Goodbye 2007

Well 2007 here we are at the end of the road..., it is time to ring out the old and bring in the new. As I have grown older this does not seem to be such a dramatic deal, it is just the end of another year and the beginning of a new one. It is learning how to write 2008 instead of 2007, not much more.
So, while 2007 has been grand, it is time to move on, and so I say good-bye to you old year, bring on the New Year.

I wish for you all a wonderful, and prosperous year. May 2008 be great!

GUESTLIST

Today is the last day of our current year. A lot of people will spend this day reflecting back and setting new goals for a new year. Some will look back, stay there and wallow for awhile. Awhile is ok. Trying to live there is not.

It is said regret is the most tiresome of companions. I couldn't agree more. So why bring him along for a new year? Let him find his own party. You have a party hat to put on, noisemakers and fireworks to share, bubbly to drink and, as one my friends put it, tables to dance on. What are you waiting for? If you need a companion, take Gratitude along with you. No matter where you are or what you're doing, she makes a great buddy. Cultivate her friendship and learn to hang out with her-you won't be sorry.

If you still don't feel that's enough, ask Laughter to come along too. He's also a wonderful companion, likes Gratitude and is willing to share with all. No party, no new year, no life is complete without him.

And if you're still struggling with letting Regret off the hook and insist on having a difficult party guest, how about inviting Forgiveness to take his place? The most difficult and yet, the most sought out guest of them all. He won't come unless Gratitude is there and he can't come unless you beg him, but he will come. And he will bring Peace. And he will open doors for you, escort you to all the needed places and always be there when you need him. But you will always have to ask. You have to think you deserve his company before you get it.

None of these things are constant companions. We have to make an concentrated effort (at least at first) to keep them, while Regret doggedly follows us anywhere anytime. He's up for anything and usually brings along Sorrow and Sarcasm for extra company. And I might point out that all of them absolutely despise Laughter and simply cannot be in the same room as Gratitude, Forgiveness and Peace. So who's it gonna be? The list is yours to make.

Happy New Year everyone.

Another thing called CHANGE!

STEP 1: CHANGE YOUR LOOK

It's been said over and over again that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But fact is, people often do. It's only natural; even in nature, sometimes perception is more important than reality. Animals change their appearance so other animals will think they're forecast or the most harmless (before unleashing their deadly fangs).

STEP 2: CHANGE YOUR CHARACTER

Your reputation is what people say about you; your character is who you really are. To truly change how people see you, you have to become the person you want to be. And unlike a new outfit you can instantly appear different, changing your ways will take longer and more effort.

STEP 3: CHANGE YOUR CROWD

One saying that people do take to heart is that birds of a feather flock together. Hang out with the right crowd, and their REP becomes your REP--you're suddenly Ms. Popular without having to do a thing.

STEP 4: CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

If the only reason you want to change your image is 'cause you're obsessed about what others think of you, you may find yourself on a never-ending wildgoose chase for perfection and acceptance. Hey, you can't please everyone, and there will always be talk as people try to fit you into the mold of what they want you to be.

Teen Pregnancy

In the International Herald Tribune, "everymen" interviewed about Spears' pregnancy implied that since Jamie Lynn announced her pregnancy she has become dirty, wrong, bad and awful. That's a pretty shitty way of saying "Congratulations."

Look, teen pregnancy happens. It happens to stupid, girls with low self-esteem and marginal aspirations. It also happens to smart, motivated young women with big plans for their life. It would be nice if for about five seconds people could stop hissing at teenage mamas and instead provide them with the tools to succeed at their goals. When you get down to it they need the same thing that every mama needs, good healthcare, decent jobs and education, happy childcare and a support system. All needs that aren't being met for the majority of mothers in this country, regardless of age.

The problems of motherhood are amplified for teen mothers in part because they are a discrete and easily identifiable demographic group. And because teen mothers are widely regarded as less than people, the public and state feel they have a right to stick their noses in Little Cindy Slutpants' business. For her own good, of course.

And one thing bothers me above all else in the blogs and comments that I have read about Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy, no one is addressing the fact that she is not a typical sixteen year old girl. She is a highly successful sixteen year old girl with the economic, familial and intellectual resources to raise a child. In fact she has more of these resources than most women who delay childbearing.

