“Like Father, Like Son”…
I am planning on doing a series of 15 blogs on my thoughts and comments concerning several “sayings”.
The first one is on “Like Father, Like Son”:
1) Like father, like son:
~ Part of the American ethic states that parents are supposed to be the prime role models for their children. Through much of our history, sons were expected to grow up to be like Daddy and a daughter’s goal was to follow in Mommy’s footsteps. A boy more often than not went in to the same line of work as his father (who had followed his own father)… whether it be a “family business”, working in the mines, medicine, law or the military. Children were expected to be true reflections of their parents. That was not only in appearance and mannerisms, but in goals and attitude as well. Genetics and nurturing may well account for many of the similarities in looks and personality, but so much of who a child becomes is centered around the discipline and “brainwashing” he receives while under parental care. The majority of parents tend to want to do “what’s right” for the child… but so often, it ends up being what the parents WANT to be “right” for the child. Children who do not conform to the expectations of their parents are far too often viewed as “sick” and taken to a physician or psychiatrist who diagnoses the child as having some newly created “dis-ease”, such as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The child is then prescribed mood altering drugs that inhibit his true nature and forces him to conform to the preferred personality dictated by the parents and society at large.
My parents raised me in a rather sheltered environment. The extended family was what I would call somewhat “simple minded”. They were interested only in the moment, in having fun (even at the expense of others), in “winning” whatever game they played, and relished in the belittlement of those who were “different” from the status quo. I remember as a boy in the late 50s and early 60s how my relatives would use the words “nigger”, “queer”, “Jew-boy”, “Spic”, etc. as if any group other than WASPs (White, Anglo-Saxon Protestants) were of a stature far below themselves. I think that even 2 or 3 of my great-uncles were members of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, don’t get me wrong! I loved (and still DO) both of my parents. In fact, if any person could be elevated to the level of Sainthood, it would be my Mom. My Mom has no pretense to be any person other than who she is. My Dad, on the other hand, is very self-conscious of how his peers view him. Even though he is a very compassionate man, he molds himself to “fit in” with whoever is in his group of friends. As a child, he was “trained” to be macho… as all boys who grew up in the first half of the 20th century were expected to be raised. I NEVER introduce any of my friends to my Dad. The last time I did, my Dad didn’t say a word, but just stared at my friend with a judgmental look on his face. My friend felt VERY uncomfortable (as did I). My Mom, on the other hand, has always taken my friends into her fold and made them feel comfortable.
So… “Like father, like son”? NO… not in my case. I love my Dad, even with his flaws (for we all have our own flaws). But, even though I love him, I have NO desire to be like him. We are two vastly different entities. I suppose you could say that I am somewhat of a rebel, in that I absolutely will NOT conform to the expectations of society. I am ME and that is that! If someone likes me, it has to be for the person I truly am… not for someone they want me to become. I know my Dad loves me, but I also know he holds a bit of animosity towards me for not being the son he wanted me to be… I don’t go hunting or even fishing; I didn’t find a “nice girl” and get married; I didn’t go to medical school and become a pharmaceutical-pushing “faux doctor” (true healers treat the cause of an illness, not the symptom); and I’m not a super macho he-man who tries to impress “the guys” and woo the girls. I am ME. My Dad is afraid to be himself… and I think that after almost 78 years of life, he honestly has forgotten who his “true” self is. He was raised by his grandmother, who spoiled him to an unbelievable extent. To this day, he is highly impatient, has a quick temper, and is often times extremely immature. I don’t say these things to hurt my Dad, as that is the last thing I would ever want to do. I merely describe them in an effort to show the vast difference between us. I can see the wisdom of my spiritual elders in the decision for me to incarnate as the gay son of my conservative Southern Baptist parents. They have been nurturing to me, as well as given me some very important life lessons that I can carry with me back to the spirit world. Sure, it has been tough at times, but that is part of the journey. So, even though I have no desire to be like my Dad, I have the utmost respect for his role in my development.
