Thursday, August 30, 2012

I Don't Want To Grow Up..... Yes You Do

At a certain point in everyone's life we decide we have to ”grow” up. For whatever reason we have responsibilities that become so important to us. Of course we have to all be responsible but losing that child like glow to the cynical stupor of adulthood is devastating to see. Holding into youth and laughing (I mean really laughing) are the best ways to stay young. I'm not saying don't grow up and be immature your whole life. You have to be responsible but, find the humor in life. It isn't always roses but it isn't always coal either.

Remember being a kid and saying you never wanted to grow up? Of course that was toward the end of childhood when the weight of adulthood started weighing on us like a two ton brick. Before that it was always ”I can't wait to grow up so no one can tell me what to do”.  As children we are always pushing against our parents and anyone that wants to tell us what to do. We believe that being an adult means that no one will be the boss of us anymore. All of these phrases come to an abrupt halt when we realized we are going to grow up no matter how much we fight it and someone somewhere is always going to tell us what to do. Those are just the plain facts of life. Those facts are always told to us. We as children choose to remain blissfully ignorant to the fact that we won't be the boss, someone else will always call the shots. One day we are going to be that person telling our kids don't grow up too fast. Savor your childhood and youth. You're always going to have someone telling you what to do. I've become that person. Even though personally I feel so immature. It is odd feeling like a child in an adults body. But, that is the most accurate description of myself and many other people that I have met.

Being able to hold fast to the things that brought you happiness and joy is so important. No matter how much life throws at you and how busy you are there is always something. To not take the time to see those things and lose yourself is when being an adult seems so daunting. I remember when I was younger and thinking that my mom had no friends. She did but, life was life and priorities were not what they once were. Being a mom took over her life. In a big way now I am sorry that that happened. I have days where I feel like if I do not get a chance to go and be me without the interaction of children I am going to snap. I never want to lose myself or the things that make me tick. Whether it is the music, movies, books whatever. I hold those near and dear and make sure I keep them for me.

No matter how you slice it growing up and being a grown up are never easy. I just wish that there was some sort of owners manual for the mind.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Quotations a beginning

I decided that I wanted to do a compilation of quotes from different people, different places, and on different things. Just a little something so that when you don't quite know the words you want to use to describe your happiness you can find them. Something to help convey your sorrow, happiness, and love. My only hope is that you find something here that will mean something to you. 

Topic: Age

A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age. ~Robert Frost

After thirty, a body has a mind of its own. ~Better Midler

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. ~Henry Ford


Every man over forty is a scoundrel. ~George Bernard Shaw

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything till noon. That's when it's time for my nap. ~Bob Hope

I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.  ~Lauren Bacall
None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. ~Henry David Thoreau

Beauty

Beauty and folly are old companions. ~Benjamin Franklin
Beauty is power; a smile is its sword. ~John Ray

I define nothing. Not beauty, not patriotism. I take each thing as it is, without prior rules about what it should be.  ~Bob Dylan
I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. ~Anne Frank
In youth and beauty, wisdom is but rare! ~Homer

My mother always called me an ugly weed, so I never was aware of anything until I was older. Plain girls should have someone telling them they are beautiful. Sometimes this works miracles. ~Hedy Lamarr
There is a kind of beauty in imperfection.  ~Conrad Hall