Despite what you have heard, sixteen year olds are not inherently bad parents just like thirty year olds are not inherently good parents. I mean I'm not crazy about "Teens Trying to Conceive" and if my daughter came to me pregnant I would recommend that she get an abortion, but I'm a feminist and I do believe she has a right to that choice herself.

The best way we can help teen moms is not to wipe them off the face of the earth or starve them into abusive relationships or call them names. The best way we can help them is to treat them with respect and dignity, fight for universal healthcare and adequate childcare for the poor. We can help by not throwing them out and accusing them of worthlessness just because they aren't of voting age. The very best way we can help is by always remembering they are somebody's mother.

Shooting Stars

Sometimes we meet someone and there is a click, a connection, a spark. Sometimes that connection is so strong that it pulls you together against all the odds. Sometimes the spark is so intense it can set things on fire. Then sometimes the very thing that brought you together in the first place ends up driving you apart. Finally, sometimes the separation is more intense than the connection. Do the most intense things in life last the shortest because that is all as human beings we can endure? Are we forever doomed to chase after the shooting star just before it is snuffed out?

The person I have grown the closet to since he moved to Pennsylvania, USA our friendship has faded away. Our friendship had a spark from the very beginning. It was a fast and furious journey. It was charged with emotion and attraction, but the very thing that brought us together has now pushed us apart. I have to admit that our friendship was a little one sided. The fact that I was attracted to him was a problem from the very beginning. As our relationship evolved it became more and more apparent how easily I could be manipulated because of how I felt. Now months later the flame that was our friendship has been extinguished. I'm not sure how or why, but it has happen. As I sit here tonight I have to wonder what is next for me. My closest friend since I moved here is now as distant as any stranger on the street. I once told a friend back East that this new friendship was wonderful and all, but that it was also a distraction. The spark was so intense I have not been able to see clearly. Perhaps now without the glare of his friendship I can move on and find the life that I am supposed to be living.

I will miss him and may be we can be friends again some day, but for now I will look for a new shooting star and may be this time I will wear shades.

a sweet THOUGHT

"When God knows that you're ready for the responsibility of commitment, He'll reveal the right person under the right circumstances..."

Let -X be

…like melodies are to musicians… that is what math is to me.

I find comfort in figures, numbers, logic, patterns,

trying to find solutions, knowing that there IS one.

No matter how long it takes me – no matter how many steps I have to take –

No matter how little I know of it – there is always the assurance

that an answer exists. It’s only a matter of getting to it. Eventually you do…

it flows… most of the time, it is effortless for me to understand something.

If I don’t, it isn’t difficult to try. It’s not exhausting – not energy-sucking.

Predictable, but not routinary – the basis of every theory

that exists is consistent – the methods differ.

You are reflected in the way your reasoning flows.

You all get there – only using different routes.

You can always find any unknown.

When in doubt, you can discover other ways to be sure.

When you make even just one wrong turn along the way,

you will NEVER arrive at an accurate conclusion.

The answers are in black in white, never in gray.

Your methods consist of a combination of everything

you have known in the past.

Everything is cumulative – everything relates to each other –

everything applies to something else. No branch of it is a “stand alone”

ambivalence

Sometimes we just want to delete few things in our own lives, thinking we might have lived it better....but do we really? aren't they a part of what we are today?

why do we want to forget these people...is it because we are still in pain? but then again, the ambivalent thing about it is, why do we still want to be so much a part of their lives knowing that we or they fucked up? why are we still related, knowing that the communication already has ended? why are we still affected hearing that they hurt, they are out there happy but lonely?

why do we care so much? is it because we just want to meddle with their life? is it because we are control freaks? is it because we enjoy the thrill of chase, is it because you don't want the friendship to die or it is because we just want the best thing for them even when you know you will never be a part of their success anymore...you just want to stand from afar and cheer for them and be proud that once you were a part of that person.

but do they care? No!!! They don't know, so why do we care? we explicitly ignore them, but they simply eat your thoughts.

Loved a starfish!

A friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again, he kept hurling something out into the ocean.

As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up on the beach and, one at a time, was throwing them back into the water.

Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said, "Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing?"

"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it is low tide right now, and all of these starfish have washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die from lack of oxygen."

"I understand," my friend replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach! You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many! And don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast? Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"

The local native smiled, bent down, and picked up yet another starfish and, as he threw it back into the sea, replied, "Made a difference to THAT one!"