Inspirational Quotes…
I have a link to this video on my “Spiritual Trek” page, but couldn’t add another “Pop-Up Player” since I already had 5 there… so here it is:
“Open that Damned Closet Door!” … or not…
A few weeks ago, I got an anonymous instant message on Yahoo! Messenger. It was from someone who described himself as a shy guy in his upper 20’s. He said he had “accidentally” found my website when he was “playing around on Google”, and after reading pages and blogs for a good while, he decided to contact me via one of the means of contact I have listed on my site. After chatting with him for a few minutes, he said he was a gay man who was very deeply “in the closet”. He was only “out” to a few other gay friends (and his boyfriend, of course) and that all of them kept pestering him to “come out” to everyone. He told me that he really didn’t want to do that, as it would cause him more problems than benefits. I didn’t ask him why he felt that way. I’m sure he had his reasons, and I respected that. He asked my opinion on the matter, as he “respected” me (even though he didn’t know me) since he had read so many of my blogs and knew I spoke from the heart and say things exactly as I see them. I thanked him for the honor he gave me by saying that. Then I told him what I thought about him being pressured to “come out” to the world. I related to him how the philosophy of Joseph differs from that of the majority of humanity. Most people tend to do what they think everyone else expects them to do. They mold their lifestyles around the expectations of their peers and elders, as well as other authoritative people. Very few people are willing to be themselves 100%. The first bit of advice I gave the guy was to “be himself” and do what HE thought was the right thing to do. “Being oneself” doesn’t mean that you have to reveal EVERY single aspect of who you are; and it doesn’t mean that you have to reveal anything to the entire world around you. I told him that if he felt any discomfort about telling someone something personal, then the time wasn’t yet ripe to do so. He said that the thing that bothered him the most was that he didn’t understand why it was deemed necessary for him to “come out” of the closet and tell everyone that he was gay. I then told him my views on “coming out”. To me, “coming out” (with all the nervousness, shame, fear and whatever other emotions an individual may feel) is analogous to a “confession”. When someone confesses something, it is generally with a lot of guilt. To confess something is to say that you are admitting some sort of wrong doing on your part. Now, unless I’m totally ignorant (and I’m rather certain I’m not), being gay is in no way “wrong”. And, it is nothing that needs to be dealt with by confession. It is merely one of many parts of who we are. He then asked me if I was “out”. I told him that I have never had a moment when I went up to someone and said, “I’m gay”. BUT… I also told him that anytime someone asked me if I were gay, that I told them the truth (unless I felt as if doing so would endanger my life). To me, it doesn’t matter if someone knows I’m gay or thinks I’m straight. For that matter, I don’t care if they think I’m an alien or an angel on Earth. I discovered long ago that regardless of what you tell someone, they’re going to believe whatever they want. That’s human nature. Most people are ruled by their ego, and rarely allow their higher self to guide their thoughts and actions. The guy then thanked me for chatting with him, and said that he felt a LOT better about being “in the closet”. He told me that his being gay was nobody’s business unless he wanted it to be. I agreed with him, and told him that he is a unique individual… as is everyone. We should respect that of each other, and in doing so we will grow stronger on our journey through this life. I told him that his struggles with the “coming out” issue was just one of many “tests” he would face in life as he grew into the person he incarnated to become. I told him that there is no such thing as a “mistake”, as each action has a lesson to teach us. We grow from our fears, our anger, our hurts and our loves. As the chat ended, the guy (I never asked his name, as it wasn’t important) typed, “Oh.. btw… I’m gay!… haha… I had to say that” Of course, I already knew he was gay (he had told me earlier)… but I thought his sense of humor on the matter was appropriate. I think he felt better about himself after our chat, and I have no doubt that he better understands the fact that HE is in control of his life, rather than his peers and others.
Scattered Thoughts (more or less)…
Tonight, I have so many random thoughts floating in and out of my mind that I decided it was time for another blog post of just that…. RANDOM THOUGHTS.
