Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you have much to be thankful for. It's easy to think that the world is an ugly place but, if you look, you'll see that there is also a great deal of beauty. If you have children, be thankful for their hugs and smiles and kisses. If you have a roof over your head and food to eat, that's something to be thankful for, too. It was recently pointed out to me that, if you have money in your pocket at all, you are in the top 8% of people in the world. That fact makes me extremely sad. Where is the humanity in humanity? Everyone should have the basics of life, but they don't. So, this Thanksgiving, I urge you to take a moment and think about those who have far less than you do. Maybe, if we all pulled together, we can make the world a better place for everyone....and that would be something well worth being thankful for.

Have a good holiday, folks.

Perception and reality

I find this picture particularly beautiful. Unfortunately, it also makes me think about the difference between reality and fantasy. I try to picture the man in the painting as having searched for his one, true love....a goddess of the sea. In this painting, he has found her....but what next? This painting captures a moment in time. What happens when they break their embrace? Do they run off happily ever after? Or does she tell him that the sea is her one, true love and, since he is human, they can never be together? Does he follow her anyway, drowning in the sea? Or, does he leave and forget her, knowing that she is right and that they can not be together?

Questions. No answers. If you could lock yourself into one moment in time, which moment would you choose? Why? And, an even more important question - would your partner choose the same moment?

Lots of things to think about.

He's everywhere! He's Everywhere!

Another post...but this one is a little less personal than the last. I recently found a website featuring my favorite pseudo-superhero, Chickenman. Check him out at http://www.mannyhomeslice.com/mannyhomeslice/chickenman/

Chickenman is just that...a chicken. He's a superhero who only works on the weekend. I remember listening to the series on the radio religiously back in the late 70's. It was right after school, as I recall. And, the cool thing about it was that Chickenman was kind of stupid. He always managed to save the day, though.

Check him out.

Strange World

It's a strange world, my friends. Trust me, I know. Once again, I have posted an picture I find humorous. I hope you do, too. If not, you're reading the wrong blog. I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up. To be honest, I've felt like crap for a long time. It's all been emotional. of course, and I found that out yesterday. My blood pressure was 116/68 and my heart rate was 72. The nurse asked me point-blank, "what are you doing here?" I didn't have an answer....so, being who I am, I thought about it. I almost told her that I've felt like my heart was about to explode for almost three years now, that I wasn't for sure where to go, what to do, what to think, etc... Instead, I realized then and there what the answer should really be.

The answer is:

Life brought me there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Blah, blah, blah. You've got it a whole let better than________ (fill in the blank). And of course, the answer to that is - "You are right". Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees. I do have it good. I have beautiful, healthy children. They love me; I love them. I hug them as often as a heterosexual male in his mid-40's is allowed. Probably a little more. Who (besides big brother) is watching? I still have my wits about me after the hell I've gone through, and I still know humor and humility. It's odd, but I still know that young, scared boy I used to be. He still exists within this flesh....he's just a little harder to find in the mirror these days :) But, he's still there. He still dreams and he still loves and he still cares. I'm reminded of the title of a book by one of my favorite writers, Harlan Ellison. That book title is THE BEAST THAT SHOUTED LOVE AT THE HEART OF THE WORLD.

Sometimes, I feel like that beast.

Sometimes, I hear a distant echo and wonder if anyone heard.

Sometimes, I know they did.

That's enough...for now.

Hope everyone is well. More, when I have more to say. And, Stephanie...sorry if this post is confusing. As I said, I'm a complex person. But, I am also a beast with a lot of love in my heart. A contradiction? You better believe it....but that's who I am and I can't change it.

Roger

Tuesday holidays.....another sign of the coming apocalypse

Tomorrow is the first Tuesday holiday I think I've ever had (besides taking "mental health" days, as one of my co-workers is prone to do). Anyway, as always, I have the kids. It's supposed to be nasty out tomorrow, so I'll probably taken them to the science center in the mall. I've got a pass that's been burning a hole in my pocket. I got it in the spring and was waiting until an dreary, rainy day with the kids to use it. I've got a feeling that day is tomorrow.

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. And, once again, I find humor in the accompanying photo. Sorry if you find it offensive or unsettling. Of course, very few things are as disturbing as finding yourself in that position, but someone else.....well, you gotta admit there's some humor in it.

later
Roger

Confusion

Life is a confusing thing, my friends. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, a monkey wrench gets thrown into the mix. And, it's made even more confusing by people's perspective. Take the picture attached to this post. I find it rather creative and a tad humorous. Some people will find it offensive. It's kind of the same with life, I think. The topics of love, sex, marriage and commitment are things that have weighed heavily on my mind lately. I was married to a woman I was committed to. She wasn't committed to me. The reality of the situation is that she was committed to one person and one person only - herself. It devastated me to discover that, after eight years of being together, she walked away without even so much as a second thought. Eight years - roughly a tenth of the average lifetime these days - became a joke in a matter of minutes. It was (and still is) a difficult pill for me to swallow. But, things are getting better. I realize that we all have our issues and that she had plenty of her own. The way I dealt with them in the past, and recently, has changed. I have embraced our children and their future. They are primary. They always have been. Ultimately, it's who you take care of, love and support, that will define you. Embrace someone, love them with all you have. If they don't return that love, that's their problem, not yours. You did your best. And, if you're hurting someone emotionally (even if you don't mean to), stop it. They deserve better than that.

More on this later, when I ponder the reality that is my life deeper.

Roger