Eyes wide shut

She asks "Why don’t you open your eyes?" and to that I replied "To see what?" At that point I had seen all I needed or cared to see. What was the point of indulging in another moment of clarity, another awakening? Every fact that I had viewed to be one had changed more times than I care to mention throughout my life. Each day was made anew with the demolition of the pillars of wisdom that I had spent my entire life leaning on and using as a support or crutch, rather. How could one live his entire life with his eyes closed, not blinded but closed, willfully choosing not to see what lay plainly before his face? Having the option to view life as it is and deciding not to and then going one step further and creating an alternate view of things and claiming it as truth. 

"Open your eyes" she says, and to that I reply "I’ve already seen too much".

Passion Fruit

Adam started this shit... He set the tone that most men still follow today; he was the first to risk it all for the company of a woman.  Adam violated the rules, the only rule and that rule was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, that’s all he had to do, was not eat from the damn Tree.  That rule was easy to follow and Adam did, until what?  A woman came along and joined him in the garden and she was tempted to eat of the Tree and once she did, she tempted Adam to do the same... SMH   And that’s the way it’s been ever since, men going through Hell and high water just to satisfy the temptations of women. 

I’m talking to the men out there now, how many times have we done some of the most outlandish shit just to be in the company of a woman?  Spending money we don’t have, to go on dates we rather not be on, just to have the opportunity to be around the opposite sex.  My roommate and I had a conversation the other day about winning the Mega Million jackpot and I said "if it weren’t for women I wouldn’t even care about money..."  It's the truth, if women weren’t around I would care less about how much money I made or the car I drive or how I looked.  I wouldn’t bother spending money on nice clothes or take the time to workout or even bathe regularly... I just wouldn’t.  The delight of the opposite sex is the motivating factor behind 89% of all decisions I make.  I wish it were different but it’s not, those soft, sweet smelling creatures dominate my thoughts and my bank account. They get me to do things that by some standards would be considered absurd but for it being for them it's all too mundane.  

There isn’t one thing that I can think of that provokes such polarizing emotions as do woman.  We love them and can’t stand them in same moment and breath.  They are what tempt us to do wrong and what empowers us to do right.  If it weren’t for women I would either be a complete bum or a complete success... How they possess the ability to entice grandiose actions and diabolical thoughts I will never know.  Sure, Adam was the first to take the bait and the rest of us have been falling like dominoes ever since...

The Plan

Let me guess, things didn’t work out...?  So what now, where do we go from here? It’s said in order to succeed or at least ascend to some level of success you need a plan.  But I’m sure you had a plan the first time and that clearly didn’t work, so either we need to come up with a better plan or a better approach in the execution. The only problem with developing a "fool proof" plan is that as we all have come to realize life is a fluid situation and the day to day grind well offer countless surprises and unforeseen obstacles.  In these moments of turmoil is it most important to follow the plan as laid out or make concessions for what has occurred?  The thing about making concessions is that once you make one we all know there are more to follow and eventually you can lose sight of what you were trying to achieve; becoming a slave to the moment. Through my experiences I have come to realize that what is most important, critical, is that you maintain through all of life's ups and downs. Choosing to stay the course is more than admirable; it is paramount in the attempt to reach those lofty heights we feel we are destined to achieve.  No action and reaction, just action, continual and consistent, forceful and with great meaning.  Our course should not be a reactive pattern to events; it should instead be a purposeful walk in whatever direction we choose. 

Stay the course...

Debt Collector

"We must all pay for the sins we have committed" This was the message given to the teenage boys I work with on Easter Sunday.  A volunteer pastor came in and spoke with the boys about the debt our souls have accrued for the sins we have committed.  He went on to say that giving your life to the Lord is the only way we can ever repay this debt and without that commitment we are doomed to forever pay off that debt in Hell.  That’s a pretty sobering and scary proposition to pose to a teenager and as I sat there and digested it, it became a little scary for me as well.  Take a moment and think about all the wrong you have done, all the sins you have committed...My list is endless and growing by the minute, I could not imagine having to pay for all the things I've done, the many sins I have committed, or the devious plots that have filled my mind.  My soul’s credit score would definitely be less than desirable.