1) Anybody who knows me, KNOWS that I love eBay. I’m constantly in search of antique books dealing with metaphysics, herbalism, indigenous and far eastern spirituality, old cookbooks and old medical books… and, I can often find some good deals there. However, more often than not, I see a book I’m interested in on eBay and end up finding a better copy cheaper on ABEbooks.com. The thing that tends to aggravate me about bidding on eBay is when an “eBay virgin” (someone who has only bid on a few items since becoming a member) starts a bidding war with the other bidders. eBay virgins generally don’t care how much they have to pay for an item… as long as they “win” the auction. Now, I realize that the sellers LOVE bidding wars… but the bidders want to “win” the item as cheaply as possible and get a good deal. What I now do is use an auction sniper (Auctionstealer.com) when I bid on an eBay item. It is a free service, but I pay my $19.95 every 3 months to get unlimited snipes and a bid placed automatically 3 to 7 seconds prior to the end of the auction. By doing that, I limit the bid increases over the course of the bid… unless there is already a war going on between 2 or more “virgins”.
2) Last Tuesday, my new Dell Studio XPS 8000 computer FINALLY arrived (after Dell changed the ship date 3 times… it was originally due 09 December). It came loaded with Windows 7. After using the PC for 5 days, I have come to the conclusion that it is the best computer I’ve ever had, and I actually like Windows 7 at least as much as I liked XP. I still have to download new drivers for my laserjet printer, but my inkjet was Windows 7 compatible. I had to order the newest version of Printshop… otherwise I wouldn’t be able to design and print my famous ( haha ) greeting cards… and Valentine’s Day is coming up quickly. Anybody who wants to get on my greeting card list let me know… all I need is a mailing address.
3) Over the past few years, I’ve felt my spirit growing at an accelerating rate… even though my ego has tried its best to hold back my higher self. Yet, our true destiny will always guide us in the right direction. This new year… 2010… excites me! I “know” that the year will unfold some amazing things… not just for me, but for the entire Earth. I can “see” and “feel” special energies rising in my closest friends, as well as myself. A new age is rapidly dawning on Earth, and I highly recommend that each of you grasps hold of that excitement and energy and allow it to guide you towards your own special destiny. So many of us who are currently incarnated have been given the task of helping to heal the Earth of the pain and neglect that our forebears have wrought. Let your own inner feelings dictate how you proceed on your journey… even though your ego will demand that you listen to the status quo ( media, organized religion, gossips and fear mongers).
4) I finally did it! Yep…. I deleted my MySpace profile. Every single person that I cared about on MySpace is now my friend on Facebook… so I no longer had any desire to keep MySpace. That site was more of a high school drama site than anything else. Facebook is far more conducive to mature interaction. If you’re reading this and aren’t yet a Facebook friend of mine… just let me know, and I’ll be glad to add you.
5) The favorite Christmas gifts that I ever get are the gifts of continued friendship with those who are closest to me. Whether I consider you to be a best friend, “family” or am secretly in love with you…. hahaha…. I love you more than any other gift I could possibly receive. Another favorite gift that keeps repeating each year (thankfully…hahaha) is the gift of this website that Chuck gives me. Without that gift, I wouldn’t be able to write this blog and keep these pages available for your viewing pleasure. I’ll only mention one other gift that I received this year: Joey sent me the season 1 DVD set of True Blood. I’ve watched the first 4 episodes, and I must say that I am now a diehard fan of that show. In addition to thanking each of my friends for their love and friendship… I want to give a very special “Thank You” to the four friends who are my very best ( I’ll list in alphabetical order, rather than being thought to show a favorite order… for once you are a “best friend” you are #1 in my heart). Those 4 are: Chuck, Joey, Joshua and Tony.
6) As I got the Christmas tree put up a week later than usual this season, I didn’t take it down until this morning. I always get rave reviews for my tree trimming, but I have never been able to take a photo that came close to doing the tree justice…. so just take my word that it was gorgeous 
.
7) I am looking forward to warmer weather, as that is usually when I take my first mini-vacation to a rental cabin in the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, TN area… usually in Wears Valley. This year, I hope to do that about 3 times (did it 2 times each of the past 2 years). I’ve invited Joey (and his doggies, if he wants to bring them and I can get a “pets allowed” cabin) to come up sometime in April… he wants to visit Dollywood. Anyone else who would like to share a peaceful few days sometime during the year, let me know and I’ll be glad to have you join me. I always try to choose cabins that are private and secluded… as it is very conducive to meditation and relaxation.
