Life on the Roller Coaster

It's probably totally cliche' but I've always thought that the most accurate description of life was it's like a roller coaster.  Once you're on, you have no control, you are definitely going to ride up and down...extreme highs and deep fast lows.  I personally never liked that chug, chug, chug pull to the top. That climb, it was nerve wracking like the work it takes to reach your goals and dreams in life. Then there is that thrilling, exhilarating swoo-sh-sh down. I always loved that excitement of going over the top. But, quickly you're down, in the valley, in the pit and you have to do the pull up again.

Oh, I absolutely believe that we have great influence on a great deal of our life, whether it will be good or bad.  So much of it though, we have no control over.  We only have control over how we make that ride.  I mean, are you going to undo your safety belt and stand up in the barreling car (like an idiot) or hold on tight and try to ride out, even enjoy the ups and downs?

We would wish, would like, if for every down we got a big up.  Not going to happen. Sometimes it seems that we are riding high and sometimes we feel that we will never get out of the lows. It is never balanced, never fair. And even worse, some folks seems to get a totally undeserved number of lows. I think my point is, if you step onto the roller coaster of life...and, hey we don't have a choice do we? don't ask to be born...you are going to take the ride.  I suppose you could just amble around, hold on to things, hide in the corners. Doesn't seem to me that would be much of a ride.

My oldest and best friend is battling a terrible disease. It is such a horrible experience for her and her family and for we, who love her.  My heart breaks, but would I give up any of the great times we've shared over the years? would I wish that to avoid the pain I had never known her? Of course not.  I have three beautiful daughters and there is never immunity to the ups and downs of their lives. Do I wish that I had never had children? OF COURSE NOT! 

You can't just get off in the middle of the ride.  I have to admit to having no understanding or empathy for those that decide that they are so unique to human existence that they don't have to put up with the hard part. Those people that think they can just check out.  We must cherish, relish every laugh, every wonderful experience, store them up and save them for the sad and bad times. It's the life ride, from the moment that bar clamps down until it releases us, the ride to the end. We have to hang on through all the ups and downs.

Amazon vs. Publishers

I'm the first to admit, I don't always pay close attention when a  story that is even somewhat interesting to me first hits.  I often find myself going back later and trying to really find out what was told, now, what is that really about? True, the story should have been quite interesting to me. A big television celebrity and his big publisher (he evidently wrote a book) were involved in a dispute with Amazon about the online retailer selling books too cheap. 

At the mature age of 65+, after years of my pure enjoyment of writing and often being flattered when a friend, a reader would say, You really should write a book....I had long ago resigned myself to travel logs and letters to friends and family and an occasional sad and creative euology.  Publishers, editors, none of that was feasible at all in the past.  Then lo and behold, a miracle! Amazon.com was offering a free platform, an opportunity for unknown authors to publish their work. I was damn sure that, an unknown writer.   I could actually have a novel, on the internet and only if someone chose to take a chance and read my creation, at a very cheap price, would I then share in the profits with Amazon, the store window that nicely displayed my book. 

All of us, the enormous unpublished, unnoticed writers enthusiastically flooded to the market place.  Happy to have our little bit of extra income and just a bit of recognition. I mean, OMG, there's my book...it looks like a book, it reads like a book, it has my name on it and someone even paid $2.99 to read it.   And more importantly, people who love to read suddenly had a smorgasbord of material for their library at a pittance.  But then, the publishers and the already successful authors begin to take some notice.  What were they missing out on? What was all this e-book nonsense? This was not necessarily good for the independent, self published authors. It was stiff competition when known  authors begin to offer their wares in our marketplace.  But, hey, that's the way it is...it's a free market.

And then, there was the story. I decided that I better try to find out what the dispute really was about, the two sides. It's truly not much deeper than what it originally seemed.  It's...surprise! just about the money.  The truth is, the big publishers don't want to offer their clients books at discount prices, don't want to compete.  Of course they have the perfect right, not to.   Well, gosh darn it, why should they want to give up their business plan? They want you to continue to go to the book store and pay at least ten times what it cost to publish a book and you get a lovely volume for your shelf.  And lucky you, you own one of zillions of copies of a book by a famous author.  Wait though, that's not good enough. They want to TELL Amazon how they should be conducting business and how much the "fair" price should be for books offered.

