seems a new expression has taken root in the lexicon of America, "It is what it is". I have heard this often recently. I have thought about it and realized that it is the only way to look at things. I am guilty of looking at things from my perspective. Unfortunately, my perspective is not always the right one or the true one. I admit I am jaded the way I look at some things. My wife is the most beautiful woman, I do live in the best place, the red sox and patriots are great teams. But now I am trying to see things more clearly. People are jaded too. A store clerk is just a store clerk not the manager. A student is just a student not the teacher. Some of my friends are just friends, nothing more. It's a whole new way of looking at things. It has made me more serene. I try not to overreact now. It is what it is. I can't make things the way I want them to be. I would like to but that now is totally unrealistic. I have to accept things as they are. I hope this works as well for you as it has for me. I know It is what it is can never be It is what I expect.

Moving on

I have heard many people say that they are moving on. Moving where? Well, some are moving on to new jobs, new places to live or with a relationship. The trick to moving on is first, taking a step back and honestly looking at the past. I have moved on to new jobs, a new place to live and new relationships. I looked back to see why I had a new job. What happened with the past one? The first conclusion is usually not the real one. A close, honest look at the cause of a new job is warranted. Fortunately, for me, I retired and I'm lucky enough to do something I love. The most important reason to look back is so that, hopefully, I won't make the same mistakes I made before. Tough for people to admit things that go wrong are their fault. It is much easier to blame someone or something else. I used to do that all the time when I was young and immature. I remember when a friend of my father game me the number of an

employer to call for a job. I never called and then lied to him. He knew the truth and called me out on it. I was embarrassed and never did that again. I know now that no one is perfect. We all screw up. Now I can say I made a mistake and be mature enough to do my best that it never happens again. I do live by a creed. I always try to think before I do something and never give someone an opportunity to criticize me. I can move on because I have looked back and the past doesn't look as bight as the future.

The Tree

I was thinking how similar I am to a tree. I was a sprout that took hold in my mother and I became a little plant. Green, I was indeed. My parents and my teachers nurtured me and I began to grow. Little by little my branches grew. Mine seem to grow a lot slower than my friends but I knew someday they would. I continued to branch out to new interests. I even had a few birds nest in my leaves. My buds were bursting to open. It was when I went to college that I really flowered. I really became a new tree. One with a new perspective. I could see all the other varieties of fauna and flower. I had grown taller and now could see over my neighborhood to the other parts of the city and beyond. I feel fortunate to have dropped a couple of seedlings that took root and became trees on their own. My annual rings were increasing and the repeated losing of my leaves and having my branches covered with frost, ice and snow were getting too much to endure. I decided like sea bean to drift and head to a warmer climate. My roots are firmly embedded here in Florida. I hope all trees have a wonderful life and that each annual ring brings a nice memory to them. All those rings when it's over amount to one beautiful log.