8 ) After having been without a telephone for 3 days during the power outage the weekend before Christmas, I bought a new landline phone. My old one was cordless, and would not work when the power was out. Sure, I have a cell phone… but it only gets enough of a signal at the house to get and send text messages. My new phone is a corded phone. Even though it has caller ID and a digital message screen that won’t work without electricity, the phone itself works just fine when the power supply is cut off. So… next time the power goes out (and I hope that is NEVER….hahaha), you can still call me.
OK…that’s all folks (in my best Porky Pig impersonation). 
HAPPY NEW YEAR…
H is for HOPE. We often start each new year with hopes and desires of wonderful things that we want to accomplish. Yet, when we “hope” for something, we’ve already doomed that desire to a greater possibility of failure. When we use the word “hope”, we aren’t really sure if we will ever achieve something, but still desire it. A better way of viewing this is to KNOW and SEE the end result.
A is for ATTITUDE. The way in which we approach any situation dictates how it will play out in our lives. If we see a “roadblock” as an obstacle, it is too easy to admit defeat and give up. If we see it as an opportunity, we are more apt to use our creative imagination and find a way around it.
P is for PERSEVERANCE. Too often, we give up when faced with difficulties. Very few great accomplishments have been a success on the first, or even second or third attempt. The key is for us to learn from our mistakes and apply those lessons in achieving our goals.
P is for PRIDE. To take pride in what we do and who we are is good; but, to allow that pride to elevate us above our fellow humans and to think of them as lesser individuals is NOT good.
Y is for YESTERDAY. Never regret anything that you did in the past, for the past is our teacher for things to come. If we grow from our mistakes, then they weren’t truly “mistakes”.
N is for NOW. It is human nature to procrastinate. The person who grabs hold of ideas and opportunities as they are presented to him is one who moves forward on his journey through life with much excitement and little frustration.
E is for ENERGY. Positive energy, such as that found in the emotions of gratitude, love, happiness and compassion, is one of the most powerful forces known to mankind. It is the creator of all we are and aspire to be.
W is for WISDOM. Intelligence is gained in a classroom. True wisdom is gained from life experience and learning to listen to our higher self.
Y is for YOU. The majority of people are spectators in life. They mold themselves to the expectations of those people they deem to be of a higher authority. They become drones in a “borg-like” collective. To truly be who you are destined to become, you must be YOU… not someone other people want you to be.
E is for EQUALITY. We are souls training in a human classroom. None of us is “better” than another. We are simply at different stages in our learning and growing process.
A is for AWAKEN. We are living in an exciting time. Humanity as a whole is beginning to awaken to its true destiny. The restraints of government and organized religion are beginning to crumble as the people become wiser to who they are and “why” they are here.
R is for RELAX. Too many people believe that they must worry about things. “Worry” is a negative emotion, and is detrimental to health and life. Worry causes stress, and stress causes all illness. One should never worry about anything over which he has no control. Do what you can… then just RELAX!
Refreshing Online Merchant…
It seems as if the majority of merchants, whether online or in the physical market place, are interested in you only for your money. Most could care less about YOU as a customer, let alone a person. The employees mostly want to earn their meager paycheck and get the hell out of the store. Rudeness and complacency seem to be the only requirements for one to gain a job in the retail business.
There are exceptions, however:
In the physical market place, there are two stores that have welcomed me with open arms every single time I visited. The closest to me is Earth Fare in the Westgate shopping center in Asheville, NC… and the other is about an hour away in Johnson City, TN ( Natural Foods Market). In both stores, the employees are very friendly and genuinely concerned about the customer. They seem to go out of the way to help, and always with a positive attitude.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of dealing with a rare online vendor that reacted with lightning speed to my order, then sent me the following e-mail that made me smile:
Joseph-
Thanks for your order with CD Baby!
Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved “Bon Voyage!” to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, December 29, 2009.
We hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. In commemoration, we have placed your picture on our wall as “Customer of the Year.” We’re all exhausted but can’t wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sigh…
We miss you already. We’ll be right here at http://cdbaby.com/, patiently awaiting your return.
