On a Monday I had a date with a wonderful woman. We laughed, we talked, we shared a flashlight, a beer and dinner. I had peace of mind knowing that someone enjoyed my company.
On a Tuesday I threw a Frisbee for the dog. She chased and played and wagged her tail. She sat at my feet and wanted a pat. I had peace of mind just having a companion.
On a Wednesday I got emails from my children. They are balancing busy lives but still have time to appreciate the awe and wonder around them. I had peace of mind knowing that we have raised children that could have peace of mind.
On a Thursday I got a journal from my nephew. He is a teen waiting to be an adult. He has fears, hopes and dreams. I had peace of mind knowing that being a teen hasn’t changed.
On a Friday evening I sat with my wife snuggled on a love seat watching Numbers. I had peace of mind knowing that all was right and I was loved.
On a Saturday morning I sat in church with 20 other people, knowing that the basics haven’t changed; Ask for forgiveness, Listen to the Gospel and Receive the Eucharist. I had “Peace of Mind” knowing that religion doesn’t have to be complicated.
On Sunday morning I shoveled snow. It was quiet, I clearly knew the task at hand and was fully capable of completing it. It was nice to have the mental rest from the uncertainty that clutters most days. I had “Peace of Mind”
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
To Be or Not to Be Married, That is the Question.
Odd dinner conversation, but even odder trying to imagine something that I have never really experienced as an adult.
Being over 50, I am not sure what life would be like. I see other singles sitting alone in church, shopping in the store and the movies. They must have friends and a life but what would it be like. Do they have kids and extended families? What if I never got married? My wife claims I would be a hermit on a lake with a fishing boat. She may be right.
I think either way I would adapt, that is what people are designed to do.
Would I get married again if she was gone. Probably not. There are some days that being a Hermit sounds very appealing.
Being over 50, I am not sure what life would be like. I see other singles sitting alone in church, shopping in the store and the movies. They must have friends and a life but what would it be like. Do they have kids and extended families? What if I never got married? My wife claims I would be a hermit on a lake with a fishing boat. She may be right.
I think either way I would adapt, that is what people are designed to do.
Would I get married again if she was gone. Probably not. There are some days that being a Hermit sounds very appealing.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tiger Woods
Friday February 19, 2010 at 11am the world stopped to watch a man talk about his infidelities on national TV. I was one of those people.
Martin Luther King was a womanizing adulterer, as was Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. Wilt Chamberline wrote a book about the 10,000 women he slept with, so Tiger Woods is in good company. These men will probably not go down in history as one of the greatest husbands of all time, but they will be remembered for what they were great at.
So why do we care or expect more? For myself, I am hopeful that someone can have and do it all. Unfortunately history regularly shows us that such a person doesn’t exist. Not even Jesus tried to juggle the whole Family-Career thing. He left the earth early in life and even though he could walk on water he chose not to deal with a wife and family. So should we conclude that 3 years of public life and out should be the optimum plan. Maybe we should ask John Edwards.
I found it sad that speculation was used to drive controversy to create news. There are enough real conflicts around that we don’t need contrived ones. I also think that the women who believed that they had something special to make Tiger leave his wife and family should use their money he gave them to get help themselves. They must be delusional.
I watched at 11am to see how someone with such a large hole to climb out of takes the first step. It was good to hear that he was getting help and not doing it alone, but he has shown in the past he is willing to get help from coaches in golf and experts in business. I will continue to watch and see how this unfolds. People tend to grow to like underdogs and Tiger is quickly becoming one. Hopefully more people will root for him and his family.
Martin Luther King was a womanizing adulterer, as was Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. Wilt Chamberline wrote a book about the 10,000 women he slept with, so Tiger Woods is in good company. These men will probably not go down in history as one of the greatest husbands of all time, but they will be remembered for what they were great at.
So why do we care or expect more? For myself, I am hopeful that someone can have and do it all. Unfortunately history regularly shows us that such a person doesn’t exist. Not even Jesus tried to juggle the whole Family-Career thing. He left the earth early in life and even though he could walk on water he chose not to deal with a wife and family. So should we conclude that 3 years of public life and out should be the optimum plan. Maybe we should ask John Edwards.
I found it sad that speculation was used to drive controversy to create news. There are enough real conflicts around that we don’t need contrived ones. I also think that the women who believed that they had something special to make Tiger leave his wife and family should use their money he gave them to get help themselves. They must be delusional.
