Straight Talk from Jerry

Jerry gnawed on his unlit cigarette. “Life can be hard, don’t make it harder than it needs to be.”

“Papa, why you say hard?” Stella twisted her finger in her hair.

“It’s how we look at things. It’s not easy to learn new things. It’s hard, but that’s okay. Everything shouldn’t be easy.” 

Stella smiles. "I like easy."

"Everybody likes things easy, but we need challenges. It helps make us better at dealing with problems. We get soft, when everything is too easy."

"Soft like this?" Stella holds up her pillow.

"No, a different kind of soft. When you we're learning to walk, you fell down a lot. Sometimes it hurt, but you got up and did it again, because learning to walk was important to you. It was a challenge and it was hard, but now you know how to walk. If someone would have caught every time you fell, learning would have taken longer. Learning to get up after you fall is part of walking.

"Papa, you talk a lot."

“Yes, sorry sometimes I forget you’re only three. There’s just a bunch of things I want you to know.”

Stella scrunched her face. “It’s okay to fall?”

Jerry laughs. “Yes, that sums it up.”

Marketing Genius

It’s important to recognize those people who have a genius quality, even though up to now, it may have gone unnoticed. They have lived throughout history and achieved financial success without the fanfare they deserve. To this day, I don’t know their names because they live in anonymity. Sure, they are wealthy and live a lifestyle far above our understanding, but I believe their achievements are historic and financial recognition is not enough.

The people I honor by this message may be more than one individual because it’s

hard to fathom that one person alone could develop and promote these ideas. It’s likely a consortium of people made contributions to these revolutionary products. 

The first award goes to the individual or group who first marketed bottled

water. Throughout my life, water has been available and always free, but only in more recent times has it been bottled, distributed, and sold worldwide. This marketer has convinced the world that water in a plastic bottle is better, healthier, and worth spending hard-earned dollars on. Honestly, I admit I was a doubter like so many, but then these wise men or women started selling smart water. That’s right, water that would make you smarter. Genius, I say. Who would refuse to spend money on a product to make you smart? No one, I insist.

We learn many things from history. Some shame us, but others inspire us. Genius 

begets genius, I say. It’s possible the second award winner learned a thing or two from the first winner. The second award goes to the promoter of ripped jeans. It’s a fashion thing, but I believe it was a desperate move caused by damaged merchandise. Many of us would have collapsed in a puddle of despair. But, this genius turned a failure into a financial boom, not only recovering their losses but creating a niche market for barely wearable clothing. Due to the demand for ripped jeans, they could now be sold at a premium, and returns for damaged products would be eliminated because any damage to the merchandise made them more valuable. A stroke of genius for sure.

Historians might give inventors like Johannes Gutenberg, Issac Newton and Louis

Pasteur more credit than the individual or groups I’m promoting, and I agree their contributions to society were worthy, but without marketing, would anyone have noticed?

The corset inventor deserves mention because it was marketed under the guise of

beauty while inflicting pain and discomfort for a smaller waist.

I’m a writer of short stories, but I believe I could sell a novel if I had a genius

marketer. The book title could be, Subliminal Messages From The Future, packed with 

500 pages of nothing. Maybe I could rip a few pages and provide a bottle of smart water 

with each purchase. “Just Saying . . . “

The Homemaker

This is a short piece about a woman who placed a high value on being a great homemaker.

**************************************************************

The wrinkles were deep, so Shirley pressed hard on the iron until she heard a scream. 

Her husband arched his back. "Well, if you let me take it off it will be easier."

“Stop squirming," She turned the heat up. "I'm almost done."

A World in Turmoil

War kills progress

Invades our life

Lives pay the price

Lasting memories of tragedy

 

Under attack

Kyiv bombed

Russia won’t back down

Alarming the world

Injustice kills Justice

NATO must act

Endangered times become normal

 

Starving the world of peace

Under constant threat

Reliving the past

Victory at hand

Ignorance a bound

Vindication by triumph

Everyone looses 

?

 

Everyday Angels

In difficult times people often talk about needing an angel. A winged mythical,

spiritual messenger sent to protect you. Even those who are not normally religious start to 

wish they had an angel by their side. I’m not sure, it could be a defense mechanism that is

 

automatically triggered when we feel down, but no one thinks about angels when

 

everything is going well. 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an angel, at least not as they are

 

described. I do believe in angels, but I'd call them everyday angels. You see them at the

 

grocery store, at the coffee shop, even at the park. They're the people who smile, wave

 

and engage in a friendly conversation sometimes even offering a helping hand loading

 

your groceries. 

Everyday angels don’t need wings, they don’t need to deliver a spiritual message,

they just need to distract us from our problems. They are here to uplift our spirit, brighten

our day. They’re not looking for a reward or trophy. Everyday angels don’t know they

are angels. “Just Saying . . . “

 

 

Memories of Youth

I miss the destinies 

The resolutions

Experiences

Dreams

 

I miss uncertainties

Successes

Failures

Lost friends

 

I miss adventures

Happy times 

Sad times

The unexpected 

 

Now I’m free 

No responsibilities

No deadlines

No time to waste

 

Memories live on 

Time moves forward

No do overs

Few regrets

 

I’ve had my time

But the record still plays

So I still dance

Just not the boogaloo or twist

 

I miss my youth 

But the party’s not over

So I’ll strut my stuff 

While the music still moves me

Simple Pleasures

Hot coffee brews on a cold morning.

Fleece lined jacket smells of campfire smoke

Sausage sizzles in cast iron skillet

 

Sun breaking over snow covered mountains

Wind whistles through evergreens

Night’s silence broken by dawn’s arrival 

 

Your sweetheart cuddles next to you

Aroma of dark roasted beans fills the air

She sips her coffee. “Sniff! Did you fart?”