CD Baby is a site that helps new recording artists market their music. I’ve found several CDs here that I heard on Live365.com internet radio, but couldn’t find in a store or even on Amazon.com. They even have a sister site, Film Baby where new, hard-to-find DVDs from independent film makers can be found. Film Baby was one of the first places you could buy Jason & deMarco’s DVD “We’re All Angels” that was featured on Showtime.
I’m glad to have stumbled across these two sites. I won’t be a stranger to either… that’s for sure!
Personal Observations & Ponderings…
~People have lost the inherent instinct of basic survival.
~Modern conveniences are taken for granted.
~Fear and doubt block ingenuity and creativity.
~We rely on others to do things for us, rather than take the initiative to provide our own basic needs.
~We get angry and scared when things go wrong.
~We worry more about “why” something happened than “how” we can benefit or grow from it.
~When we imagine the worst thing that can happen, we are fueling that very action.
~It is human nature to see a negative event as bad luck or punishment, rather than seeing it for what it truly is…. a lesson and opportunity for growth.
~We harbor anger and hate in an attempt to hide our own insecurities.
~The only person we should measure ourselves against is ourself.
~We tend to define “beauty” by the opinions of the media and its adherents.
~Some of the most content beings on Earth are those we consider to be “lower life forms”. That makes me wonder how much “higher” we really are.
~Are we truly happy when we get what we want? There is always something else to take its place in the world of our desires.
~Listen closely to those fleeting thoughts that pass through your mind. More often than not, it is your higher self speaking to you… and your ego will do its best to convince you that the thought is stupid and unimportant.
~What we have come to call a “coincidence” is usually a synchronicity (that was implanted in our soul’s mind before we incarnated) “coming to life” … and it is meant to jog our soul memory to action in an effort to nudge us on the correct track of our “journey” through this life.
~Our eyes don’t lie. The muscles and facial tissues surrounding our eyes can be manipulated to mask the truth… but the eyes themselves are incapable of deceit.
~As it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, it also takes more energy to think a negative thought than one that is positive.
~A single kind thought, word or deed can cause a chain reaction of smiles and good will.
~Every negative thought has at least one positive alternative.
~A gift that is given with the expectation of one in return is not truly a gift.
~A good deed done in silence is more powerful than one done for glory.
~The most amazing time of the day is very early morning, when most people are still asleep.
~Most people are afraid to “be” their true selves.
~People who worry about how someone might view their actions are full of self doubt.
~I don’t try to keep up with trends or “the flavor of the day”… I tend to create my own style.
~I see every situation as a positive event, even if it appears negative to the rest of humanity.
~Friends are like rocks: We must wade through a sea of stones before we can find a gem.
~I love my friends unconditionally… even during the times they may not love me.
~A true friend is one who remains with you during your lowest of times.
~There is more truth and wisdom in our dreams than most people realize.
~”Making love” with someone special is far more erotic than “having sex”.
~There are few things as relaxing as a warm bubble bath, with candles, incense and soft music.
~What other people do is none of my business, as long as it doesn’t hurt another living entity.
~True compassion is a rare trait in modern day humanity.
~All animals and plants have a soul, though we have been taught that they are merely expendable “things” for human usage.
~Mother Earth is hurting from our abuse, and only we can heal her pain.
~Finding places of solitude is increasingly difficult.
~When we emit our own positive, loving energy… we can heal many hurts.
~Negative energy spreads like wildfire, and makes the world sick; positive energy is no less contagious, but is healing to the world.
~Your gut feeling about something is more often than not right, even if your ego and other people try to convince you otherwise.
BAH, HUMBUG… British Style
One emotion that people VERY rarely see in me is that of “being pissed off”. Right now, if you were in the same room as I am, you would see that emotion emanating from me. Honestly, the only things that ever piss me off are those things that hurt my friends… especially one of my best friends. I think in a previous blog, I mentioned that a very good friend of mine, Joshua, who lives in Liverpool in the UK had lost his job due to the economic crisis there. He and his friends agreed that they would cancel Christmas this year, since they could not afford to buy gifts for anyone. I know that was very hard on Joshua, since he is one of the kindest, most giving people I’ve ever known. He enjoys giving gifts more than just about anything. When he told me that he was having to cancel Christmas this year, I asked him if it would be OK if I sent him a nice parcel full of goodies. I could “see” the excitement in every word he typed when he wrote back saying that YES, receiving a Christmas parcel would do wonders with lifting his holiday spirit (his birthday is 5 days before Christmas). I gathered some nice items that I thought he would enjoy (lots of candies, of course) and mailed the parcel (which cost over $50 to mail…. but this year, mailing cost was no issue, since I wanted Joshua to have at least one parcel for the holidays). For the past 2 weeks, he has been eagerly awaiting delivery of that “special parcel”…. the one that had already put a smile of anticipation on his face.
