Hey...How are you?

What if everyone who said...”Hey, how are you?”...really wanted to know. It would be a different world wouldn’t it? “Not bad.”...could no longer be the standard response if the asker really cared about the askee. There would be follow up questions. “Are you getting enough sleep?” “Are you regular?” People would be late for work because of time spent describing the little gas problem, probably from those frozen burrito supremos, that kept waking them up during the night. Or...
“Hey, how are you?”
“Well, since you’ve asked, I’m quite concerned about my stock portfolio actually.”
And there goes dinner.
Maybe it would be nice though. I mean, everyone likes a sympathetic ear to tell their troubles to. But then again, wouldn’t too many extended outpourings about chronic heat rashes, concerns over whether to go satellite or cable and the heartache of unrequited office romances tend to slow down the national economy? In the end, it’s probably better that we’re the shallow, superficial society that we are.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Not bad.”
And that’s it.
We get a lot more done this way.

The Good Old Days

Someday...these will be the “Good Old Days”. The stuff around us now will be what we will be referring to when we say, “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to”. When we’re geezers and we fire up a story with, “Well...back in my day...”, this will be that day. And someday when we say, “Remember when life used to be simple”, this will be the simple life we’re fondly remembering. Someday...today will be a “Good Old Day”. So, let’s make sure it really will be. Let’s not let the days get away from us without trying to make them as good as they can be. Learn something, teach something, give something. Don’t just go through the motions of living. Truly live. Sure, there’s always tomorrow, but there will never, ever be another today. So, get the most out of it. These will be the “Good Old Days” someday. Now is the time to put the “Good” in them.

The Promise of Spring

They’re kind of like a promise aren’t they? Those tender, new green shoots poking their heads up through the frozen February ground. It’ll be over soon. This grey, shivering shroud of winter will soon be lifting. Giving way to bluer skies and the feel of warm sunshine on bare skin. Soon the earth will be green again and those dirty, grey mounds of snow ice will be just a melted memory. The promise of Spring. The promise of renewal. A world coming to life again after a cold Winter’s coma. They are a promise aren’t they? Those tender, new green shoots struggling up through the frozen February ground. They are a promise...or maybe they’re just really stupid plants.

They just wanted to know

They called his name again. Like they did back then. They called him to serve again. Like they did back then. So, he rose from the place where he had fallen so many, many years ago. He was a plumber, who became a soldier, who became a leader. And on that frozen, splintered morning in the woods of Bastogne…he gave his life fighting to hold the line. They held the line. At such a horrible cost they held the line. They called his name again. One last mission…one last duty. So, he rose from the place where he had fallen so many, many years ago. His uniform dirty and bloodied. One last mission…one last duty. This was for them. For all those heroes who stood with him through that nightmare that was Bastogne. For all those heroes that fell with him in that hellstorm that was Bastogne. They just wanted to know.
So, he stood before the chosen ones in his dirty, bloodied uniform. The President, the senators, the congressional representatives, the judges, the lobbyists, the CEOs and the talk show hosts. He watched and he listened because they just wanted to know. His brothers in arms wanted to know what all those people were doing with what they had been given on that frozen, splintered morning in the woods of Bastogne. With his heart breaking he turned to go back and tell his brothers what he had seen. They will be so disappointed.

The scary Government "Take-Over" by "They"! What?!!

Can anyone tell me what this “government” health care plan that we are all going to be forced into…is? Who put that one together? True, one version of the plan does require everyone to have health insurance. It also provides subsidies to help those who can’t afford it on their own. And maybe it would help those folks get to doctors offices for care and prevention instead of having to depend on expensive emergency room care, that tax payers end up paying for, when it may be too late. Hmmm…might that not help bring down some costs? Maybe that’s why you’re required to have automobile insurance. So everyone isn’t paying for the accidents of those who don’t have it. Curious.
And doesn’t competition help control costs? Economics 101. That is, sorry, that was the plan for introducing a public option. Right…public option not “government” takeover. Give the insurance companies some healthy competition for the business. The fear mongering and lies about the public option were outrageous. However, when profits that incredible and campaign contributions that large are at stake, greedy people do outrageous things.
And let’s just quickly mention that there were hundreds of “Keep your hands off my healthcare” signs being held up by seniors at all those rallies. Seniors whose healthcare was probably Medicare…a government run healthcare system. Seniors who had been scared out of their wits by Dick Armey and his insurance company lobbying firm and the current leaders of the Republican Party Limbaugh and Beck. Grassroots protests?!!! Follow the money kids. Check out who’s sponsoring those “Grassroots” websites.
Can anyone tell me who this “government” is that wants to take over all our healthcare? Who are they? The senate and house? The President? Those 5 scary guys who really rule the world? Isn’t that why our founding fathers in their wisdom divided government into 3 sections? Executive, Legislative and Judicial so that one group couldn’t “take over”?
And what’s in it for this “government “ in a “government take over”? Why in the world would “They” want to take over? For the Power? The power to do what? And don’t just say “Run our lives”. C’mon…how is one group ever going to “Run the lives” of 280 million people? When would “they” have time for lunch? And how do “they” split that power up to make it fair to everyone that’s in this “government”? Shouldn’t everyone in this “government get to “run” some lives? For the Money? Same questions. And what happens when someone new gets voted in? Do they get their very own copy of the “You are now part of the Take Over and here’s how you get your power and money” handbook?
Please don’t let yourselves be told what to believe. Find out the facts for yourselves and like I said…follow the money.

The Old Man Across The Street

From a distance he looks like a stick standing upright. A stick that time has bent, crooked and twisted. He lives alone in the house on the corner across the street. Well, not really alone. His two small dogs have kept him company for as long as we’ve lived here. They follow him wherever he goes and yap at anyone who happens to walk by. And he would yell at them in a scratchy old voice. “Tina…Eddy…get the hell back here”. When he would get into his banged up old car and drive away to wherever little old men go in their banged up old cars, the little white dog would just bark until he would return. Well, the banged up old car isn’t in the driveway anymore. I guess he won’t be going to where little old men in their banged up old cars go anymore. And yesterday I noticed as he stood crooked and bent out in his front yard…there was only one little dog. As I turned to go back inside though I heard that scratchy old voice holler one more time. “Tina…get the hell back here”. Rest in peace Eddy. Rest in peace.

Can't wait to see Christmas

My daughter went off to college this year. Two hours away from home. I talk to her often, but I miss her dearly. Just before her Christmas break this year she called one night. She wanted to make sure the lights were up, the tree was decorated and the mantle and bookcases were filled with our collections of snowmen and Santas. Because...she said, “I can’t wait to come home and see Christmas.” Such a simple sentence. I can’t wait to come home and see Christmas. I looked around the house. The snowmen and Santas were all in place. The lights outside twinkling. All the ornaments were on the tree...including the felt Christmas tree with her picture on it that she made in second grade. I can’t wait to come home and see Christmas. I can’t begin to tell you the feeling in my heart when I realized that to my daughter...Christmas is...home.
It’s right here waiting for you honey. And it always will be.
(Written a few years ago)