I watched at 11am to see how someone with such a large hole to climb out of takes the first step. It was good to hear that he was getting help and not doing it alone, but he has shown in the past he is willing to get help from coaches in golf and experts in business. I will continue to watch and see how this unfolds. People tend to grow to like underdogs and Tiger is quickly becoming one. Hopefully more people will root for him and his family.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
"Mutts Rule" and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances"
I didn’t think I had anything to write about today until I read this on line. "Mutts Rule" and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances". This was part of an interruption to the Westminster Dog show yesterday by 2 members of PETA.
Let me start by saying that I think there are way too many dogs in the world and I don’t have a problem with dogs in shelters being put down. I am also ok with aggressive dogs being put down. I actually think they should be used for food to help feed the people who are starving. Seems like a perfect supply and demand solution.
My issue with PETA’s demonstration has to do with the poor selection of the protest subject. If that is the best they could come up with they should close up and move on to a new cause. I could understand if they had an issue with the methods and protocol the Kennel Clubs use in breeding and possible health defects that are occurring in some breeds, or if they objected to the new Designer Dogs. But their topic had little relevance and showed they have not adequately analyzed or defined the problem they hoped to solve.
Their statement indicates that if Kennel Club members stopped breeding pure bred dogs, people would adopt the shelter dogs. It is like saying people who are capable of supplying a child’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs should be sterilized and forced to adopt. This may also solve a supply and demand issue but probably wouldn’t do much for the evolution of the human race.
In both cases the problem needs to be addressed rather than finding an outlet for the error.
Let me start by saying that I think there are way too many dogs in the world and I don’t have a problem with dogs in shelters being put down. I am also ok with aggressive dogs being put down. I actually think they should be used for food to help feed the people who are starving. Seems like a perfect supply and demand solution.
My issue with PETA’s demonstration has to do with the poor selection of the protest subject. If that is the best they could come up with they should close up and move on to a new cause. I could understand if they had an issue with the methods and protocol the Kennel Clubs use in breeding and possible health defects that are occurring in some breeds, or if they objected to the new Designer Dogs. But their topic had little relevance and showed they have not adequately analyzed or defined the problem they hoped to solve.
Their statement indicates that if Kennel Club members stopped breeding pure bred dogs, people would adopt the shelter dogs. It is like saying people who are capable of supplying a child’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs should be sterilized and forced to adopt. This may also solve a supply and demand issue but probably wouldn’t do much for the evolution of the human race.
In both cases the problem needs to be addressed rather than finding an outlet for the error.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Fiddler on the Roof
I was fortunate enough to receive tickets to see Fiddler on the Roof as a present. Not that I haven’t seen it before. I have the movie on VHS, the soundtrack on my Ipod and have seen the play multiple times as presented by local theatre groups.
The story has many interpretations, but for me it is a reminder of how change can significantly conflict with what I hold as fundamental beliefs. How hard it is to weigh the changes and determine which are needed for the good and which are not. How what I wanted as change when I was young doesn’t seem so important now. At one time I saw tradition as a problem but now I am a part of the tradition and maybe part of the problem. I can better see what my father saw, what my grandfather saw and how it may have impacted their decisions. How they dealt with the conflict between change and tradition. How they bent, trying to avoid going over the breaking point. And maybe they did go over their breaking point and had to come back or were unable to.
I most strongly relate to the father’s struggle to reconcile what he believes with his love for his family and wanting them to be happy. The story gives a glimpse into the struggles that go on within him. Thoughts he can’t share openly, since it would compromise his position as head of the household, yet deserves contemplation. He turns to God for help and we get to hear his conversations between himself and God. Although God doesn’t answer, he continues to talk, he bends and continues on.
There is no resolution at the end of the story, just another major change to be dealt with and adapted to.
The story has many interpretations, but for me it is a reminder of how change can significantly conflict with what I hold as fundamental beliefs. How hard it is to weigh the changes and determine which are needed for the good and which are not. How what I wanted as change when I was young doesn’t seem so important now. At one time I saw tradition as a problem but now I am a part of the tradition and maybe part of the problem. I can better see what my father saw, what my grandfather saw and how it may have impacted their decisions. How they dealt with the conflict between change and tradition. How they bent, trying to avoid going over the breaking point. And maybe they did go over their breaking point and had to come back or were unable to.
