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…”

My Car is Possessed

     I believe many cars are possessed by demons. Actually, most of the cars I owned would fall in to this category. We expect a lot out of our cars, much more than we did when I started driving over 60 years ago. They breakdown on occasion or develop a weird noise that is extremely irritating.

     When I was younger I did many of my own repairs. It was the guy thing to do and I didn't have deep pockets, so whenever I could do my own repairs it was like getting a bonus. For a while, I tried to convince myself that working on cars was fun but it wasn't. I like driving cars but as I grew older I decided that I was fooling myself about the enjoyment attached to repairing them.

     I banged up my knuckles many times when the wrench slipped off a nut, propelling my hands deep into the engine compartment, bouncing off various immoveable sharp objects. I cracked my head on the hood more times than I can remember as I lifted a part off the engine. The scabs left on my head made it tricky and always painful to comb my hair for weeks. Each time I ran the comb through my hair I took extra caution to avoid the scab but invariably, I would nick it and relive the pain as it was a fresh gash. Like any guy I wore my scars like a badge of accomplishment. If they gave awards out for injuries received during car repairs, I would undoubtedly be a Medal of Honor candidate.

     I'm not even going to complain out the many times oil dripped down my arms onto my face or the grease that seemed to permanently inhabited the crevasses in my hands. Some may say that I was the problem not the car, which I can agree to in part. I do believe though that the car was laughing at my mishaps and secretly participating in my misadventures, by releasing the nut unexpectantly or squirting oil in my eye as I was about to complete the repair. That's a sure sign of a demon at work.

     The answer to my dilemma was to turn over the repair work to a professional.  So, I did just that, and no longer had prizefighter hands. I also now combed my hair without worry. My troubles were over, well at least that's what thought. Unlike some women, (I said some, calm down) I knew enough about cars to be able to have an intelligent conversation with my mechanic but the demon car was not done with me yet. I didn't run to my mechanic for every noise I heard just those that were persistent. Whenever I heard a repetitive odd noise from the demon car I would make an appointment at the repair shop. It was usually a harsh embarrassing squeal that disturbed other motorist or scared their children.

     I dutifully, made the repair appointment when I saw children screaming and pointing at my car. It was a sign. I wanted to show the mechanic I was knowledgeable about cars. So, I explained the problem with as much detail as possible and even gave suggestions on an approach to take, which I'm sure he appreciated, not. On the way to the shop my car always seemed to perform like well-maintained Indy car. It's difficult for a mechanic to fix the problem when the car is humming like a finely turned exotic sports car. You get that look, women will understand, where they cock their head back and forth like a puppy then chuckle saying, "Ok, let me take a look."

     Last time I said, "The car is possessed, it's been running like crap all week, but it drove perfectly on my way here."

     "That happens all the time." He said. I'm sure he was thinking, don't worry girly boy, we got this, just leave us your bank account and routing number.

     I just want to get some respect for my car knowledge. Next time I'll tell them to call me "The Fonze" that should do it.

The Most Important Thing in Life

     Have you ever wondered what's the most important thing your life? I have and I bet it is the same for both of us. A positive connection to others is what I seek, not just the art of communication but making a real connection with other people.

     I had a friend ask me how many people will you meet in your lifetime, a million? I don't know the answer. Meeting a million people would be amazing but it's just a number. I think a number that's even more meaningful is the number of people you connect with even in a casual way.

     So many people today voice their opinion but they're not trying to connect with people they want people to conform to their ideas. They want the stage to promote their beliefs without listening to others. A big part of connecting with others is listening to them, which takes an open mind. Little kids are great at making connections, they are open to connecting with anyone. Somewhere in life this openness is replaced with suspicion.

     I can't say everyone believes connecting to others is the most important thing in life. I know there are people that want nothing to do with others and would be glad to live their life out in solitude. But I believe that's a small number by comparison. Maybe the reason they want nothing to do with others is because of too many broken connections. "Just Saying...."

Shave and a Haircut Two Bits

     Getting haircut is not my favorite thing to do. It's the amount of time it takes not the cost. Many years ago my wife, Mimi, bought an inexpensive hair cutting kit. She offered to cut my hair or trim it up on occasion, which was fine with me. I didn't have to drive to the barber and wait my turn, which took valuable time out of my day. She has been cutting my hair for years now, but insist that I go to the barber every three or four cuts just to straighten things out. Although I haven't noticed anything wrong with the haircuts she has given me, but it's a reasonable request, so I complain but comply.

     I will frequently ask for a haircut like George Clooney, Brad Pitt or Matt Damon but she said "I'm cutting hair not doing plastic surgery."

     "Ok, point taken." I said, "What style would be best for me?"

     "Professor Irwin Corey, might work well for you."

     "No, I think that would be hard to maintain." I said.

     "I could do a Telly Savalas cut on you." She said, "Who loves you baby?"

     "Thanks, I'll pass, just cut it exactly like it is, but smaller."

     "Ok, I can do that." she chuckled.

     I try to bring the real barber experience to each cut by asking Mimi, if saw the game or has an opinion on the new trades but she seems uninterested. I have given other innovative suggestions like, serving wine or beer, offering a massage with each cut. Alas! All my suggestions were rejected. So, I guess any exotic request would also be dismissed. Mimi's shop provides the true no frills economy barber service, which requires cleanup by the client.

     Recently Mimi added a new scissors to her barber kit. It's called a thinning scissors. I'm not sure why that would be needed since my hair seems to be thinning naturally, but she's the barber. Had it been my choice, I would have picked the thickening scissors. 

     I asked, "Do you know how to use this new scissors or am I the test dummy?"

     "You are the dummy." She laughed.

     I hope this doesn't result in a black and yellow symbol on the side of my head. My haircut turned out great as usual, but maybe now that she has a new scissors I can get that George Clooney cut.