Being a baseball follower

Posted on October 16, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Being a baseball follower:

Lately October has been a great time of the year to be a Mets follower. I used to think that I was a fan, but I don’t think I am a fan any longer because fan is the shortened word for fanatic, and my interest pales in comparison to the true fanatics.

Regardless, I am now free of worries about how many games will be lost or whether the Mets can avoid another sweep. I can gleefully state each day that my team did not lose. For me, there is no more worrying. There simply is the positive outlook of another hopeful spring and thoughts of “next season could be the year of the Mets.”

However, I have a deep concern for all of my compatriot baseball followers and or fans, who are still following their favorite team. This time of year you are experiencing a high level of stress that I don’t have as a Mets’ follower. You are all holding your breaths anxiously awaiting the outcome of each tense playoff game while the thought of bitter disappointment lurks in the back of your minds. For me, that disappointment came and went sometime in the summer. I am stress free now! Perhaps that is why some of my friends and family who are Cardinal fans seem so edgy the past couple of Octobers. While you are experiencing high levels of anxiety being glued to the TV or other media device, I am outside felling enthused and vibrant enjoying the wonderful fall weather.

I offer all my beloved family and friends, and baseball followers everywhere, my sincerest sympathy during this extreme time of duress in your lives. And if you are a Cardinals fan, I am hoping there is no Joker in your deck of Cards!

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Posted in Baseball, Humor, Life, Sports

Role Models and Super Heroes

Posted on October 14, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Who is your role model? – And – What super hero do you identify with?
These two questions have been asked of me in job interviews. My short answer is that I don’t have a role model and I do not truly identify with a fictitious super hero.

My role model is everyone and no one. This person that is me is a result of immeasurable encounters with others, mostly people, but some other creatures as well. To name one person is a disservice to all the others who have influenced me over these many years. Also, to name just one person is to place an unfair burden of expectation on that identified person. Asking someone to be the role model dad, mom, partner, co-worker, neighbor, etc. is unrealistic. To acknowledgment that someone has provided a positive influence on your life is, perhaps, a more gentile way of expressing your gratitude.

Another thought is that to state that someone is a role model is a way of saying to yourself that you want to be like someone else. I don’t want to be like someone else, I want to be me. I want and strive to accept and acknowledge me for my good qualities as well as my flawed attributes. It seems that there is a song somewhere in here! 

Further reflection evokes thoughts of different aspects of my existence. I wonder about who has been most influential in my understanding various components that make up my life.

Love: I did not understand the full depth of love until my children were born. Only then did I get the connection to how the nurturing spirit of love extends beyond my physical being and comes from past generations and passes along to generations to come. The spirit of the family connections continues to travel on and never ends. Each of us is a result of some loving encounter, even if it was only for a brief moment, I am convinced one does not make it to adulthood without some small measure of love and nurturing. Many of us probably have forgotten it and it has been pushed out of consciousness because of unfortunate events, but I cling to the thought that love is there for each of us to embrace.

Best friend: I have been blessed with many people who have provided endearing, loving, and lasting friendships, but I am not sure how I can identify only one of them as being the best. Each friend brings to me countless and immeasurable blessings. It is impossible to say that one is the best. Maybe that is why we say that a dog is man’s best friend; it relieves us of the burden to name a particular person.

Teaching: Early in my career I was a school teacher. There were many people that had an interest in my success as a teacher and provided professional guidance. A few individuals stand out, but after many years of reflection, I have undeniably come to the conclusion that the students were, and still are, my role models. They showed up every day and demanded the best from me and taught me lessons about relationships that influence me even to this day over 30 years later.

Corporate professional work: Again there were many people from whom I benefited in the development of my skills and knowledge. The benefits were many and varied. A general review includes aspects such as: great abstract thinker, creative writer, orator, a person of action and accomplishment, visionary, leadership, knowledgeable, relationship builder, etc. Each person earned my respect for their excellent qualities and they received my empathy for the challenges they faced.

