"Come on, Tom. Let's finish this shit the way we started ..."

Are you familiar with the book series Harry Potter? The fictional character Harry Potter had the deal with a lot of heavy shit long before he was aware that life had pushed a bunch of shit his way. First, his parents are killed in an attack by and egotistical wizard, while Harry was just an infant. Harry was marked for death by this guy but survives. Not being conscious of any of the events which lead to the death of his parents, Harry had to be told by others of the terrible events that clouded his life and of the courageous shit his mother did on his behalf, and of the crazy, egotistical shit-head who killed his parents.

Harry Potter survived to became the talk of the town. Those in the know around Harry began to direct his life. Harry's Aunt and Uncle treats him like shit. His School's Head Master treats him like the son he never had, but has a hidden agenda planned. Harry bonds with two first year classmates who are dealing with shit of their own. One is born to non wizard parents and is looked down upon by the wizard community because of her mixed blood. She works extra hard to prove she is just as good or better than the others. The other friend, although born into a loving family, believes he's happiness is tied to the intangible and seeks materialism to gain social acceptance. He is never really happy with who he is.

Throughout Harry’s school daze, he is reminded of who he is and that his family is gone. We are shown how much love Harry holds for the parents he never knew. In many respects, Harry is not allowed to be present, being consistently reminded about his past by others and holding onto it, himself. Basically Harry Potter does not like his life and longs for something more simple. He really wants to know what love is and would rather not deal with all this shit about saving the world. Harry becomes known as “the chosen one.” This attention is not sought after nor wanted by the young wizard. Celebrity status. He can’t take a shit without something significant happening around him that effects his life and the lives of others. So, was it Harry’s destiny to help/hinder others in a big way? Was the bad shit he had to live through part of his life's journey? In some way, helping him realize the nature of his true self? Or did he, deep down, allow his ego to make him believe he was the shit, and the only person qualified to deal with the bull shit that had marked him from infancy?

Ain't That Some Shit!

Back in the day, football meant everything to me. It was the shit! I attended Junior High and High School during the 70’s, playing football as much as I could and dreamed about being an American League football star. Before band practice, there was football. Before girls, there was football. Before being called in for dinner, there was, football. I dreamed of playing along side Darryl Lamonica and George Blanda of the Oakland Raiders. Beating the shit out of Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris. Delusions of grandeur swirled in my head. When my friends from the neighborhood and I took to the streets, we were the embodiments of our favorite professional football stars. On most days we played touch football in the street, and if some kid was bold enough to allow us to play on their front lawn, we played tackle and usually, tore the lawn to shit. But more often than not, the street was our stadium. Sure, we got the shit knocked out of us on occasion from running into stationary cars, being hit by moving cars or fighting over some stupid shit, but by and large, we had a great time playing for hours after school until dust and on the weekends. However, like I said, even though I loved football, I was not a warrior. So, for me, being a part of the high school football team helped me stay safe in what I viewed as a hostile learning environment. Being a part of a team also helped me grow up.
I remember that I got hit relatively hard the first day we ran through some drills. I laid down on the field and cried. A team mate saw me and said “Hey. Coach, he’s hurt.” He said exactly what I wanted him to say. I could see the coach looking back at me as I laid their crying on the grass. Seconds later. ...“He’ll be OK.” the Coach said and then walked away to begin some more drills. The Coach made this assessment of my situation from ten yards away! He didn’t come over to me and ask what was wrong. Didn't tell me everything was going to be alright. Nothing. I was still crying but remember thinking to myself. “Shit! What’s his problem?”... 

When the Shit hits the Fan

Do you see yourself as a victim, thus justifying the lack of control you believe you have to change things in your shity life. There may be a correlation here. But, Ah!, you say. You’ve tried to do mostly right by others and yourself, and it still seems that you can’t get a break in life. Appearances can cloud the truth. We often see, or view things as we want to see them, ignoring the things that do not appear to serve our interests. "The World according to Brooks" a friend used to tell me. Dreaming of what I believed should be rather than accepting the way things were. Many of us walk through life wearing blinders, refusing to yield to anything we do not understand or perceive as a threat.

Example: Do you feel the need to kill a spider crawling in front of you? Why?

