Science of My Mind

This is going to be a short post. For those of you reading, thank you.

I just had a friend I’ve known from the 1970′s, (he used to be kind enough to give me a ride home from work and save my parents from coming out late at night to come and get me, lost touch, but hooked back up later in life) set me straight and wake me up in a kind way.  I’ve heard the same thing before, but presented to me in a child like way, being scolded for what I was doing. That alone powered my resolve to carry on with what I had started.  This time, it was “George, ol’ buddy, you’ve become too extreme with this election.” Simple, kind, and to the point.  You know who you are–thank you.

I’m worried about my granddaughter Kimmie, and my grandson Anthony.  I am scared to death for them.  Are we headed to such a division of rich and poor in this country that in 30 years America will be pictured like India, people walking barefoot and standing in a line a mile long for a bowl of rice?  We have tens of thousands of empty shopping malls, homes, abandonded grocery and department stores, but people are still homeless and freezing in the streets.  We have businesses and restaurants tossing away tens of thousands of pounds of food daily, but there are Americans DYING of starvation every single day.  There are kids that can’t afford a flu shot or a dentist, but Kim Kardashian can afford a $30,000 set of boobs…

When does it stop?  Who stops it?  Will it get better, or will it get worse?

If my grandkids could understand what’s going on in this country right now, I wonder who they would vote for, and why???

Until next time…Love.

Webster’s New World Dictionary defines love as “strong affection.”  Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, describes love as “an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment.”  To some, this may be an accurate depiction of love, for me, love is so much more than that.  Love can’t be defined as easily as just a few words–love has so many varying degrees that the only definition would be for someone to describe love in the way that it affects them on a personal level–describing who or what they love, with pure, unadulterated, raw emotion–and that could be a million different ways–not just describing the greatest emotion in the world the way that Webster’s or Wikipedia defines it.  I could never, with this post or the next 100 posts to my blog, compile a list of who and what I love–just like you, I fall in love (there’s that vague word again) all over again with someone and something different many times per day.

If you’re reading this post, I love that you’re doing so.  I love you too, some of you more than others, because I’m closer to some of you, but I still love you.  I love the fact that I live in this great state of Wisconsin, loving the weather here.  I love that I’ve met so many wonderful people in this state, my friends from Walmart, well, I love them all dearly, and I love that I stay in touch with all of them.  I love my friends from Planeview, I would not love losing touch with any of them.  I love that I have a list of friends that I have known pushing forty years.  I love pizza, I love my dogs (you know them as my babies), and even though I’m diabetic, I’ll admit that I love chocolate.  This love thing could go on forever!!!  Then there’s what I call a “higher degree” of love.

Love is not a good enough word for how I feel about my Mom, you know what I mean.  I love my kids (they’re all adults now), Robby, Jessica, Kyle and Dustin, I love and adore my grandbabies, Anthony and Kimmy.  I love my brother and sisters with all of my heart. Aunts, Uncles,Nieces, Nephews, Cousins, 2nd Cousins, the love of family is like no other. You know that love, you probably know the next love too. It’s the last love I’ll be speaking of in my post.

Love can be a never-ending learning process. To truly be able to give love, one has to feel love, they must recieve love on a daily basis, unconditional love.  I met my wife in the year 2000–I felt love at first sight–almost thirteen years together, and I love that I love Mickie more and more as each year passes.  I love that we had our arguments over the years, so we know not to do that now.  I love that I’m still able to open her doors, and set up her coffee pot every day.  I love the life that we’re sharing.  I love her sleepy eyes, her hair when she wakes up in the morning, and I love the way she loves me.  I love that I couldn’t ever fathom taking this love for granted.  I love that I love her so much.  You know what I mean.

Love just can’t be defined the way we want to define it.

Until next time.  Love.

So, what is the name of the street that that you live on?

Several years back an acquaintance of mine was having a problem with a young lady he had been living with for several years.  The two had recently separated due to a difference in opinion over a religious matter.  Bill (fictitious name) told me that girlfriend was living on a one way street named Sue Avenue, (again a fictitious name) Sue, was the name of his girlfriend, and was standing firm in her belief and would not budge on the matter.  Saying she lived on Sue Avenue was Bill’s way of saying that Sue was thinking only of herself and allowed no room for compromise, then finishing the conversation by saying that Sue had been very selfish.

Through the turmoil that occurred in Bill and Sue’s relationship, (they never did reconcile) I learned a very valuable lesson.  I can be just as selfish as Sue was on any given day, and not think of anyone’s feelings but my own.  But you see, I don’t like that side of myself when it does appear, it doesn’t give me any satisfaction to be selfish, not even a little bit.  I don’t want the street I live on to be a one way named “George Street,” I want it to be named “George & Mickie Street,” or “Happy Street” or ”Sharing Street,” as long as it’s not a one way street, I’d be happy with that.  I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say.

One last thing I learned several years ago and have tried my best to live by and to pass on to anyone that will listen is–when we do good, good is sure to follow.  I would love to live on that street every day.  Good Street.

Until next time.  Love.

These last couple of weeks I’ve learned that many of things I’ve always thought were soooo important–well, they’re not.  Please, don’t take me wrong–there is nothing wrong with working hard to achieve goals that you’ve set for yourself.  What I did wrong was put blinders on the side of my head (what horses wear in races so they can only see what’s in front of them, and not be spooked by anything else) while trying to achieve them, and not take in everything I should have in different aspects of my life.  When people told me, “George, slow down and smell the roses,” I would speed up and get pricked by the rose’s thorn.  For instance, there is so much beauty inside the four walls of my home that I’ve either totally missed or have taken completely for granted, that I just want to cry now that I’m seeing it all.  I am so fortunate in the sense that I have people who loved me enough in my life to help me figure all this out before it became too late.