Sports: The people in sports who have influenced me probably do not even realize they provided inspiration for me. My primary sports focus are running and bicycling. In running I never consider the elite runners worthy of my attention. I found inspiration in those that were not gifted physically, but displayed great determination to accomplish their goal of completing a race. It is most evident in marathon running. The true stories of grit and will power are in the back of the pack. I believe as a society we give too much credence to the winners and not enough to those that tried and failed, for therein lies the strength of an individual to overcome the bitter disappointment and to try again.

Spiritualism: This is one area where I am convinced that no one sphere of dogma is better than another. I could provide a long list of all the dominate religions of our time and I could spend a life time listing the benefits and the aspersions of each. It appears to work for some people that embracing one strict dogma at the exclusion of others is best and I am happy for them. However, my heart tells me otherwise because I believe in a limitless exploration of our connections to this thing called life.

Super hero: To me identifying with a super hero is wishful thinking. The super heroes of life are those that are performing a service to others without the exalted recognition. The megalomaniacs who crave recognition on a grand scale are out of touch with the masses. The small gestures of kindness and care are what give meaning to our existence.

Blogging: I am still working on this one!

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful experience today and every day henceforth.

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Posted in Answers, Friendship, Life, parenthood, Self-reflection, Spiritalism, Sports, Teaching

Unemployment and laughter

Posted on October 13, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Unemployment and the benefits of laughter:

There seems to be this malady that has plagued me over the past few (or is it many) years. It is called unemployment. Why does it seem to come knocking at my door more often than I want? Perhaps my brother’s blunt appraisal from a few years ago says it all. He stated; “Haven’t you learned to suck up to your boss yet?”

Perhaps it is true; I have not learned to suck up yet. However, being somewhat of an optimist, what I have learned to do is: the jobs assigned to me, treat my colleagues and supervisors with compassion and respect, keep the physical environment clean, (when I make a mess, I clean it up), maintain a pleasant and professional decorum, avoid office politics and gossip, show up on time, learn new skills, share my skills and insight, and accept my personal responsibilities.

Acknowledging the reality of unemployment is the first step to getting the next career opportunity and keeping a positive attitude about any difficult situation. Having endured bouts of unemployment over the past decade, I have developed some personal remedies and insights that help to keep despair from entering into the mainstream of consciousness.

One of those remedies is humor and or laughter. Research has shown that the health benefits of laughter are far-ranging. While more studies need to be done, studies so far have shown that laughter can help relieve pain, bring greater happiness, and even increase immunity. In particular, laughter reduces the level of stress hormones, it serves as a physical and emotional release, it provides an internal workout for the abs and shoulders, it is a distraction from negative emotions, it can alter your perspective to be less threatening and more positive, and it provides social benefits. I personally connect better with people who appreciate my humorous outlook. All these attributes are beneficial when you are feeling the stress of any particular life trial.

With that in mind I created a list of the positive attributes of being unemployed:

• You have a ready response to telemarketers. I am unemployed and don’t have any money. Would you like to help me out?
• You can actually stop and smell the roses, or the coffee, or the backed up sewer; whatever floats your boat.
• The birds you see are flying in your back yard; they are not the middle digit on the hand of the irate commuter in the car next to you.
• You can have a leisurely conversation with the nice crossing guards at your child’s elementary school.
• If you are a parent, you have time to volunteer at the PTA and hang out with the parents of your child’s classmates.
• You don’t have to worry about getting the perfect holiday or celebratory gift.
• Friends buy drinks for you.
• You don’t have to practice good hygiene every day.
• Your clothes last longer.
• You don’t have to change your clothes to go to bed or when you get out of bed.
• The snooze button has no relevance.
• You no longer are obligated to endure Special High Intensity Training (S.H.I.T.) *
• NUMBER ONE REASON: Having fun with my children and being around to watch them grow!!!

