The Road to Heaven Runs through Hell

Struggles are many in a life so short

No one knows what lies ahead

A challenged life deserves no remorse

One can hope it will reward

Success over rigor is payment enough

The road to heaven is rocky and rough

Love and kindness are the weapons to use

In battling the Hell laid at our feet

One belief gives us hope

The Road to Heaven Runs through Hell

Eat to Live or Live to Eat

     Life changes constantly. The way I grew up is very different from the way life is now. Back in the 50/60's food was fuel. It was important that it taste good but calories and fat weren't a concern. We were young and burned off calories easily. Food was not fancy, at least in my world. The main purpose of food was to sustain us. We ate to live, that's not saying we didn't enjoy the food, but it was not the star of our life.

     Today, food seems to be the star in many of our lives. People live to eat. Look at all the cooking shows on TV that promote every aspect of food in both quality and quantity. I admit even my life food plays a different part than it has in the past. We use more spices to improve the taste of our meals when preparing a meal at home and we enjoy dinners dining out but we don't live to eat. 

     The real star of a dinner is the conversation with the people at your table. The food is the supporting actor to the conversation. Sharing a meal with friends and family is the best part of the evening. I look forward to meals and have my favorite foods but it's best when you share it with a friend.

     So, whether your having a dinner that cost $200 or $20, enjoy the meal but remember it's the people around that make it special. "Just Saying... "

No Bad Day

     While watching the X games I noticed some of the snowboarders had NOBADAY written on the bottom of their boards. As it turns out, it's the name of the board, so it's an advertisement but such a great one. I guess it conveys the attitude of snowboarders.

     We can't all be snowboarders but we can look at life the same way. What would happen if we adopted those three words "No Bad Day" into each and every day? Just saying them aloud makes me smile. It's not a magic pill that will make every day great but isn't it a great way to start your day. It makes the trivial problems melt away leaving you with the best part of the day.

     It could be that snowboarders get such enjoyment out of their sport they can't have a bad day. That's what we need to do, find something we look forward to each day and focus on that. If you look around you find inspiring messages all over. This time it's from snowboarders. "Just Saying....?

Free Range Drivers

     I have noticed more free-range drivers than there have been in the past. You may wonder what I mean by free-range drivers. If you are familiar with free-range chickens, you already have a basic understanding. These are people that drive their cars like lanes don't exist. They roam back and forth from one lane to another without a care in the world. Their roaming is particularly noticeable on double left turn lanes. After making the turn they take any lane of their choosing, left or right maybe even back and forth. Don't expect them to use blinkers, these free roamers don't understand why they are needed.

     Due to my experiences with the many free-range drivers roaming the streets I have acquired an innate ability to detect a driver about to make a free range move. This ability cannot be taught in classes. It can only be acquired by the experience of driving in traffic.

     There are two types of free-range drivers; the aggressive roosters (male or female) that know full well what they are doing by crossing multiple lanes but just don't care. Then, there are the roaming hens (male or female) that just seem to float from one lane to another, oblivious to the world or the other people around them. So, how did these people become free-range drivers? Well, I don't know for sure but one theory is that they first learned to drive a boat where there are no lanes. Although I'm not sure that theory holds water, yuk yuk because I know people that have boats, and have had a smooth transition to driving cars without becoming a free-range driver.

      So, do I have an answer to this problem? No, I don’t, but I have a temporary solution. It's just two words, boat bumpers, preferably the big ones. Tie them to your door handles. The downside is that it will affect the aerodynamics of your car and it might attract attention but isn’t attention what you want and need. “Just Saying…”