Buddah believer??

As I was having some after dinner discussion with a work colleague last night, our bar tender insisted on trying to start a political discussion.  She, the bartender, proudly proclaimed a.) her age (28), b.) her very liberal political allegiance, and c.) her "Buddah belief." 

Now, most who know me realize I'm pretty quick to jump into a political debate, but I refrained last night.  I didn't care about the bartender's age and really had no desire to even talk to her at all, as my discussion revolved more around work and family and such with Jason (my work colleague).

But the lass intrigued me with her proclamation of being a Buddha believer, but not necessarily a buddhist. 

"What exactly is a Buddha believer," I asked?

She rambled on about not necessarily believing in reincarnation but she did believe in the belief of reincarnation.

"Huh?"

She restated exactly what she had just attempted to explain.

"That made no sense whatsoever," I remarked.  "In fact, that may be the dumbest thing I've heard all day," I said to her.

Obviously angered by my response, she attempted again to explain her religious beliefs.

And here is what sent her over the edge:

"Listen, you are standing there telling us you are some kind of liberal and a Buddha believer, whatever that is.  You talk about rich people sharing their wealth with people who didn't do anything to deserve or earn it.   But what I'm here to tell you is Buddha was a one percenter."

"NO HE WASN'T," she exclaimed!

"Yes he was.  And I'll prove my point.  He was a fat little bastard and ate everything.  Apparently he didn't share much food, so I say he was a one percenter."

She was aghast at my retort and went on to tell me that the Buddha would actually go for quite some time without eating so he would have to be thin.

"No, he was a fat bastard and I have the statue at home to prove it.  He was a little fat dude."

Flabbergasted she stormed away while everyone else sitting around pointed and laughed at her.

I love winning a debate.

Celebrating life-twenty years removed

This day has weighed heavily upon my heart for quite some time now.  You see, today marks the twentieth anniversary of my father's passing.  I've run the gammet of emotions over the past several months--I've felftfor my dad whose life was taken too soon; I've felt for his family who was left to grieve his passing, and I've had my own self-indulged pity party at my dad's expense because there's so much I wanted to share with him. 

I remember the day he died like it was yesterday--my mom knocking on my door, tears streaming down her cheeks after being notified that she needed to get to the hospital "right now," me holding Courtney when Mom stormed into my apartment to tell me what had transpired, and the utter shock I felt when she told me what had happened.  I remember driving as fast as my mom's car would go all the way to the hospital, and finally the long drive to Nashville, Tennesse to tell my little brother that our dad was gone.

I remember diving into the abyss for quite some time, not realizing how I was affecting my family.  How I attempted to drink my sorrow away.  I remember how excited my oldest daughter would get at the sight of my dad--she was only five months old when he left this world.  I wish I could count the tears I shed over the years due to his passing and somehow explain the remorse I felt about our last discussion being an argument and not being able to tell him I loved him.  And even though I know he loved his boys more than life itself, somehow I always felt responsible for his untimely death--but why I felt this way I can't explain.

So today, on the twentieth year of his death, I thought about all the ways I would honor his passing.  I find myself in northern Florida, traveling on business--and I thought I would buy a rose and toss it into the Atlantic in rememberance of him--but then I thought about how frivolous that would be to him.

As I gathered myself and recalled how much Pops enjoyed life, I elected to celebrate life like he lived it; I decided to simply smile and laugh.  I thought about how much he liked being around people and how he fed off their energy and decided to do the same.  So today I simply walked around St. Augustine, Florida, taking in the sights and smells of one of my favorite towns.  And today I decided to just stop and talk to folks along the way.  I met a lady, a Cuban-American who had fled Cuba in the late 60's and who subsequently opened a cigar and wine shop, ironically about twnety years ago.  She is so full of energy and loves talking to her customers and talking about life when she was a child in her native land.  She speaks of the greatness of our country and the hopes that her homeland will one day be a reflection of the United States.  I thought about how much my dad would have liked talking to her, and even though he had a tough exterior, he was really a big ole teddy bear at heart.  He would have enjoyed speaking with her as I did.

So Dad, I miss you and I love you.  I wish you were here to see how well your grand daughters turned out.  Courtney is independent and headstrong like you, but she has a heart of gold and wants to do the right thing, even though she makes a lot of the mistakes I made along the way.

I wish you could have held Cassidy because she has the heart of a saint and that tempered personality you always put forth.  She has a way of looking at the world kind of like you did.

And I wish you were here to see Jeff--he's quite the man and father.

I wish you were here to see Mom--she's so happy, but I know she misses you so much.