Today, I don’t need to win the lottery, and I’m done trying to keep up with the Jone’s family–although winning the lottery would be sweeeeeeet:-)))  I’m looking around with a big smile on my face, and a bigger one in my heart.  This may sound all prudish and I know it’s been said before, but I’ll say it again.  I may not have much, but I feel like the richest man in America.  Until tomorrow.  Love.

For those of you who aren’t working for whatever reason you may have, please consider donating some of your time to a worthwhile cause or a worthwhile charity.  Don’t expect any kind of reward or compensation for volunteering, this is something that you do simply because you enjoy it–no other reason.  It does bring a great sentiment to one’s heart when a person knows they have provided a service that brings joy to other people.  Today I chose to look at my volunteering differently.  I haven’t been feeling the greatest, and when that happens, I tend to get a case of the “poor me’s” going on–you know–feeling sorry for one’s self–like “when is this going to get better?”  Well, I was picking up two gentlemen from the facility I volunteer at–I was determined to have a fun Saturday morning with these guys.  I took one to get his haircut, so while waiting for him to get his cut, I struck up a conversation with the other gentleman, who happened to provide me with a small history of the town I lived in.  To listen to him speak of the years that not only his knowledge and wisdom passed on to me–I was always listening to his father speak through him–again, passing the wisdom on.

After the styling session was over, we went to Walmart where they feasted on Subway, and I had a Diet Coke–it was only 10am by then, so as good as Subway sandwiches are, I passed on the food.  We all made small talk, finished up and I brought them back to where they reside.  Both gentlemen thanked me for providing my time–we all said we had to do that again.  As they walked down the hallway, and into their rooms, I couldn’t help to think that on this Saturday morning, these guys provided a service to me, instead of the other way around.  They took this guy (me) who hasn’t been the feeling the greatest–and just by being 100% themselves–these older gentlemen made me feel the best I’ve felt in days.  Thank you for your time guys, as well as your wisdom–I appreciate both of you.

Until tomorrow.  Love.

Now that I feel like I’m starting to get a little older, I want to think that something I did with my time, while residing on this magnificent planet will be held dear by someone after I’m gone, even it’s for a for a little awhile.  It seems like that the only people that get remembered for any length of time are Presidents, Popes, a few Inventors, and Serial Killers.  Isn’t that sad–to be chronicled here on earth–a President is ranked right up there with a Serial Killer.  To be honest, people can probably answer more questions about Jeffrey Dahmer, the Serial Killer in Wisconsin than they can any one President or Pope.  I don’t want to change the world, as if I ever could, but maybe if I could throw in a few good things from time to time that I’ve learned over the years, well, MAYBE people will start remembering more good things about our inspiring generation than bad things, like the Dahmer’s of the world.

I have this little book–it’s titled “Life’s Little Instruction Book,” by H. jackson Brown, Jr. It has 511 good things that we can do in this world–many of them on a daily basis.  I thought maybe from time to time, I could publish around 20 or so in a post for my blog.  I’m not going to pick and choose, it would be too hard to remember where I left off on a previous occasion if I did it that way. I’m going to start at number 1, and eventually one day finish up with number 511, the Good Lord willing.  Here goes–

1. Compliment three people every day.
2.  Have a dog.
3. Watch a sunrise at least once a year.
4. Remember other people’s birthdays.
6. Have a firm handshake.
7. Look people in the eye.
8. Say “thank you” a lot.
9. Say “please” alot.
10. Learn to play a musical instrument.
11. Sing in the shower.
12. Use the good silver.
13. Learn to make great chili.
14. Plant flowers every spring.
15. Own a great stereo system.
16. Be the first to say “Hello.”
17. Live beneath your means.
18. Drive inexpensive cars, but own the best house you can afford.
19. Buy great books even if you never read them.
20. Be forgiving of yourself and others.

Until tomorrow.  Love.

It’s a pathetic day in America when blazing across the headlines are the fact that the Chief Operating Officer, Dan Cathy, of Chick-fil-A decides not to put any support behind gay marriage.  I’ve had family members weigh in on this situational comedy, so I have to put my two cents in.  Who cares?  My stance on people choosing the gay lifestyle or the heterosexual lifestyle is entirely up to the individual.  My belief has always been–you be nice to me–I’ll be nice to you.  If you want to marry a Gorilla from the Congo, have little Gorilla kids and raise your family next door to me, I’m fine with that–like I said–be nice to me–I’ll be the same to you.

These would be appropiate headlines to see;

1. Chick-fil-A Chief Operating Officer donates money to help young people stay off of drugs.
2. Chick-fil-A Chief Operating Officer donates money to soup kitchens to help feed Americas hungry.
3. Chick -fil-A Chief Operating Officer donates money to help battle pharmaceutical companies to lower prices for consumer.

One would think by the posts on Facebook that Dan Cherry is the Republican Nominee for President.  I’ve seen conservatives put Dan Cathy’s face on Facebook–I’ve seen conservatives put a Chick-fil-A soda cup on Facebook.  Why don’t the Republican’s just admit they don’t like Mitt Romney, and they want Dan Cathy, the Chief Operating Officer for Chick-fil-A to be their President?  Or maybe even replace God with Dan Cathy, as much support as this guy is getting from the right.  To all Republican’s–don’t turn this into a bashing session on Obama like always LOVE to seem to do.  For once take it like it is–the top guy at Chick-fil-A doesn’t like gays.

Personally, I’ve always been a big KFC fan.  Until later…Love.