Holy Moley!

I am so truly sick of hearing about marriage---about who has a right to BE married and who has a right to SAY who shall be married.  Like all big stories du jour, we are bludgeoned over the head with it for hours and days and weeks. 

Like most things that are perverted, twisted and spun out to fit whatever particular individuals believe and want, the marriage issue has been ran through the grinder, formed into messy little misshaped balls that we now are viciously lobbing at each other.

The definition of marriage or to marry includes, to join as according to custom or law, to combine, to commit, to unify, to take a spouse, to form a close union.  No where in the definition does it mention a piece of paper issued by the government, federal or state, to allow you to marry.  NO ONE can deny you the right to marry.  Marriage is the commitment of love and loyalty between two consenting adults before the spiritual diety they believe in or by their accepted representative of that diety or simply a firm and good faith declaration to each other.  Why would a person think that something as important in their life as taking a partner should fit any one religion's or person's idea of proper.  Marriage is a deeply individual and personal, private commitment of the heart.  If that commitment is true, you are married.

A marriage license is just a tax, a piece of bureaucratic paper that allows the counties and states to levy more of their taxes upon us. In fifty years of marriage, I don't think I've seen or touched my marriage license even twice.  It does have a sentimental value to me but it has not made me love my spouse more, be more loyal or honor my union more. Those things came from the truth of our hearts. 

What needs to happen in this crazy bass-ackwards country of ours is that no one should have to pay for a license to marry.  Folks should marry according to their own beliefs and customs, in their chosen manner. And these unions, so long as they are not breaking laws, should not in any form or fashion be the business of city or county employees.    Even though M. Kim Davis has every right to believe in her version of marriage and her right to speak and protest  is protected,  she has no right to pick and choose which law she obeys and she most certainly has no right to tell any other citizen they cannot have her permission to be married.  Surely, there is much more productive work for someone as important and self assured as this employee to do in order to earn her salary. 

Just like the flight attendant who converted to Islam, suddenly is forbidden to serve alcohol and now thinks a whole airline should accommodate her---no, wrong.  She made her life choices and she is responsible to make the necessary sacrifices for her decisions.  I'm very disappointed at the support that this county clerk has received. Should she have gone to jail? No, she should've been fired like any other person who will not do their job. Why would her religion, her beliefs be above all others?  With all my heart and soul I believe in our freedoms, I believe in standing up for them and in fighting for them.  Religious freedom, freedom of speech, right to bear arms---those are some of our precious promises. No single religion or culture gets to dictate the morals of American citizens.

 I'm sad to say that I don't believe Kim Davis is a survivor as the background music belied, she is arrogant and self righteous.  As another famous person that I have little respect for said, What difference does it make?   If this woman has her heartfelt religions beliefs, then why does she care if someone has a worthless piece of paper that gives them permission to seek hell and damnation. 

One Good Man

Was Abraham Lincoln a true good man? Although, none of us can ever know what is in another person's heart, from all accounts, he was a gentle and good man. He cared about our country and he cared whether he was an upstanding person or not. That's what I'm looking for to be our next president---one good man.

I'm heart sick and disgusted with the parade of the sleazy, slick talking presidential candidates that we are presented with each day.  I'm more sickened by the media coverage these people, that no true American in their right mind would even be considering as the leader of our precious country, are getting.  The media waste their time and ours just waiting for some poor clod to mis-speak or mis-step.  It's like they place a sack of do-do in the candidate's path and then make a headline story out of the fact that they "stepped in it". 

We have no time for this inane and childish, politically correct policing and reporting.  Barrack O'bama used the evil N-word...the press knew exactly what context the man used it in but they exaggerated and spun it out for their own purposes. Does any intelligent person really believe that O'bama was throwing around that hateful word?  Jeb Bush used the term "anchor baby"....oh s--t! offense alert!  Give me a flipping break.  What about the real problems and issues that will affect the very future of our country and it's citizens? What are the media--- middle school hall monitors?

There is a vast difference between a word just mis-spoken and rhetoric that really shows the philosophy and character of a candidate.  A difference in people that lie, cheat and break the law. Will Hillary Clinton loose her temper with some dangerous foreign threat, snap their head off like a bitch dog and ask them "What difference does it make?"  She comes from a history of lies, right on the edge of the law dealings. She is arrogant and full of herself and all the time she is talking of the plight of poor Americans is building her wealth. Duplicity is not a hallmark of  good character. How much smoke can there be and you still say, but there's no fire.