Today, I received the following message from Joshua:
Hi buddy hope ur well and good, i’m very upset at the moment as the postman tryed to deliver ur parcel today HM Revenue & Customs wanted me to pay £40 (THAT”S $64.11 USD) VAT (Value Added Tax) before they would let me have the parcel. that amount of money was not around at the time the post man came so he told me he is sending the parcel back to you. this country is discusting at the moment with charges and all they want to do is rip the people here off everyway they can. i’m upset that the postman was not willing to give any time for payment and repeated himself he was sending it back to the sender. so thanks to revenue and customs I won’t be opening your parcel this christmas ;-( xxx
That message literally tore my heart out of my chest. For a country to tax the hell out of people who are out of work, is a disgrace. In checking the internet to see how legitimate that VAT was, I found that an “Import VAT is payable if the value of the gift exceeds 36 British Pounds ($57.69 USD)”. Had I known that, I wouldn’t have listed the value as such, and definitely wouldn’t have added the value of the postage into the insurance. I think what really pissed me off was that the postman wouldn’t even give Joshua a chance to get the money… being out of work, that is a lot of money… especially to have lying around the apartment. Common decency would dictate that the postman would take the parcel back to the postal office and hold it for a few days before doing something rash like destroy the excitement of the season for someone who truly needed a lift in spirits. I told Joshua that if he has a Paypal account, I will be more than glad to send him the money to pay that ridiculous VAT. That is…. if the uncaring postal workers would do the right thing and hold the parcel until he can pay the tax. Also, I honestly doubt that the parcel will be returned to me, as the the customs document dictated that the parcel would be disposed of if it were undeliverable. I’ve never had a parcel to Joshua NOT be delivered in the 8 or 9 years that I’ve known him (though one did arrive damaged and empty), so I didn’t check the box that would return it to me (and I would have to pay the postage once again) if it couldn’t be delivered. Never in my wildest dreams did I even know about such a thing as a Value Added Tax on import gifts. I feel so badly for Joshua, for his bleak Christmas just got a lot bleaker. Oh… and I seem to have misplaced the insurance certificate also (I hope I didn’t accidentally throw it away). One way or another, I’m going to make sure Joshua has SOMETHING for Christmas and his birthday! What I really want to happen is for him to get that parcel. If anyone reading this has ANY connections in England that could help… please let me know. I honestly don’t know what else to do. But, one thing I DO know is that Joshua WILL get something… some way…. some how.
The lack of compassion in this modern world sometimes amazes me… and that is not the sort of thing I like to be amazed about.
Joshua has a beautiful soul with one of the biggest hearts I know about. He doesn’t deserve this sort of CRAP… especially during this special season of love and happiness.
Thought Farts…
Wow… has it been THAT long since I posted something here? I guess the old cliché about ‘time flying’ is true. I’m a lot later this year in sending out Christmas cards and mailing parcels, but those are now all completed… except for one parcel, but the recipients are in Massachusetts this weekend, then will be in Tennessee until the first of the New Year… so I have a week or so to get that one mailed to Houston, TX.
I was thinking about taking another trip to Florida over the holiday break, but I’ve had several extra expenses over the past few weeks… and it may be best to wait until the spring of 2010 to take that trip. Not totally decided yet, however. If anyone was “expecting” me to hand deliver their gifts this year, fear not… for those are now in the mail, and if they haven’t yet been delivered by the good ole U.S. Postal Service, they will arrive next week sometime.