I hope you have a wonderful experience today and everyday henceforth.

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Posted in Answers, Behavior, hope, Humor, Self-reflection

Enlightenment or ignorance?

Posted on October 12, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Sometimes as I read the postings of others on social media I often find that I question the reasons behind various political and social posts that distill complex issues into one trite tiny sentence that is void of compassion and often times ignorantly hurtful. I wonder why does it make sense to others and not to me? Perhaps I am the ignorant one for I do not understand or share the fears, the paranoia, the misgivings, the desires, the thoughts, and so forth of others. To me, the only logical conclusion is that perhaps I am the ignorant one.

I can list a myriad of reasons and personal feelings that seem contrary to the nouveau religions and politics of our times, but to list them would take more time than I can spare at this writing, and it also would mean that I would need to bare my soul, and that, for certain, I am not ready to share with anyone.

Given the premise of the thought, “If one repeats it enough then it must be true.” I send forth positive thoughts and pray to all the gods that have esteemed followers of all types of faiths and dogmas, asking, begging, pleading that we are all blessed with knowledge beyond our ego-centric domains, beyond our personal intellect, beyond our very being. Henceforth to those, and me, who continue to display a magnificent propensity for profound ignorance, I shall repeat the thought that we all be blessed with divine thoughtfulness and understanding in the hope that perhaps it may become true for us all!

There are lots of advertisement slogans that come to mind, sugar free, gluten free, fat free, worry free; I now advocate ignorant free thinking. If we all repeat it enough then it will become true!

I hope you have a wonderful experience today and every day henceforth.

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Posted in Life, Politics, Prayer, Self-reflection, Spiritalism, Tolerance, Uncategorized

Dandelions – What are they?

Posted on October 11, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Dandelions – what are they?

The past two summers I have been yanking dandelions out of the lawn and commiserating about the fact that they are so prolific. I wonder exactly what are these plants and why do they seem to spring up out of thin air immediately after I scanned the lawn and dug up a bucket full of them. They seem to be the first to bloom in the spring and the last to die in the fall. Sometimes I think that if there is an afterlife as a plant, I may want to come back as a dandelion.

I have put the dandelions on notice about my mission to find them and remove them from the lawn. This declaration got me to thinking about this wondrous plant and why they seem to be the bane of every lawn owner in America. So I decided to read a bit about these plants. I found some details on Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum.

In summary, dandelions are edible, medicinal, support wildlife, benefit gardeners and are a source of natural rubber. I knew that dandelions had value other than being a pesky weed for lawns, but I was not aware of the extensive value they offer. Best of all I know that wine can be made from dandelions.

From my personal aesthetic point of view these plants pop up as a cute little yellow flower, but then morph into this gangly stem with a fuzz ball on top. As a child I used to love to pick them and blow on that cotton ball seed head and watch the little seeds float on the air. For some reason the yard just doesn’t look as nice with those stems standing tall over the green grass.

Although I have made it my mission to remove the dandelions from among the grassy patches in the yard, there is an acknowledgement of the relaxing exercise of the weeding practice. I find the effort to remove the plant and its entire root to be a great diversion from the general complexities of life. When I am on my hands and knees and I dig down into the soil I get this connection to plant life and all the amazing intricate relationships we have in this world.

After reading about dandelions and writing this little narrative, my attitude toward the plant has changed and I like the idea of coexisting with the plant for it is a great interconnected part of the environment and it provides countless hours of a relaxing exercise. I wonder if this could be translated into a broader scheme of things and perhaps there is a possibility that I can accept and coexist with all other life within this existence of ours. For now I think I will just focus on the plants!

I hope you have a delightful experience today and everyday henceforth.