Donald Trump?  I thought for certain that it was some publicity stunt that he was running.  Yes, he is rich. He never misses an opportunity to tell us just how wealthy he is.  Yes, he must be a smart business man to have reached the success he has.  Just because he says what you're thinking does not mean he is a serious possibility to be our president.  I have never seen one ounce of proof that he is a generous man and a good leader. The man, in a not very tactful way, accused his questioner of being at the bad time of month and therefore asking him hard questions. Really? this isn't a mis-spoke word, this is a real indicator of his ideals.  Like Mrs. Clinton, he is arrogant and full of himself and cares about his very own advancement.

These are not good people folks.  Why would we even consider them as our president? We have many other good choices.  America has developed a very high tolerance for very low or no character.  I don't want to hear about one or two words that were said among the thousands and thousands of words that all the candidates speak. I want to know about the real history and values of these people.  I have a right to expect the president of the greatest country on earth, my America, to be of high character. I am looking for just one good man---or woman. A good person, a good president will most certainly make mistakes but it will never be because of their own self serving purpose being above their duty to the job they were so honored to be given.

Going With The Flow

The hubby and I have always agreed and laughed about the fact that we are just middle of the road folks.  We don't have wild and amazing adventures but we don't sit in our chair and never venture out. We take very calculated risks, plan and research our life changes.  We aren't the smartest or the richest or the most beautiful but we aren't the dumbest, poorest or ugly.  You know, just somewhere in the middle of life's extremes, like the large majority of humans.

I would say that there are more reasonable waters to navigate, somewhere in between struggling upstream and laying on your back and floating downstream. 

Sometimes choices and sometimes change that is out of our control make very big diversions in the river of life.  Selling our house in our hometown, keeping our summer cabin 800 miles away and choosing to live in a travel trailer when we are home brought many changes.  One decision nearly always brings many, many more.  When a choice that you make doesn't exactly bring the perfect results that you were after or when an unexpected  event knocks you off your feet, that's when "going with the flow" is a good response. You can't panic, turn and fight wildly upstream against natural currents.  Maybe just kick your feet a bit and get your bearings, make a new plan as to where you're headed. 

Going with the flow doesn't mean that you have no control. We always have choices, some control of our direction. Even with bad things such as health issues, personal losses or disasters, we have control over how we are going to respond and deal with the situation.   Anyone who has ever had to deal with a painful personal loss will tell you that the most surprising and amazing thing is when the morning comes, the new day dawns and life, the world goes on....they felt certain that the world had stopped with their pain. 

The world does not stop, life rushes on.  Whether you're flailing against the flow or rolling along with it, you will not be allowed to stay in one place, you're going to move. It seems to me that if you do anchor yourself in one place, you will certainly eventually drown in boredom and a river of what ifs.  I choose to seek out that place of peace in between, keep myself off the rocks and away from the rapids.  Upstream is behind me, already washed away and I want to see what's around the bend. I just prefer to move ahead at my own speed.  If I need to sit on the shore for a while and think about it, I will but I know that sooner or later, I'll dive back in and ride the waves.

Excerpt from New Booklet

INTRODUCTION

Tales and advice are everywhere these days about downsizing your life. Television and the media, magazines can certainly make the idea of simplifying appear intriguing and tempting. Stories and images of travel trailers and motor homes, tiny houses, condos, town homes and their smiling residents---or are they gritting their teeth?---are everywhere. These images make the prospect of paring down look like a dream. In a country that is bloated with stuff and things and responsibilities, who wouldn't be fascinated with the possibility, the alternative lifestyle of less.

The big question is, Is it right for you? Could you, maybe you and a partner or family benefit from shrinking your life, would it be do-able, why would you want to? People of all ages and situations are considering this lifestyle change. It may be living smaller but it's definitely not a small decision to make. The hubby and I are approximately 99% complete in our downsizing adventure. We haven't regretted our decision, though it is certainly not for everyone. I would like to share our experience, the lessons learned, present some pros and cons and hopefully help some of you to make a good choice in your life.

I won't sugar coat it, this has been a monstrous undertaking. If you check the life calender for the two of us, we're in the late Fall of our life. We've had plenty of years to accumulate. This decision brought six long months of hard choices and lots of hard work. Making an agreeable plan, de-cluttering, giving up stuff and following through with the plan has strained our backs and our nerves. We are just now, finally able to look at each other in wonder and say “What have we done? Are we crazy or clever as foxes?”

I'll let you make that determination. Happy reading and good luck with all your adventures, big and small.