Who, What, Where, When & Why?

Today I've been thinking back to my middle school years. And BLUCKY comes to mind! Yes, that's the word that describes how I feel about that 3 year span of my life. It's Blucky. Not a lot of good times to be had during those days. Hated myself, hated where I was at, hated a lot of the people around me, hated the fact that I didn't have much to like.

My family barely squeaked by financially. We ate a lot of things that Mom could "stretch" to feed a family of 5. We were on the verge of losing our electricity and telephone a few times. We had--I swear--the ugliest car in town. Our house wasn't very attractive...and it lacked the "beauty" of material things inside. It was cluttered and had the funky style of the 1970's in every corner. BUT...it was full of something that now as an adult I can appreciate: LOVE. Our house was full of love and understanding. No, it wasn't perfect...but darn near.

And now as I drive through town and see the kids of today...I stop and think: "Where are your parents? Do they know where you are? Do they know who you are with? Do they know what you are doing? Do they know why? Do they know when you will be home? Do they even care?"

I quietly answer my own questions for each given moment based on my observations. At times this leads me to ponder what each child's home situation might be like right now. If I ponder too long it will just lead me down a road of frustration...so I detour and move on to something else. Regardless, my heart still goes out to them. And it's after moments like these that I can recall the amount of love that awaited me everyday at Mom & Dad's house. My parents knew who, what, where, when & why. If they didn't---there was a consequence for not informing them. The penalty wasn't severe--it was the fact that we had let them down that really got to us kids.

My family:Mom, Dad, sister, brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were the silver lining during my dark teenage times. It wasn't what I had--or didn't have for that matter--that made me who I am today. It was how I felt. It was--and still is--the love that held me close which sustained me. I felt loved. Even when I didn't have any love for myself it was alive in our home and in our family. We were cloaked in love. Love never fails...people fail to love.

This is to all of the kids/teens out there that wander aimlessly through their lives with the desire to be loved. Do you know where you are? Do you know why you are there? Do you really know who you are with? Do you know what you are doing? Do you know when you will be home? Do you know that someone cares about you?

Ok, time to step down from this soap box...it's creaking from my weight anyhow. Just a request to whomever reads this post. Please don't be afraid to step up--if you feel compelled--and remind the young people of today that there is hope yet.

Remember...it's better to be lost with a map than to have none at all. At least this way you'll have something to read for reference later. (Allow yourself to be someone's map once in a while. :)

Twizzlers, Sheryl Crow, and CNN

Hello all! Hey, glad you could visit. More ramblings from yours truly.
As the title suggests...today's menu consists of Twizzlers (to be eaten later), Sheryl Crow on the computer (thanks, Youtube), and the tv (which is blaringly loud and full of loudmouth CNN correspondents). Ah, hearing that takes me back to the days of Grandma & Grandpa's living room. AND THAT--my dear friends is a memory worth sharing someday.

Random Advice: If and when you are in a situation in which you are surrounded by a few disagreeing people...and you'd like to "redirect" where the mood and conversation is going...might I suggest this: "So how 'bout those Mets!?" Yes, refer to a mediocre baseball team and use enthusiasm when doing so. You will surely change the course of any conversation because people will be so surprised by such a strange question. You will stun them into scratching their heads and ease them out of the grips of hostility by offering this little gem. Yes, those around you may think:"What is so and so smoking? Where the heck did that come from?" This is exactly what kind of result you want. It's of my opinion that sometimes a little confusion can lead to a little laughter.
If you think about it...the moments when "So how 'bout those Mets!?" could be so effective are endless. I'll let everyone create their own scenarios because I'm about to take a commercial break...not really, but I must be going soon.
*(Disclaimer...if you live near New York or are a well known Mets fan this advice will probably not have quite the ooomph that is desired. If this is the case just change the team to your liking...the more vauge the better.)

Best wishes to all of you in blog world. Hmmm, how many of you are thinking of the Mets right now?

A lot to say...no time to say it

Crud monkey! (That is a "swear word" that I coined a while back--to help me NOT say what I actually wanted to say.) Ever done that? You should give it a try...it's fun to see what the first words are that come out of your mouth while trying to censor yourself. Yeah, I know it's a free country and that we can say whatever words we want...but sometimes it's not a matter of what we say...rather how we say them that result in displaying what's really on our minds at the moment. So....that's how crud monkey came to be. (That --and the fact that I was around a whole class of 5th graders. Yes, sometimes "censoring" oneself can actually lead to a twisted form of creativity. *And an added bonus to this would be that only a handful of people would understand what in the hell your new word represented. Give it a try...I fricknfrackn' dare ya!

Happy day to you...remember that even a bad day is better than not having one at all.