What is the real or perceived threat? What is it you are thinking about at the time you make that nanosecond decision to kill the spider? True, some people have real phobia's of spider's snakes, high places, etc. The bite or sight of a spider for some people may cause allergic reactions, loss of consciousness, or just an unexplained fight or flight reflex. Most people, however, approach fear through learned behavior. Their fears are perceived. They are told to be afraid and thus, are afraid. Taking what is told to them as gospel. Not checking the source of the information relayed. Just believing and retaining the source of their fear. Others are fascinated by the sight of life not like their own and seek out answers to the unknown or simply just enjoy the sights and sounds of life for as long as they can. Seeing each day as an opportunity to grow in some form or fashion.....

A rose by any other name could smell like shit

Its as old as the dirt on this planet and is produced and recycled daily. It can feed the ego or tear it apart. It can be shocking or surprising. Perceived as good or bad, sweet or bitter. Long lasting or short lived. It has the ability to be the answers to all of your prayers and wishes or your Nemeses throughout life. It is known throughout the world but best spoken in English. It must be dealt with by each of us at one time or another throughout our lives. How you deal with it can dictate the course of your future, turning your world upside down or place you on top of the heap.
Shit happens and contrary to what you may believe, shit doesn’t only happen to you. We are all givers and receivers of shit on a daily basis. We create it, smell it, step in it, and recycle it. Some of us are afraid to go through the day without it. Shit can give the illusion of bringing meaning to ones life by becoming comfortable and familiar with shit, leaving one fearful to venture forth or break out from its circle of sameness. Fearful to help others. Fearful to research fact from fiction.
Some among us believe life (should) revolve around them. Blocking out the need to coexist with others. Taking what they can and doing what ever it takes to get ahead of the pack. I will not say that this approach towards life is wrong. I will only say that it can not be fulfilling. This approach towards life tends to concentrate on collecting a bunch of shit from external sources in order to bring one happiness, instead of looking within one's self.
When I was young, a friend once told me. "John, you think you’re so important, and shit. Guess what, man, you’re not. Get over it!" He was correct. My perceived importance through the eyes of others was, for the most part, non existent. Although you may have an effect on the lives of others through out your life, their life's path, or destiny will continue and your roll in directing a small part of their lives is just that; a small part. And that's O.K. No single act you do will last forever in the mind's of another. Seeking recognition for doing "something" should not be your life's focus. If you would like to help someone do so with out attachment. Your influence on one person can send ripples through out time and help improve the lives of others but the act and effect, or effects to follow, may not have been made as the result of your influence, alone........

Beginings

I am dyslexic, and did not find out until I had already graduated from a major university and began a career with the US government. I'm telling you this, because even though I've always enjoyed writing stories, letters, etc. I've never enjoyed reading, nor have I ever been able to proof read my own work. I remember as a kid, I'd ask my Mother how to pronounce a certain word I'd come across in a book I was trying to read. "Sound it out" she'd tell me." How was I to "sound out" a word I had no idea how to pronounce??? My way of learning how to spell consisted of watching TV, hearing a word new to me then paging through the dictionary trying to find that word. Once located, I'd add it to my growing vocabulary, looking forward to using it in a sentence in front of my friends.

Fast forward to my teen years. The girls I'd written letters to must have thought I was really stupid. I'm talking about real letter writing. On paper. Using a pen! Even though I'd pre-write a letter. Look up as many words as I could before writing a final version, invariably, a large percentage of my words, both simple and complex were misspelled or incomplete. I'd read the letter back to myself before placing it into an envelop sprinkled with a little cologne, but what I would read back was a recording. My mind would ignore what was on paper and recall that which was in my brain. So, I would never be able to see, really see what I had written on the paper, unless I'd but the letter away for a month, making it more difficult for my mind to access the file. I f I had grown up in today's society of computer's an smart phones, I'd doubt that anyone would notice or care about how I spelled words. Written communication has become lazy. "How r u?" for "How are you doing?", etc.

So, what's life all about? How do you deal with the shit thrown your way? Do you unwittingly create shit for others clean up or fall into? As I said before, I like to write and create stories. I've not been formally trained as a writer but formal training has never stopped me from traveling down new avenues of life. Although most of my book are fictional stories that teach about environmental awareness, I felt the need to write a self help book about the meaning of life....and shit. Why include shit into the meaning of life? You'll see.

Thanks for reading. Please go to my website if you'd like to see books I've written. And as a qualifier, I don't plan on proof reading the entries to this blog. It would take me forever to complete. Life is short and so is money.