I most strongly relate to the father’s struggle to reconcile what he believes with his love for his family and wanting them to be happy. The story gives a glimpse into the struggles that go on within him. Thoughts he can’t share openly, since it would compromise his position as head of the household, yet deserves contemplation. He turns to God for help and we get to hear his conversations between himself and God. Although God doesn’t answer, he continues to talk, he bends and continues on.
There is no resolution at the end of the story, just another major change to be dealt with and adapted to.
Friday, February 12, 2010
A Broken Heart
As I get older and ponder life, I contemplate how much longer my heart will continue to tick and has the loss of love (a broken heart) added to or subtracted from the number of ticks my heart has left in it
A broken heart is a devastating sorrow resulting from the unexpected loss of Love. Fortunately most broken hearts mend but do they take a toll on the heart. I think all my broken hearts have mended but have they taken a toll or made my heart stronger.
Having a broken heart is one of life’s memorable experiences and may only occur a few times. I can only remember three times that I would consider having a truly broken heart.
Surprisingly there are instances where a broken heart has been fatal. These instances were associated with the sudden loss of Security Love. Security Love being the love that exists at unique times in our lives that we need to survive. It is that feeling of being cared for and nurtured, supported in midair by someone else. If that support is taken away suddenly, we enter free fall. It is a loss that I have felt and fortunately survived due to loving support of others.
Friendship Love is a love between yourself and someone that is totally honest, open and comfortable. This love is a rare bond with a few people. A heart break from the loss of Friendship Love seldom fully heals since the rareness of finding someone will always leave a bit of a crack. I have never experience this loss.
Romantic Love is often experienced many times in a life time. It is the go weak in knees, butterflies in the stomach love. It can either be falling in love with the idea of love and wears off after a while (which is why it is the easiest to mend), or it may lead to Unconditional Love which is sincere love that lasts forever. I have been fortunate to experience romantic love but also to have felt heart break. It must have been worth it.
One of my favorite Movies of Love is the Wizard of OZ.
It teaches of Love:
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
It teaches of the Pitfalls:
“As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart. You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”
It teaches of Heart Break
“Goodbye, Tin man. Oh, don't cry! You'll rust so dreadfully. Here's your oil can.”
“Now I know I've got a heart, 'cause it's breaking”...
Embrace Love and have some duct tape available just incase your heart needs mending.
A broken heart is a devastating sorrow resulting from the unexpected loss of Love. Fortunately most broken hearts mend but do they take a toll on the heart. I think all my broken hearts have mended but have they taken a toll or made my heart stronger.
Having a broken heart is one of life’s memorable experiences and may only occur a few times. I can only remember three times that I would consider having a truly broken heart.
Surprisingly there are instances where a broken heart has been fatal. These instances were associated with the sudden loss of Security Love. Security Love being the love that exists at unique times in our lives that we need to survive. It is that feeling of being cared for and nurtured, supported in midair by someone else. If that support is taken away suddenly, we enter free fall. It is a loss that I have felt and fortunately survived due to loving support of others.
Friendship Love is a love between yourself and someone that is totally honest, open and comfortable. This love is a rare bond with a few people. A heart break from the loss of Friendship Love seldom fully heals since the rareness of finding someone will always leave a bit of a crack. I have never experience this loss.
Romantic Love is often experienced many times in a life time. It is the go weak in knees, butterflies in the stomach love. It can either be falling in love with the idea of love and wears off after a while (which is why it is the easiest to mend), or it may lead to Unconditional Love which is sincere love that lasts forever. I have been fortunate to experience romantic love but also to have felt heart break. It must have been worth it.
One of my favorite Movies of Love is the Wizard of OZ.
It teaches of Love:
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
It teaches of the Pitfalls:
“As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart. You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.”
It teaches of Heart Break
“Goodbye, Tin man. Oh, don't cry! You'll rust so dreadfully. Here's your oil can.”
“Now I know I've got a heart, 'cause it's breaking”...
Embrace Love and have some duct tape available just incase your heart needs mending.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Friend
A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you today just the way you are.
Friends are like bras: close to your heart and there for support.
A life- long friend is a rare gift.
Hope you have several.
A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you today just the way you are.
Friends are like bras: close to your heart and there for support.
A life- long friend is a rare gift.
Hope you have several.
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