Getting my Christmas cards and gift tags designed and printed this year has been something of a major effort. My current PC decided it would no longer recognize that there were a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM drive installed… and re-installing the drivers was a vain effort. This is the same PC that gave me the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” last year. I got fed up with the piece of junk and ordered a new one from Dell… a Studio XPS 8000. I was told that it would be delivered by 12/09. That would be perfect, since it would arrive in time to design and print my cards before I had to mail them. BUT…. (and it seems as if there is ALWAYS a “BUT”)… Dell e-mailed me and said that the “new” delivery date would be “by 12/23″. So far, they have yet to ship it. That is exactly what happened when I ordered my Dell Mini-9 laptop several months ago. It was promised within 2 weeks… but took over a month to arrive. **sigh**
So…. that forced me to get creative when it came to doing the cards, etc. The reason I could no longer use my current PC for that project is that my printer decided it would no longer recognize the fact that most print projects required RED ink. It would print using the other 5 cartridges… but the carriage would not move over far enough to access the RED cartridge. The thing about printers is that it is cheaper to buy a new one than to have the old one repaired…. So, I bought a new printer… a HP Photosmart Plus B209-a. I got it on sale for less than half price. When I got it home, I realized that I couldn’t connect it to my current PC, because the CD-ROM drive wouldn’t work. S0…. I installed it on my oldest laptop (a refurbished Dell Lattitude). I then designed my cards on my PC, transferred the template to a flashdrive and printed them from the laptop. I did the same with the inserts that went into the cards… as well as the gift tags I put on some of the gifts I mailed out. I think my muses were testing my patience and ingenuity. At first, I’m sure I didn’t fare so well in the patience category, but in time I took it all in stride. I’m a person that knows problems are bestowed upon us in order to develop our creative thinking to a greater degree. So, instead of cursing my misfortunes, I smiled and said, “OK… you put up a roadblock, but I can find a way around it.”
One of my best friends, Joshua, who lives in Liverpool, England told me a couple of weeks ago that he had been laid off from his job. He said that the economic situation there is horrendous. He had so many friends out of work, that they got together and made the decision to “cancel Christmas”. They simply could not afford to buy any gifts for anyone. Hearing him say that he is skipping Christmas put a major hurt into my heart. I asked him if it would be OK if I sent him a nice parcel… as long as he wouldn’t feel obligated to send me anything. I told him that the only gift I wanted from him was his friendship, and that I already had that. He smiled and said that he would appreciate a parcel… as it would lighten up the darkness of the season this year. (Even if he had told me not to bother, I would have sent one anyway).
My Mom keeps asking me what I want for Christmas. I keep telling her that I honestly don’t want anything… but, you know Moms! That is NOT an acceptable answer for her to hear. haha. My Mom and Dad’s finances are very limited, and I don’t want to tell them some expensive item. And I can’t think of little things that I would like to have… I usually just go to Amazon.com or eBay and get those things when I need them. On top of that, I’ve had a couple of friends ask me the same thing. I guess I find it a bit hard to understand why it is so difficult for someone to think of a “gift” to give me. I’m really not all that hard to satisfy. I think it is mainly because I am constantly finding things for the people I love. I buy or make things throughout the year, because I try to always know at least a few of the things that family and friends like… and when I come across something that fits one of those categories, I grab it and save it for a special occasion… or more often, I create my own special “surprise” occasions. So… for those 2 friends who insist on getting me something (and I know you sometimes read this) here is a link to my Amazon.com “Wish List”…
I had a link here once, but when I had to change templates, I can’t figure out how to put the “button” back on the main page.
My very best friend ever… Joey… has finally gotten moved from his apartment into the house he bought in Jacksonville, FL. I know it was a very tiring move, because most of the furniture he has weighs a TON…. and I’m not exaggerating. Besides, he’s lived in that apartment for at least 10 or 12 years, and things accumulate over time. He is now visiting friends in Toronto for a few days, and he is having a blast. I’m so happy that he is now able to relax and have a good time after all the stress and pain of buying a house and moving.
