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.