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Posted in Answers, Envirionment, hope, Life, Plants, Questions, Spiritalism, Tolerance

Glasses, boxes, idioms and other nonsensical thoughts…

Posted on October 10, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Glasses, boxes, idioms and other nonsensical thoughts…

I have been told that I have a positive attitude and I see that my glass is half full. This got me to thinking about this idiom and I wondered about that perception. As I pondered this, it occurred to me that perhaps there is no glass at all; therefore, how can I have a glass that is half full? Of course, I prefer to have a half full beer stein instead.

This line of thinking then segued to the idea of thinking outside the box. I imagine that I do think outside the box because I don’t think I have ever been in a metaphorical box. In fact, at this time I wonder if I have ever owned such a box to even have the chance to think within it. Then again, I have felt boxed in before so maybe in those instances I was thinking within a box. This now has me wondering what it is like to think inside a cylinder, a circle, a trash can, a bag, a suitcase, etc.

There are a lot of other idioms that seem to trouble me. The idea that someone can do something hand over fist is perplexing to me. I paused for a moment and moved my hands in such a manner and it seems so unnatural to put one hand over a fist and reverse the order. Try it and tell me what you think. The only time that hand over fist makes any sense to me is when playing rock, paper, scissors, but that is backwards because I hold my fist over my hand and not my hand over my fist.

I also question whether I can see the trees for the forest or the forest for the trees. I wonder what a certified arborist would say about this. And do not forget that there are the leaves, the roots, the bark and all the wonderful colors during the fall season.

I never really put my money where my mouth is because talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. And sticks and stones can break my bones and words sometimes really do hurt.

Then there is Thoreau’s saying about walking to the beat of a different drummer, which might be an appropriate description for some of my circuitous life wanderings, but with my hearing I am not sure if I can hear the drum beat. And if you have read up to this point, you are probably wondering what message I am trying to drum up with these sentences.

In conclusion, sometimes I do think I can see the silver lining in the dark clouds, but that is probably because I have my head in the clouds.

I hope you have a delightful experience today and every day henceforth.

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Posted in Answers, existentialism, Humor, Life, Questions

Praying – what is it?

Posted on October 9, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

What is this thing called praying?

Praying or McDonald’s take out.

I used to think that praying was like driving up to McDonald’s and ordering a fast food item. You talk into this box and some voice of an unknown origin responds and asks for your order. OK, I will take one “children get good grades meal”, one adult “pay raise meal” and one “please let our team win the big game” with special sauce.

Now I think that prayer is perhaps more of a daily meditation that comes to me as I engage in running, walking, bicycling, or sitting idly. During these times I am more apt to accept things as they are and I try to resolve my bad juju while focusing on and sending out into the universe some good karma.

Recently while I was driving an 18 wheeler truck through winter weather, I prayed that somehow the weather would change and the snow would go away or the mountain pass would dissolve so that I could manage the load easier and steer the vehicle safely. At that point I realized that I was focused on the wrong things. Instead of hoping for some great miracle, I thought about the skills needed to drive through such harsh winter conditions in the mountains, and I realized that the miracle of getting through the difficult challenge was within me. Then I discovered that I did have those skills and knowledge and the ability to make the right choices.

Often times my rambling thoughts wonder about the world’s issues and the human condition. Why are there so many problems and where do they come from? As I bring those thoughts inward I cling to the hope that if I am confronted with these problems that somehow I am granted the “wherewithal” to respond in a caring and compassionate way. I do hope for world peace, but I also pray that I can bring peace to my little space in this vast universe.

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Posted in Answers, existentialism, hope, Life, Prayer, Questions, Spiritalism

Something better to do?

Posted on October 8, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Having or needing something better to do; or this thing I call being a Facebookian!

What am I doing here? How does being on Facebook benefit this existence? One thing for sure, it is wonderful to connect with friends and family. However, sometimes I think; haven’t I got something better to do?