Change
If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves. ~Carl Jung

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.  ~ Maya Angelou

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.  ~Charles Kettering





Saturday, August 18, 2012

Our Country The Teenager

I've realized something recently that has left me slightly disturbed. Even though I really am not a political fan I am driven more by politics than most anything else. Nothing gets my engine going more than some of the things that people say or do in regards to politics. I don't want to be a politician. There wasn't even a hint of a lie when note was made that I'd last not even five minutes. I can't do it. Never have I been noted as the one that can keep her mouth shut and just smile and act like it's all okay. Politicians are the scape goat of many and the hero to few. When I was a kid I used to want to be the first female president. I lost interest in that when Clinton ran and told everyone he didn't inhale. Be that as it may I knew right then and there I was disqualified. Do I consider that a disqualifying attribute? No not in a million years. Many, if not all of or presidents have been perpetual over achievers. This leaves them unable to handle criticism and failure well. I'm not saying let just anyone be president. What I'm saying is pick someone that knows right off the bat, you don't always get what you want. Whether it's Congress or parents someone is always going to be there to shut us down. I think having to work harder than most only gives you the resolve to make something happen. It doesn't have to be exactly the way you want it but if something happens that's better than remaining stagnent. How can a country or it's citizens move forward without the help of our ”leader”. I use this term lightly.  Not meaning lead the sheep to pasture leader. I mean the person that is supposed to be the pillar of the proverbial community.
The issue we have with other countries and their different classes is that they look at America like the jock. Big, loud and dumb. First and foremost,.every country has their jocks. This country being no different. All jocks are not dumb some are not even loud but when you look up the stereotypical jock that is what we appear to be. Just like every other country we have our scholars, our leaders, the pillars, the artists, we have it all. Even though the jocks are at times the loudest doesn't mean that they represent the people as a whole. There is one thing that we have and that's compassion. Empathy is something we hand out to those who need it and we hand it out in abundance. I think sometimes we are too empathetic. We are the first to jump to the aide of others. This is a good quality but I do not think that many countries would be willing to help us out in a time of need.
This could be because as the new country on the block we are going through our teenage years right now. Many other countries are far older than ours and went through their teenage years long ago. There are still some countries that are younger and still going through their infancy and leaning on the beliefs of its parents. I know that this sounds like a crazy comparison but really it isn't.
How is it that politicians can be so blinded to the fact that they are not helping this situation? As a whole the United States is very lucky in the fact that we can vote. I have said it before and I will say it a million times... if you do not take the time to vote your forfeit your right to an opinion on the operations of the country. You could not take the time out of  your busy schedule... I am just repeating myself again.
Getting back to the original point. With a presidency that consists of mainly over achievers that have never had the luxury of being told no when this happens they end up throwing a temper tantrum. I understand that you think that your way is the best way. Don't we all. What is hard for so many to swallow is the lack of compromise that many have. It can not simply be either the way you want it or not at all. If that were the case we would have been stuck long ago in a holding pattern that would not have allowed for much advancement.
Compromise is important for everything even better the teenager and the parents, or peers. You have to give to get and when you don't want to do that nothing gets figured out.

Forgive Me

There are so many wishy washy people these days. It's rather disheartening. Everyone has a right to change opinions. I think at some point in our life we all have had a change of heart for one reason or another. What makes me sad is that people give up so easily on others. Someone that they would have given their last dollar yesterday is not even worth a penny today. We've all made mistakes, have regrets, done some pretty despicable things to others. I have anyways, but as humans we all have a chance to redeem ourselves to come back from that pit of despair and make it better. At least we have the ability to try and make amends. Everyone should have that opportunity to ”make it up” to others. I'm sitting here now with this anxious feeling in my chest not because of me particularly but because so many people are given up on. Tossed aside by society, their family, friends, or any number of people. Labeled as no good, worthless, stupid, and useless. No one is any of those things. You are something to someone. Even if it's someone you haven't met yet. It may be someone you won't know for years but, you can never stop believing in yourself. When you no longer give yourself that one last shot at redemption or forgiveness you've truly lost.
Lack of forgiveness seems to be the one last conviction people hold on to. I would give anything to go back and just make sure some people I know knew I still cared. I didn't give up on you. I still considered you a friend even though it had been years. I kick myself, miss you, regret not having one last conversation, and I've sworn since then I would never let that happen again. It would be nice to think that people still haven't given up on me. I'm temperamental, moody, I can be angry, and bitchy. But, I love people and care about them more than what most would ever know. I let people know where they stand. If you've found a place in my heart you have it forever. Even if we lose contact and move away from talking. Times will come when you'll cross my mind, I'll wonder how you are, and hope you're okay. 
For every wrong that has ever occurred between others and myself, it's been let go of. Sure some people are not those I care to know anymore but, that's the past. There is no grudge.
Trying to understand people is one of the most difficult things that anyone can do. Some are not meant to be understood completely. People are mostly an enigma that is left to the imagination of each person. No matter how open and honest we are as people no one is a complete open book. Everyone has that one thing... that one thing that just thinking about makes them cringe and talking about it seems completely unbearable. Personally I have about five or six different things that I can think of off of the top of my head that I refuse to talk about. Mainly because it is just too difficult. Being overly emotional is not something that I look highly upon and yet I am that person. I can be hurt, scared, made to feel like less than a person, and most of the time it is not done on purpose. I am just sensitive.
In the end though I just wish that people would stick up for what they believe instead of being persuaded by others. You have that right and if someone is upset that you feel the way you do then just remember they have that right. 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Chick-Fil-A and the Case of Diarrhea of the lips