And I wish you were here for me just to tell you I love you....because I always did.... and still do.

New Year's Resolutions

I hate making resolutions; usually I just set myself up to fail, and I hate failure.  But this year is different.  Why?  Well, the Mayans and Nostradamus (maybe?) told us the end of the world would occur in 2012, so I need to go out with a bang.  I don't want to be standing at the Pearly Gates with a notebook full of incompletes, so here's my 'to done' list for the year:

1. Get in shape, and not the shape of a pear.  With that said, I have to have a reason for getting in shape (a reason other than general health--how boring is that?), which takes me to resolution number two:

2. I will run in and finish the Warrior Dash this June.  This is a pretty huge task for me, as I have a shoulder injury which I have zero desire to have repaired because I remember how much the other repair sucked.  But I have a pretty high pain tolerance and an awesome wife who massages my shoulder on a regular basis.  Why would I want to give that up for a simple operation?
3. I'm going to finish the manuscript for my book and begin submitting to publishers.  What happens beyond that I have no control over, but I will have at least completed the manuscript. 

4.  I'm going to tell the people closest to me that I love them on a more frequent basis.  So, if hearing this sort of thing makes you nauseous, steer clear of me.

5.  I'm going to continue telling ridiculously stupid stories about things that happened to me and my friends because, well because they are funny.

6.  I'm going to make this work year an extremely productive one--just cause I can.

7.  I'm going to take my martial arts training to the next level.

8. I'm going to laugh a lot more because laughing makes me happy.

9.  I'm going to see old friends and make some new ones.

10.  I'm going to plan for my retirement now, because waiting until I retire is just a little to late to contemplate planning for it (at least in my book).

Here's a rant sure to upset a lot of people.....

You know what I'm sick of?  I'm sick of every minority thinking their voice or their opinion matters to the majority.  What do I mean by minority?  Exactly that--the minority.  If you are in a racial minority, gender minority (whatever that is), sexuall preference minority, impoverished minority, religious minority or any other minority--I don't care.  You know why I don't care--because at some point in time, we are all in a minority, but more often than not, we are in the majority.

If you could excuse my Andy Rooney mood for a moment I would appreciate it because, seriously, I don't care if you've ever felt slighted.  Here's a newsflash for you: WE'VE ALL BEEN SLIGHTED AT SOME TIME IN OUR LIVES!!!

Need a specific example?  Homosexuality.  If you are gay--great.  That's your choice, but don't throw your opinion in my heterosexual face, because what you do in the privacy of your home is your business--keep it that way.  How about racial minority?  In today's watchdog environment, does race really matter anymore?  Really?  Do Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton stand for anything, or do they pander to a select few in hopes of monetary donations, thereby playing their base like cheap fiddles?  Now that's just a shame, isn't it?

I'm an unapologetic white, heterosexual male.  If I say or do something that offends you, guess what?  Get over it.  If my very existence somehow drives you to think that I've received preferential treatment, then perhaps you should walk a mile in my shoes or ask me about my upbringing.  I'm certain my family will tell you we didn't receive preferential treatment in life because of our skin tone.

Wait, wait...I'm not finished just yet.  If your politics don't agree with mine, I DON'T CARE!!  Nothing you say or do is going to change my mind, because ultimately, politicians are in their seats for themselves, not for the people they supposedly represent.  It's time to wake up people and get on with life.

Hold on, I think there's more: if you assume, because I talk differently than you or because I'm from a Southern state that somehow makes me racist, you are mistaken.  You know why?  BECAUSE I DON'T CARE WHAT COLOR YOU ARE!!!!!  Know what else?  People of color live down South!!  What does that make them?  In my book it makes them smart.  But who am I except a guy who probably is in the minority with that opinion, so simply ignore it, because it shouldn't effect the way you go on with your life.  There...see how simple that was?

I'm sure there's more I could rant about and I'm certain I've made numerous typos and grammatical errors in this post I will have to go back and correct.  You know what?  I DON'T CARE.

Have a great day.

God's Whisper

Some people see God's mysteries and work in everything.  I'm afraid I don't always see Him in my general surroundings; there is so much anger and evil in the world, I have a hard time believing, or accepting, that God is everywhere.   No matter your religious perspective or belief system, I think you have to agree there is Yin (good, light) and Yang (evil, dark) at work.  Now, before I'm assaulted with a history lesson in Chinese lore, I understand that Yin/Yang (Ch) or In/Yo (Jp) does not necessarily equate to good and evil.  However, the concept is that of man and woman-opposites that rely on one another to co-exist and meld the world into proper shape; hence, my American-ization of the Asian concept.  Just indulge me here, okay?

