" Never judge a book by its cover." It's probably the most known, written about, and repeated old adage I know. It's something grandparents, parents, and teachers use as a teaching method about acceptance there is. It's also the most underused lesson we learn. Almost everyone prejudges others, but some make assumptions based on these judgments that change relationships before they get started. Now, this is the part where I know I will sound slightly conceited. Over the past ten years, but especially over the last three, I've realized that what I project is often not at all who I am. The person people first see, even the person they see daily, is not always the complete package of who I am. Much of it, I must admit could be labeled a fault of mine, but I think it says more about others than myself. I also try very hard to allow others to feel comfortable and often, in comfort, not only do their flaws surface, but their judgments. I am 49. I have Rosace...
Posts
Ever since social media took over our lives, the idea of kindness being an anomaly has grown. People, almost all that I know, post about this without ever looking at their own lives. They share a story, a video, or their own personal story, expecting praise, acknowledgment, and the ever-important like. What most fail to see is their own hypocrisy. If you're an adult, who claims to have been raised in a wonderful family, you value your faith, and you are a parent, a Facebook share should not be some sort of epiphany. It should, at the very least put a smile on your face, and at the very most, anger you. Anger you, because the sort of behavior you're bringing to attention is not the norm. If this is how you were raised, what your faith teaches, and how you want your children to act, it makes no sense for you to share this as a special message. It should, in your mind, be the norm. The reality is, we're not good people and these posts, regardless of how touching and poignant...
Many times, ardent pet lovers will wax poetic or show concern over their pet's behavior. Those without pets, but especially those with pets of their own, will comment that such behavior is completely normal. What they do not realize is that you're simply making a generic statement for something they would not understand, especially if they miss these cues from their own pets. One of the things I've realized over the last four-plus years is that Swag, my cat, or should I say, my master, is very in-tune with my mental state. When I am sad, he tends to stick close by, but when I am stressed, he tends to wander, often leaving me surprises, thinking he's helping. When I am happy, content, rested, he is too. I worry about his eating habits, especially when he shuns his food, but interestingly, he tends to eat more when I eat more. Certain sounds spark his curiosity and he wants to try, often settling for a lick of his favorite, vegan butter. My behavior often dictates his, ...
The sun barely up. The meowing has stopped, as he shows love, brushing against my legs. We walk down the stairs together, I open the door, the cool air hits our faces. He scampers off towards the gate and crawls under. I turn, assemble his breakfast. Our routine is what he will expect when he returns. Half now, half for later. He waits, rather impatiently. I clean the spoon with my finger and give him a taste. He's come to expect it. I do dishes while he eats. He leaves a little and goes out to do what only he knows. Later, the dog will be in his pen. It's an enormous, area, with trails, leading into thick brush and trees. I'll pull a burr or two from his coat, sit and watch him eat. He'll then retrieve a small branch we've designated as our toy. Fetch, tug of war, or simply taunting me with it. I'll sit in a plastic chair, watching this magnificent beast with powerful jaws and caring eyes. He'll stand before me, letting me show him affection until he needs ...
Let me preface by saying, there are tons of legitimate reasons not to like me. I'm opinionated, persistent, lackadaisical, despise plans, like to drink, I enjoy discussing religion and politics, and at times, completely unmotivated, but for some reason, most people, aren't offended by those traits, but they are with these. I'm vegan I'm a morning person I'm punctual I do my research before spouting off about topics I tend to dislike popular culture, especially when it comes to music and movies I rarely watch TV, other than sports The thought of travel, as the general American does it, doesn't excite me I hate texting I'm sure there are more, but I'll stop before it sounds as if I'm nitpicking about others nitpicking.
We here the old adage "I want to leave the world a better place for my children" all the time. It's usually said with unquestioned sincerity, despite our current world, regardless of your political view, much worse than it was years ago. We have to be careful how far back and how we generalize better, or not, because for some, whose rights have improved, their immediate world may be much better than the world their parents and grandparents lived in, but we can make generalizations when it comes to issues like the environment, mental health, gun violence, and the divisiveness we witness almost daily. In these respects, the world that our parents and grandparents left us is not any better, if not worse. Some of those parents and grandparents are still part of the problem, but what about the kids and grandchildren? If one really wants to understand the state that we've left our world in, look at how one word is used: Kid. When I was a young bo, my friends were kids. So...
I've been working with kids so long, I've forgotten more experiences than most I've worked with will ever encounter. I am not an expert. I've come to know many people, in many fields, who believe their tenure, however long or short, gives them some entitlement to the thrown of all-knowing in their field. I could go on this route, but I am not an expert. I see people with a diploma taking on the role of molding kids into teens, teens into adults, and adults into productive workers in society, lack of a piece of paper, despite more years experience than they've been alive, has them making three times as much money. Again, I am not an expert. I listen to those with less than a decade of experience spout knowledge, based on Youtube videos and a handful of life experiences or classes, laughing at how little it has to do with real-life scenarios, then remind myself, I am not an expert. I know a lot of stuff about a lot of things and I know kids, their tendencies, their be...
I've been fairly quiet when it comes to politics as of late. Losing Twitter, one would think I'd be incensed and irate, but I'm not. I've found a bit of piece in a new job, a new place to live, and trying to be more social in the real world. This time of year, however, it's tough. There are a lot of posts, most looking for personal attention, maybe even sympathies, wrapped in nationalism, masked in some odd misguided attempt at patriotism. Many, believe 9/12 was when America became one, when the reality is, our divisive ways, many of which are at the forefront of 2019 America, Trump's America, were spawned by 9/11. The following day, we pretended we could come together, but the reality is, our differences were given power, especially for those filled with hate. White America, an America I am part of, appears blind to this divisiveness it has caused. We now live in a time, much like the '60s and before, where people are judged by the smallest of differences, ...
I just realized I didn't do this last year and like every year, I know whether I do or don't, absolutely nobody cares. I should add, I've been pretty horrible at predicting the NFL over the past few years. So this year, I looked at no odds, no speculative articles, and just went game-by-game until I arrived at all of this. # North WLT Div 4 Ravens 10-6 3-3 5 Steelers 10-6 3-3 8 Browns 7-9 4-2 9 Bengals 7-9 2-4 # South WLT Div 3 Colts 11-5 4-2 7 Texans 9-7 4-2 11 Jaguars 5-11 2-4 12* Titans 5-11 2-4 # East WLT Div 2 Patriots 11-5 5-1 10 Bills 6-10 3-3 13 Jets 5-11 3-3 16 Dolphins 2-14 1-5 # West WLT Div 1 Chiefs 15-1 6-0 6 Chargers 10-6 3-3 14 Broncos 5-11 1-5 15 Raiders 4-12 2-4 4 Packers 11-5 4-2 5 Bears 10-6 5-1 12 Vikings 6-10 2-4 16 Lions 4-1...