Today there is this non sense going on with Chick-Fil-A which will from here on out be a banned restaurant for my family but that is neither here nor there. The president of the business Dan Cathy stated his support for biblical principles and biblical definition of a family. 

Hiding behind religion and politics is a poor excuse to explain ignorance. You can not simply say "oh because the bible says so." Well, you can but really that is an awful answer. That is the answer of a coward who decided long ago that an education was not important. Now, by education I am not talking college, or even school. I am talking real life. To seriously try to defend your hatred with biblical shenanigans, or political propaganda is just absolutely asinine. 


See there is this whole separation of church and state thing... Remember that? Chances are that if you are on the outlaw gay marriage bandwagon you don't. I say this because the fact of the matter is your reason is immorality according to the bible. Well outlawing gay marriage because according to the bible it is wrong is an oxymoron. 


I am all for moral living. You know "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you". Or better yet
"Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself." -Confucius, circa 500 BCE That is before the whole "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you". At this point though the only thing I am saying is in order to live a moral life you do not need to follow the bible. You simply need to treat others as you would want to be treated. 


Back to the whole Chick-Fil-A nonsense. So people are flocking there like sheep because of the words that this president of the company spoke. Good for you if that is what you want to do. I am not one to force feed my opinion down anyone's throat but I am also not one that is going to sit here and read this garbage and not call it like I see it. 


Basically this is simply a case of bigots that are too scared to try and form an educated opinion on their own flocking to the one that talks the loudest. That happened with Hitler.. Yep I said it and I mean it too. Those that hide behind the words of others are the most dangerous people that exist. Those that do not question the words they hide behind are just as bad. 


The worlds opinion of our country is so far down the hole that it is just disappointing. We would like to think ourselves these educated and cultured society yet time and time again we prove that we are anything but. What is the most bothersome is that people don't care. 


I do care and I am not going to sit idly by as this group of radical what ever you want to call yourselves.. Christians such an easy veil to hide behind. Republicans which is an even easier veil. Reality is you are all just home grown terrorists that make the majority of us look bad. Sorry to be the one to break it to you but it is disgraceful that you would want to discriminate against someone because of sexual orientation when if a restaurant spoke out against fundamentalist Christianity you would all be the first to cry discrimination. 


The worst part is you bring your children up with these beliefs that are nothing short of archaic. Shame on you. I would have hoped for so much more from our society at this point in time. 


Opinions are a right of all of us as Americans this is mine. You're wrong not because of your stance on gay marriage but your stance that it is okay to force your opinion and way of life on anyone. Intolerance breeds hatred. Hatred as well all know is a terrible thing to live with. It is so much easier to sleep at night knowing that I accept people at face value. Everyone is their own person. No one not even me has a right to tell you how to live or what to think. Do not mistake what this post is about. It isn't me telling you what to think but it is me calling bull as I see it. Oh and don't get this wrong my family ban on Chick-Fil-A started years ago when I realized the food was terrible. This is just directed towards the people that refuse to see that their way is not the only way.