The pastor continued to speak about sins and debt and he made another point that really hit home for me, he said that "there is nothing good in this flesh, nothing".  Now I totally agree with that, everything that my body tells me to do is of sin.  There isn’t a moment that goes by where I’m not tempted to do something that ultimately will not be good for me and most certainly is a sin.  I have been a slave to the needs of my flesh for my entire life and it has served to land me in some less than desirable situations.  But man was born into sin and his nature is of sin so I guess I'm just par for the course. 

We are all going to die one day, that is an absolute certainty but what comes next?  If you believe in the word you know that there will come a judgment day where all of us will either be blessed with everlasting life in Heaven or damned to a tortured existence in Hell. Each decision we make draws us closer to one of those destination but how often do we think about the weight of our choices?  Our souls will be charged the debt of our decisions and most of us can’t afford to make any more mistakes.

Soft as Cotton

So let’s talk about one of the buzz words that our society is becoming infatuated with "Bullying". I can hear the ooo's and awww's already... To be bullied is a terrible thing; it can create a myriad of disorders and anxieties towards life, people, and social environments.  This damage can often last deep into adult hood and the victim may never recover.  No one deserves to be treated with disrespect or tortured for what they may look like, not have or believe in. 

But with that said we are absolutely doing the youth of today a disservice with all of the coddling and pampering of the situation that is taking place in the media and school systems.  You know what a bully is... a bully is an opportunity, an opportunity for that child to fight through adversity and stand up for whatever it is they are or believe in.  We should not be damning those kids that put themselves in a position of power due to unseen issues, no; we should instead be empowering those that may fall under the bullies reign.  We should inform those victims of bullying that this is the way life will always be if you continue to look at yourself as a victim, we should inform them that they have the power to stand up to any all things that may try to oppress or put them down.  We should not give them the idea that when things get tough and you feel like there is no way out that the world will come to your aide, which just isn’t true.  In life you are going to be placed in situations where no one will be on your side but you and it is up to you to have the inner strength to persevere. A bully is nothing more than an opportunity to conquer one of life's many obstacles.  

We as a society are getting to the point where we are producing some of the softest generations known to man.  I don’t know who came up with the idea of political correctness, you can’t beat your kids, no child left behind, SOL's, everyone receives a blue ribbon and a million other concepts that have proven to be counterproductive.  Nothing teaches greater lessons than pain and failure and we are legislating that out of our youth’s upbringing and it is serving to produce unfit, mentally weak adults.  My generation and the ones prior all went through certain things that made them the productive adults they are today, yes it may have been difficult and ugly at times but look what it produced.  So why would we go to such great lengths to divorce our youth from the same adversities that made us who and what we are today?  I’ll never understand it.  

Rise and Shine

I just watched a commercial that really made me think, it was an advertisement for trips to Michigan.  In the commercial they said that in an average life time we will only have 25,000 mornings... Only 25k, I swear if you were to ask me how many morning I've had up to this point I would have given you a number much larger than 25,000.  This statistic really drives home the point that life is short and we must truly take advantage of every moment granted to us.  25,000 mornings, wow... How will you spend your next one?

Lemons for Lemonade

How's life?  When asked that question our immediate response is usually "It's good" or "No complaints", but how do we really feel about the direction our lives are going? Are you living out your dreams or are you just trying to make it through the day?  Is life beating you down or is it offering opportunities beyond anything you could have imagined?

So, how's life? Honestly, life is hard, life is confusing and life does not come with an instruction manual or GPS.  Just speaking with friends and family you see so many sides of this thing we call life, people are in pain, people are living their dreams, and people are falling flat on their faces all in an attempt to live this life and find happiness.  There's one thing you find out very early and that's there is no one way to get this thing done, no one can give you the road map on how to navigate your life. It seems we are all just out here doing what we can, to get where we want to go. 

Today if you asked me how's life? I'd say Life is absolutely amazing...  I could want nothing more than the opportunity to get it done.  Just a chance to chase my dreams, find a woman to love and love me back, provide for my family, and attempt to have as much fun along the way as possible. lol Now tomorrows answer might be completely different but as of today life is grand.

One thing we should never forget is that our lives are just that, "ours" and it is up to us to make them things of legend.