I admonish myself and think I need to turn off this computer and go live my life. So here is my bucket list of things I plan to do instead of Facebooking….
• Rid the yard of dandelions: I love the accomplishment of pulling up a dandelion and getting the entire long root.
• Hang out at the street corner and count cars and state license plates.
• Feed the squirrels in the park. (I have been accused of being a nut).
• Go to the library select a boring book and then nap with my face nestled in the pages. Hopefully my snoring will not disturb others.
• Stand around a road construction site and watch the sign person turn the sign from stop to slow to stop to slow to stop to slow, etc….
• Contemplate on the best way to kill time.
• Try to think of something clever to post here.

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Posted in Answers, Behavior, existentialism, Friendship, Humor, Life, Questions

Am I over the rainbow?

Posted on October 7, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

I often wonder about the song “Over the Rainbow”.  I catch myself singing and humming this tune from time to time along with a collection of other songs that are ingrained in my sub-conscious.

For some time now (several years) I have been pondering the question of “What if I am already over the rainbow and I don’t know it?”  And what exactly is this rainbow concept?  Do I really want my troubles to melt like lemon drops above the chimney tops; do my skies always need to be blue; do my dreams really need to come true if I dare to dream at all? And if I go there will you actually find me there because it seems like a difficult place to find and travel to.  I may get a little lonely there.

So I struggle with this concept of over the rainbow.  It is a physical phenomenon that requires one to travel a great distance via tornado or perhaps by the DeLorean DMC-12 with flux capacitor time machine? Or is it stored somewhere within and one gets there by overcoming self-imposed limitations.  After all, there is evidence that dreams do come true for people that dare to dream them.  Further proof could be found in the stunning sunrises, dazing sunsets, the harmony of music, love, the innate beauty of nature.  But when I think about the strife, suffering, paradoxes, hypocrisies, oppression, inequalities, and so forth, the rainbow concept fails me.

Some religions promote the concept of an afterlife: could this be the rainbow concept?  Perhaps this rainbow concept is captured in fleeting moments of life where the planets and stars align in your consciousness and for that brief time your troubles cease.

I used to think that the “Wizard of Oz” story had some profound meaning but not so much any more. Then again, perhaps it does, especially when I consider my own struggles with lacking the brains, the heart, or the courage required to make a positive difference in this world.

There is probably some Facebook app that you can execute that will identify your true “Wizard of Oz” character!  What character are you?  Should we start a Facebook posting chain of copy this narrative and post the “Wizard of Oz” character that matches your identity.  I am Toto, who are you?

I hope you have a great experience today and every day.

Here are the lyrics to the song “Over the Rainbow” and a YouTube url to the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSZxmZmBfnU

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me

Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That’s where you’ll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh, why can’t I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow why, oh, why can’t I?

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Posted in Answers, existentialism, hope, Life

Another man in the house

Posted on October 6, 2014 by fillfreedom — Leave a comment

Another man in the house:

I glanced up and spied the human form of a man in my midst.  A moment ago he was a boy, but that boy has suddenly vanished and now I gaze upon this mature creature who is perched on the cusp of adulthood.

There are other indications besides this casual visual observation that there is truly another man about.

  • I now hear a baritone voice.
  • There is an aroma emanating from this creature’s body that has the essence a men’s locker room.
  • Laundry has become a bit more complicated with the sorting of underwear, sports socks, t-shirts, jeans, and so forth.
  • No longer do I get the leftovers from a child’s plate. Instead I must tussle for that last slice of pizza or that last morsel of dessert.

Surprises abound in many ways:

  • Sometimes the dishes are washed and put away.
  • A small snack or meal gets prepared without guidance.
  • Insightful, stimulating, mature, and educational discussions happen.
  • Chores are shared and there is a wonderful feeling of collaboration and connection in making our home, our community, our society a better place.

I have been blessed with two children, a girl and a boy.  Now, I am the proud papa of a woman and a man.  It doesn’t get any better than this!

Have a great experience today and every day.

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Posted in Friendship, Humor, Life, parenthood