Three Things YOUR BFF Said About You!

Nobody knows you better than your BFF. That's the value of someone who
has known you through highs and lows. Everybody loves a winner; but
BFFs are there before and after. That solidifies their value. We all
have moments we haven't been proud of or even regret. BFFs know three
really important things about us.

3) You wish everyone well. People are great and everybody is
very fortunate in some way. Everybody loves to volunteer during
Thanksgiving or Christmas at local missions. They feel better about
themselves for all the useless gifts they will spend wasted money on
and the over-eating they've already committed to because its the
holiday. Our human heart/mind is guilt-enslaved and holidays really
bring it out into the light. Nevermind the other 363-4 days that the
less fortunates suffer or that I ignored you. I have heard stories of
angry mission workers overwhelmed and irritated by the calls from
would-be volunteers that ONLY show up or whose numbers surge around
the holidays.


2) You love to help everybody. The other day at the gym, a
friend mentioned that someone who never spoke to him before struck up
a strange conversation. By question 3, the reason revealed itself. "Do
you have a truck?" That was it. I knew there was a good reason for
good behavior. Our presence is never that important until somebody
else needs it. He was torn between assisting and being insulted for
being ignored until now. Its easier to help strangers most times
because you will likely never see them again. That eliminates your
guilt and their entitlement and your requirement to change your
schedule. The ultimate question we are left pondering, "do they
deserve my help?" Aside from the legitimate few; you will typically
end up feeling used and abused or deserted when you need the same
favor. Much like encountering the person holding up the signs at the
intersection; you catch yourself trying to evaluate if they "deserve"
your help or mercy or are they just taking advantage of your
good-hearted benevelence.


1) Nobody matters more to you than you. Ignore points 3 and 2.
Only this final one really matters. Sure you wish them well...and
that's the extent of it. Wish allows you to participate from afar.
That makes it perfect; you don't want to break a sweat, a nail or your
routine. You love everybody the same as long as they stay out of the
way and away from you. Sure they're great; just don't tread on me. The
secret that we hide in our hearts is so private; between myself and I.
You know that, don't you? This is just between us. If you don't tell
them; they will never know. It's our little secret. In the end, its
all about you. If it adds no money, convience or good feelings to you,
you don't care. Go bother somebody else. Find another sucker. Chances
are your BFF knows this about you and, in agreement, you keep each
other's secrets.

Lost and Found in the Dark

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What do we like about the dark? What about it scares us? Why would we be lost without it?

We all have an image of ourselves that we choose to believe is our identity; that part of us that is uniquely who we are as opposed to anyone else. It makes us who we are, like a psychological, ethical fingerprint. In the dark, people are rarely the same as they were in the light. WHY? Perhaps their insecurities, fears and hopes are hidden. The disturbing heart of darkness is its power to reveal as much as conceal. Darkness might be the best mirror of what we don't see or don't want shown.

Even as children, many of us were afraid of the dark. The noises and emotions that random happenings create because of the lack of interaction of all the human senses tend to dominate our minds. On the other hand, the fact is that more fear comes from the forced usage of any other senses without sight. I wonder if Judas kissed Jesus with his eyes closed? I've been in the ocean dogpaddlingwhen something brushed my calf from below. Not being able increased the level of fear! Not to mention not being able to swim. On another occassion, I swam/floated through an underwater tunnel for 300 yards mostly in the dark. I can still remember listening to the loud sound of my own breathing. I can still feel the vibration of my heartbeat in the water as my eyes fixed on the tiny hole of light at the end of my journey. In Redemption Road, a kid puts a large rubber snake in his father's bed, under the foot of the covers. His reaction is immediate when his toes make contact. Even when we are in a surrounding we consider safe, darkness still catches us offguard. Maybe mirrors shouldnt be shiny; but dark.


So which of us is us: the one in the dark or the one in the light? Can one exist without the other?

!!!
M

Thank God for the Rain!

It seems not so long ago when we were all complaining that we weren't getting enough rain. Clearly so many irritated prayers have been answered. Unfortunately, there have been hundreds of new prayers crying for the rain to stop.... Are we ever happy with just what we have?

I think Shyeryl Crow said it best:

It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got

...see the video

So we can be sure that a long drought is in the future. Depending on how many prayers we sent up, it could be a very long drought. Imagine being in a Garden of Eden with EVERYTHING and never having to work or sweat and blowing it over an apple and a snake. You wouldn't have done that, would you? Would you ruin paradise for a false promise?

!!!
M

The Fourth Kind

Some things are better left suspected. If we ever really knew, would it be too boring and would thousands of tonues cease to quiver?

Wal-Mart Always!

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Well a friend sent me a sight that was sad and funny. Of course, I pass it on to you. You will laugh too unless you see your picture. Some things can't be explained. You just gotta see 'em to believe 'em!

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People of Walmart was founded in August of 2009 by three friends and roommates after an inspirational trip to Walmart.

Let’s face it; we all have seen the people who obviously don’t have mirrors and/or family and friends to lock them in a basement, and they all seem to congregate at Walmart. It’s not everywhere that you can shop for milk at 10 a.m. next to a 400lb mother of 6 wearing a pink tube top, leopard tights, and hooker heels. Where else can one go to pick up underwear at 3 O’clock in the afternoon and spot the greatest mullet of all time paired with a mustard stained wife beater (which only accents the extreme amount of body hair) and camo pants that were actually used in Vietnam.

!!!
M

Our Monstrous Potential!

I ran across this blog by accident and it makes some fantastic points. Along with some fantastic art, the revelation is pure magic. Its from Designer and Illustrator Kevin Cornell of the UK. Ahoy mate! Here is an exerp:

But the public Kevin. He's a different guy. Polite. Accomodating. Empathetic. Just the sort of well-behaved individual he needs to be so that he can get along with others. That's how society works. We all trade in a little of our selfish, aggressive, and otherwise beastly characteristics so that we can have jobs, friends, families and significant others. And for the most part, everyone is like this... there's a public version. And a private version. More....

Isn't it odd that we think monsters are always exclusive to them OR us; not them AND us. Kevin's blog is so wise and his talent is beyond reproach. Kevin, you have made my day. Great monsters!

!!!
M

To Be Better or Not to Be...

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A ham sandwich without the meat is just two slices of bread.

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We seem to be fixated on getting something for nothing these days. In our instant society, we are often offended by anything that takes longer than 3 seconds. Doubt me, pause 3 seconds after the green light changes at the next intersection. With all that is a prevailing instinct of entitlement that goes hand in hand with that fixation. We also seem to be fixated with giving our children better than we had. While that sounds harmless and admireable on the surface, don't be so comfortable. Are they better than you? Have war, famine and human calamity become extinct? I think not which typically means that sooner or later we all face some hard times/decisions. Guess what happens if we have no experience? We raise generations that have no concept of how to cook without microwaves, do math without a calculator or enjoy the spoils without the work. Sooner or later, reality comes a knockin' Who will answer?

!!!
M