Now that I've spelled out my take on God's presence, or lack thereof, let me tell you where I have witnessed God at work.  When I see a baby, I see God's soul--pure and innocent.  As I've traveled around the world I've seen the result of God's handiwork, such as the mountains in Villa Escadero, The Philippines, Mount Fuji, Japan, the tundra of Quebec City, Canada, His tapestry on the coast line of San Francisco, CA, USA.  And recently I heard God's whisper in the Continental Divide in Colorado, USA. 

While driving alone through a valley toward Estes Park I remember saying aloud, "My God," as I stared in wide-wonder at the magnificent colors of the trees.   Craggy mountains stood erect, in sharp contrast to the beautiful mountain stream flowing gently toward the valley bottom.  The mountains seemed to swallow me as I drove through the valley, elk grazing in a meadow, the bright blue sky directly overhead.

When I arrived in the small Colorado town of Estes Park, I felt the cold air glide across my face as I exited my vehicle.  I closed my eyes and breathed in the clean oxygen, vaguely aware that my senses weren't detecting smog and vehicle emissions, nor hearing horns blowing or motorcycles roaring by, that I wasn't afraid to touch something for fear of catching someone else's cold or malady. 

As I inhaled in the mountain breeze, I realized I could almost make out a voice, a whisper really.  Suddenly, I was attuned to a force much greater than myself and also realized a gentleness was at work in my mind.  God whispered, "This is my house, behold." 

It was then I saw the world in a whole new light.  For a time people didn't look so mean and the Earth didn't seem as evil as I had once perceived.

I only want to hold onto that sound and remember God's Whisper.

Hey, white guys....

I don't purport to be some sort of fashion guru, but over the years I have developed an ability to match clothing.  I've seen a lot of guys that do this well, but there's one particular group of men who seem incapable of even a modicum of fashionable sense.  So, here's to you the "I have no inkling in the world how to match socks to shoes white man."

You see, I notice things like socks not matching shoes, and for the most part white males lead the way in the inability to do so.  Perhaps it's a lack of caring, I'm not sure, but let me tell you, when I see a guy with dark sneakers, blue jeans and white socks on I want to slap him.  Why?  Because other ethnicities make fun of we whities for things like this.  Okay, admittedly, we can't dance.  There's not much we can do about not having rhythm--it's in our DNA.  But white men, pick up an issue of GQ and do a little reading.  If your shoes ain't white, your socks shouldn't be either.

Now, let me say, I've seen a few white women who are guilty of this fashion sin, as well as a lot of Asian men.  Very few black men fall into this trap, although I have seen a few, but for the most part they have this down pat.

So come on fellow white guys!!!!  Get with the program. 

Here's a hint if you are still misunderstanding me:  Dark shoes with jeans-dark socks (including footies); dark sweat pants and dark/gray sneakers-dark socks/footies. 

I hope this helps--and women, if your husband is guilty of this faux pas, slap him and help him.

On southeastern conference football

Listen, I realize I generally look through crimson colored glasses when I talk college football.  I was born and I bleed the University of Alabama football, and most who pull and cheer for their team in the SEC do the same.  It's comparable to a lifelong ailment in the south; football is life and college football is the soul that makes high school and professional football worth watching.

Fans of other conferences will tell you the SEC is overrated, the conference is one dimensional (we are all about football) and we are arrogant when it comes to our collegiate football dominance.  Well, it ain't smack if it's fact!  :)

First, the SEC isn't overrated; on the contrary the kids who play for a conference school are elite athletes.  They are the best of the best in high school, and more often than not, they are the best college football has to offer. 

Next, the conference isn't one dimensional.  Florida has won national championships in football, track and basketball.  Alabama has won football, baseball, gymnastics and softball national championships.  Numerous other schools have won multitudes of championships away from the gridiron, but one thing holds true--football championships are the focus.  So, call the fanbase one dimensional if you want, but don't lay blame on the schools or athletes.  Our conference is awesome all the way around!

SEC fans are arrogant.  Okay, you got us on this one.  We are arrogant when it comes to football and have little respect for teams from other conferences because they don't play against championship calibre teams every week like our conferece.  We feel like the winner of the SEC not only deserves, but is destined to play for a national championship.  No, we are entitled to play because of the level of competition within the conference itself.

I invite my non-SEC friends to visit a campus on game day.  I think your attitude will either change about our conference or the visit will bring about reinforcement to your current beliefs.  Either way, we are winners and can't wait to meet your butt on your field or a neutral field.  Makes us no nevermind!!

Rammer jammer yella hammer, give 'em hell Alabama!