One thing that frustrates me about several of the people I chat with or e-mail on a somewhat regular basis is that I am the one who always seems to have to “initiate” the contact. I was thinking the other day that perhaps these people are not really “true” friends. Perhaps they are only “being nice” and responding, or they have some motive in mind other than an honest friendship. The other day, I was chatting with one of these friends, and a lot of the comments from him were “OK” and “Yeah”. It seemed as if I were doing all the “talking”. Another friend was obviously more interested in some dumb TV show than he was in spending a few minutes chatting with me… so I just said “Goodnight” and logged off. I’ve chatted with some people who leave the chat all of a sudden without saying good-bye or anything… it’s not that they lose their internet connection every time. They do that on a regular basis. It amazes me that people don’t have the common courtesy to “BE NICE” and act as if they genuinely cared about spending a few minutes of “we time” when we connect in chat.
btw…. Chuck, Joey and Joshua: YOU guys are the best friends anyone could ever hope to have. I LOVE our online time, because when we connect, I KNOW I’m as important to you as you are to me. THANK YOU for being so special, guys.
Soul Mate and Soul Family….
Will I ever meet my soul mate in this incarnation?
The only honest answer I can give to that question is “I don’t know”. More than likely, I either HAVE already met him, or I WILL meet him sometime in the future. Soul mates almost ALWAYS meet in each incarnation… BUT, that doesn’t mean they will connect as lovers, partners or be “married” for a lifetime…. and may even “fall in love” with someone else. Often, our soul mate incarnates to “help” us with whatever “lesson” we are to learn in our current incarnation. And, that is true of many members of our soul family. I know for a fact that I’ve met at least 2 members of my soul family in the past few years, as I’ve progressed to a more advanced level of my spiritual journey. Who knows? One of them may be my true soul mate, but that doesn’t mean we are meant to connect as such during this incarnation. We may just be here to help each other “grow”. I accept that fact with no difficulty, as I truly understand the soul/human connection, and our purpose for “living” a human existence.
How do we know when we meet not only our soul mate, but a member of our soul family? That isn’t an easy question to answer… and it is even harder for the average person to comprehend. The main thing that cues us in on it is that there is an almost instantaneous connection. You will feel more comfortable around that person than you do most people. It is almost as if a bond of pure energy connects you both. You will be able to “feel” his thoughts and feelings with regularity, and know when he is sick, happy, sad or practically any emotion he emits. It will be very difficult to hold any anger, disappointment, fear, or other negative emotion towards a true member of your soul family.
What characteristics help define who is a member of our soul family? I suppose they could vary among people, but here are a few that always show up for me:
~I feel an instant connection to the person.
~I “know” things about him that I normally wouldn’t.
~I would do ANYTHING for that person, without a second thought.
~I know I can always rely on him to be “there” for me.
~Even if there is a tense moment between us, I will harbor no lasting negative feelings.
~I will unconditionally LOVE him, no matter what.
~The beauty I see in him will be there even when his physical beauty fades, for his true beauty lies within.
~I accept that he will always make the best decisions for himself, even if they may not seem as such at the time (for we must make mistakes in order to grow).
~The person will be constantly present in my mind, thoughts and actions.
~I will want to do special things for him.
~I will feel that anything I have is equally his. All he has to do is ask.
~I would give up my own life if it were necessary to preserve his.
Those are just a few of the things that help me define who a member of my soul family is. Everyone I’ve ever loved (be it friend or family member) has known the Joseph who incorporates many of the above characteristics. BUT, only true members of my soul family can have every single one of those characteristics bestowed upon him. I know I will meet more members of my soul family, and I look forward to that with very high anticipation… BUT, the 2 I have met so far will forever be a REAL part of me…. as I will be a forever part of them.
Yes… I really do hope I am destined to not only meet my twin flame / soulmate; but, I hope we are destined to connect in this incarnation as only true soul mates can. But, even if my soul mate comes into my life as only a friend, relative or acquaintence during this incarnation, that is OK also… for I know that by having a few members of my soul family very close to my heart, I will be safe on this journey, and will grow into a full blossoming of the soul with their loving guidance.
If the two members of my soul family that I know are currently incarnated with me happen to read this, know beyond any doubt that I love you more than life itself… and I thank you for being with me on this rough journey we call “human life”.
Namasté, my brothers!