Sorry, but the way I see it is Amazon is great for authors (both new and seasoned), great for readers and of course, fantastically successful for the company.  How ludicrous that a publishing company would assume they should control the policies of Amazon.  It's amazing to me that only when someone has an innovative and successful idea, the hit dogs start to yelp. Of course, they hate Walmart and Amazon and other real world and online discounters...they want you to continue to pay $50 for their $5 t-shirts or whatever...like books. 

A Year Without Summer

In the wonderful place that I am privileged to spend my summers these days, the climate is something to brag about. Especially since I have spent my whole life in my beloved home, Texas,  where the summer is like a super sauna, sometimes for six month of the year.  One thing for sure, whatever the climate, you have no control.

This has certainly been a year that is out of the norm. At least, it seems so in my experience. I feel like the little cutie in the pic.  It's supposed to be the peak of summer, August the 1st. Today's high temperature was 58 degrees. It seems I  need my jacket and my flip flops. 

Are humans responsible for the weather, for climate changes? No question we have an impact on the planet. Everything on the planet has an impact on the earth. From the ugly old beetle, creeping along the ground, the gopher busy throwing up piles of soil in your yard or the beaver building  dams in the river.  The earth is extremely interactive and everything that is on it, is even the tiniest particle of it, everything that ends it's cycle and becomes part of the soil again,  has influence. 

Just my personal opinion, but there have been cataclysmic, earth shattering changes and adjustments on our planet, a very long time before we humans were even a part of the mix.  While I greatly respect our beautiful place to exist and think we should do all we can to not just recklessly cause destruction...you know that old saying, don't poop where you sleep. I doubt very seriously that mere humans have the power to change the unpredictable and inevitable consequences of hurling through space on a ball with hell for a center. 

I even heard a rumor that some believe our government has gained the knowledge and power to manipulate and control rain clouds and other weather. Really?  The closest we come to controlling mother nature's weather patterns is that expensive air conditioning that I pump into every place I happen to be when I'm in Texas in the summer.  Control the climate? As usual we humans are totally full of ourselves.

Surviving Vs. Preparing

I watched a program recently about a family being taught survival techniques.  I think it's a great and wise idea.  Any knowledge that you can gain is going to put you a step ahead in a crisis situation. 

I have to say though, when they cooked a rat and distilled their own pee to drink...they lost me.  I'm not stupid, you could find yourself in an extreme catastrophic aftermath. You could possibly have no choices left other than the very unthinkable ones.  However, I'm more a believer in the being prepared way of thinking. 

As a "Prepper" you need to arm yourself with all the information that you can attain pertaining to water, food and protection.  I have notebooks with instructions and tips on all of those subjects, from medical to growing and preserving food.  The basics of that collection as well as the basic survival supplies are in my vehicle and in every location that I know I will be, such as this summer cabin.  I am better supplied at my primary home, but not UN-prepared anywhere. 

My point is, an average person over a time can accumulate a lot of survival supplies without spending a lot of money.  The most important thing is that you allow your mind to consider possibilities and how you would cope with those events. If you don't know, find out. Just as you were taught and taught your children, to have a plan to escape your home in a fire. You need to think ahead, not wait and think you will figure it out, IF it happens.  Pick a day in your life and mentally walk through it. How would you accomplish each thing you do in a day without power, running water, transportation? How would you take care of and protect you and your family for even one week without those conveniences?

It's fine and well to believe that you could be tough, that you could think outside the box if it was a necessity.  You have to possess a box, in order to have that option...step one, I need a box.  I've learned in my more than just a few years, you can never say never...but I promise you I will eat a ton of rice and beans and it won't be boiled in my own pee, before I'll be roasting up Mr. Rat for supper.