You Are Not Alone

     When I used to take a bus trip I would write a note of encouragement and leave it in the pocket in front of my seat. I knew it was meant for whoever would find it. It was a note to tell them they were loved, that their life counted. Sometimes a person just needs to know that.
     I watch people as I work in a public venue. One day I saw an elderly lady, alone. I wondered about her life. Does she have anyone to tell her that she is beautiful. I complimented her, her blue sweater looked so pretty. She smiled and thanked me.
     The truth is we never know what life will bring. But I know one constant that makes life beautiful. That is love. I am firmly convinced that love is the only truth in this world. I believe our true selves are love and we are here to love one another.
     I heard this song when Kate Hudson posted it in one of her videos. I only heard a snippet of it, but I was immediately taken with it. It is called, You Are Not Alone. It tells a story, but the recurring theme of it is, you are not alone. So for whoever comes by this way, and reads this blog, remember, you are not alone, and remember, you are loved, and remember, your life counts.

Play Your Air Guitar, Rock On 🤘

    

     This is my blog, and I can post what I want to, I do what I want to. Come Monday when I go to work, I will play my air guitar and serenade the guys at work. They love me because I bake them cookies, them chocolate chip cookies. I have to hide them from Zach because he eats them all.

          Chill out, and eat some vegetables, they are good for you, and yummy, too. Ohhhhhh, sweet salad of mine.


     And don't forget to rock on........🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘

My Secret

    

     One of my college classes was Ethics, and one of our textbooks was Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama. I don't remember everything in the book, but when I came to the end of the book there was one passage there that penetrated my heart to the core.
     "This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion, or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy."
     My whole life flashed before my eyes. Six year old me, laying on my grandmother's summer lawn in the sun warmed grass. Gazing up at the puffy white clouds in the cerulean blue sky, my mind dreamed. In my 6 year old mind I envisioned the world. All of the people in the world were standing there in that sky. They were holding hands and looking at one another, with love. I had no concept of the size of the world or any of the particulars. I only knew what was in my own heart, and my imagination created the world, the way I wanted it to be.
     Recently I watched an animated movie called The Little Prince. It is based on the 1943 novella of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One thing was impressed on my mind. All grown ups were once children but only few of them remember it. The problem is not in growing up, it is in forgetting. It reminded me, do not forget your childhood dreams.
     Inside our hearts is where the magic lies. Where love lives, invisible to the human eye. Things that cannot be seen we can feel, for it is only love that makes us real.
     According to the Velveteen Rabbit, once you become real you can never be unreal again. Love made that bunny real and love changed him. That is the only answer in this world, love.
     I want to finish with the Dalai Lama's prayer.
 "May I become at all times, both now and forever
      A protector for those without protection
     A guide for those who have lost their way
          A ship for those with oceans to cross
     A bridge for those with rivers to cross
         A sanctuary for those in danger
         A lamp for those without light
    A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
             And a servant to all in need.

Bite Me or Why I Love Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

     These days I try to stay away from as much of the news as I can. Still things cross my path that put a positive spin on it, and make me smile.
     One such recent incidence is the unearthed scandalous video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing in college. I mean, how dare she?
     But the best thing about this is her response. Dancing in Congress, oh my, can this country ever survive this scandalous behavior. Oh, the irony of it all, with all due consideration to the behavior of the current President.
     Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, you \m/!     

Being A Vegan a.k.a. Plant Killer

  

     If anyone had told me a few years ago that I would go vegan, well I think I would have told them they were crazy. Now I have never been much of a beef eater, but cheese, how could I give up cheese? And fish, and butter, and yogurt!!!! Ah, but alas and alack I have, and I do not miss those things. A few times I have slipped and had some fish and cheese, but the cheese just does not taste that good anymore.
     Nowadays there are substitutes for all those things. I have even made vegan parmesan and it is downright good. Best of all, eating this way does a body good, weight loss is one result and I just feel good. And it is so good for the skin. Kate Hudson said that her skin looked so much better when she was following a vegan lifestyle.
     I am gradually moving into a more whole food plant based way. I am making my own creations. Recently I made some everything hummus and found that it made a good alfredo sauce for whole grain pasta.
     I am not on some self-righteous kick of veganism, just merely sharing my thoughts and reducing my carbon footprint on the planet. As someone said, don't knock it till you tried it.
   

Number 45, The Dumbing Down of America, and The Uprising

     When I listen to the news today I just have to laugh. Seriously, it is better than being pissed off all the time. And believe me, there is plenty you could get pissed off about.
     Take Brett Kavanaugh, for instance. This dude is a guy after Trump's own heart. In his article for the Minnesota Law Review, Separation of Powers During the Forty-Fourth Presidency and Beyond, Kavanaugh basically states that if a president breaks the law he should not be bothered to have to answer for his crime because, well, he is just so busy presidenting. And we're not talking about just civil crimes, he includes criminal crimes. Remember when Trump said he could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue in NYC and shoot, i.e. murder, a person in cold blood and he would not lose any followers?  It would seem not only would he not lose his followers but according to Brett Kavanaugh,  Trump should not have to answer for his crime. Is this really America or are we in some alternate reality? I think we have now entered the Twilight Zone, or perhaps the Republican zone, which seems to be one and the same.
     It seems that the Republican party has died, along with Senator John McCain. It is now the party of Trump. Scarier than Trump are his rabid followers. The Fox News crowd, aided and abetted by Fox, drums up hatred for immigrants, Muslims, BLM, and generally anyone who is not a WASP. Under the guise of God, patriotism, and MAGA, Trump is trying to transform America into a despotic country where anyone who dares to challenge him will be jailed.
     Let's not give up, yet. There is a secret resistance going on in the White House, as witnessed by a recent op ed published in The New York Times. What have we learned from these recent developments? Trump cannot pronounce the word anonymous. But better than that, there seems to be some Republicans that still have some sense. That recent news has brought us hope.    
     We shall miss the reasonable voice of Senator McCain, but we have seen what bi-partisan is, as those in opposing parties and opposing political views got together to honor the life of Senator McCain. Senator McCain's final letter to the American people says it all.
"We are citizens of the world's greatest republic, a nation of ideals not of blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been."    
     In the end, we are all Americans. We have our faults, we have not always done what is right. But underlying the wrong are the hearts that want to make it right. To love and care for others, to show kindness and compassion. To right our wrongs. We cannot go back and change things, but we can, from this day forward, live to honor the greatest American hope, that All people are created equal.
     To me, these words encapsulate my country, and I shall end my post with this.  "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
    

Fo

Sep

    

Gender Differences Or Just Assumptions

     Relationships are complicated enough, without complicating them more. The love doctors, the groovy gurus of love, every one of them ready to tell you how you can attract and keep your partner.
     Whatever happened to just being yourself, and being loved for being you. I think it pertains to both genders. I think men want to be loved and accepted for being who they are, not who you want them to be. I cannot speak for my whole gender, but I know that is how I feel. I do not believe men and women are that much different.
     Frankly, I am tired of the whole relationship advice scene. Playing games, immature antics that quickly wear out.
     Dr. Seuss said something quite profound, "Be who you are and say what you feel, because in the end those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." Truthfully love is about loving everything, even those little idiosyncrasies, they are the most endearing of all. Don't try to change someone into who you want them to be, fall in love with who they are, that love will last a lifetime.