Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Today

“You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.”

This was one of the quotes contained in an email I recently received. I don’t know where the quote originally came from or I would be giving due credit.

But what more really can be said. It is along the lines of “the past is but a memory, the future but a dream, all we really have is the present”.

Lets not let our present be haunted by memories or diluted by dreams, live in the moment

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Make changes

Had a really major “pee” day today. Do you know how many times you have to go to the bathroom to loose 14 pounds in one day? Well neither do I, I didn’t count but trust me when I say it is a lot.

Health wise am feeling pretty good these days. Saw both my family doctor and the heart failure clinic last week. Good news from both, all the numbers, blood count etc. are in line. I am doing well. The doc. at the heart failure clinic was on my case a little. My fluid intake is to high, I drink just to much water through the day. Want me to cut my fluid intake back to about 6 cups over the entire day, yikes.

For a while I have carried a thought way in the back of my mind. My good friend Ceeque did a post and asked several people to pick up the nearest book to them and to page 123. Well the nearest book is “Taking Time To Just Be” a Helen Exley Giftbook. OK, the pages aren’t numbered and I am to lazy to count up to page 123 so I am taking a guess. Here you go Charles, sorry it has taken me so long to respond. The page only contains one long sentence:

“There is so much in the world for us all if only we have the eyes to see it, and the heart to love it and the hand to gather it to ourselves.” Lucy Maud Mongomery

As I read it, it immediately struck a note within me. Ours truly is a beautiful and wonderful world and it really does contain so very much for each and everyone of us. When you say it quick it really does sound good and nice, a world filled with wonders, love, joy and happiness for all. OK, so if that is true and it is, why aren’t we all living wonderful love filled happy lives?

The answer to that is also easy, or at least it sounds easy if you say it fast without thinking. We have to have the eyes to see it, the heart to love it and the hands to gather it to ourselves.

“We have to have the eyes to see it”. How many of us are so busy in our lives that we just don’t have the time or take the time to just sit back and smell the roses, to really live and enjoy life? How many of us are just to busy in pursuit of career opportunities, the bigger house, the newer car, whatever to see our lives for what they are, to see our precious moments of time being used up, enduring and struggling rather than enjoying. How many of us just can’t see our lives for what they really are, “a set number of precious moments we are allowed on this earth”. If all could only stop and realize we are only allowed a certain amount of time. None of us know when we will be called home, when our supply of precious moments is “used up”. If we all really stopped and thought about this would, we be wasting so many of those moments. Would we allow ourselves to be constantly driven for more, bigger and better. Or, would we stop or at least slow down enough to see what we really do have or what is available to us in this life as we have it today. Why is it we seem to need to reach the point of having something like a death sentence hanging over your head before we can really see our lives for what they are.

I am just sitting here thinking and a realization came to me. I was writing this with the people in mind that do have “good” lives but just can’t see it. I have done several recent posts on abuse. This whole abuse issue is just so awful and is something I am not familiar with so it doesn’t just naturally pop up in my mind, well until recently when I began doing some reading on it. I have written on battered women and the endless suffering they endure. I realize “seeing” your life for what it is applies both ways seeing it for how really good it is or how bad it is. Here again it seems like the “death sentence” is the ultimate motivating factor in making a change. How many times have I read or heard stories of women suffering years of endless abuse. Upon escaping the abuse I often have read them making a comment such as: “I knew if I went home he would kill me, I had to get out”. Why does it usually seem to take something as serious as a “death sentence” to prompt or force us to make changes in our lives???? What can I say to convince everyone to really take a good honest hard look at your life as it is to day, be it good or bad. To SEE your life for what it is, again be it good or bad. Life is truly meant to be lived to the fullest and enjoyed, not to be endured. Based on what you SEE in your life make changes if necessary be it to your mindset or to your physical surroundings and life circumstances. Please don’t wait until you have a death sentence hanging over your head before you can really SEE AND REALIZE, “There is so much in the world for us all if only we have the eyes to see it”. Why is it that it seems no matter how deep or how nasty is the rut in which we find our lives it is still our rut. We are familiar with our rut and are seemingly afraid to try to venture out into the unfamiliar, to go beyond the “comfort” of the familiarity of the rut no matter how bad it may be.

Even if we do “SEE” it, we still must have the heart to love it. I know in my heart how I understand this to be taken, but am struggling with finding the words to describe my feelings, my thoughts. Well that has never stopped me before, so it certainly isn’t going to stop me now and here we go.

It is fine to be able to “SEE” where we would like to make changes in our lives. It is entirely different though, to really stop and think and realize how important those changes are to us to our lives. It is so much easier to just blow thoughts off as nothing but a wisp of fantasy, with thoughts of “if only”. I am not talking about things like winning the lottery or anything like that, I am talking about real life. Do we have it in our heart to love our life as it is, (mindset)? This is where I struggle with wording, as I am eliminating all things material and money itself from my thinking as it is all really immaterial to our internal happiness. I am talking about deeply internal feelings, peace of mind, serenity, love, contentment, joy of life……. How badly do we want to bring about an necessary change to allow us those wonderful feelings? Now I know there are all the sayings like the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence etc.. This is where it is so important for a brutally honest life assessment by each of us individually. Each must make their own individual assessment. For our own internal peace this must be done individually and not guided, controlled or manipulated by others. We must live our lives, not the lives as others want us to. God granted us each free will, it is our responsibility in life to do that, live our lives as we inside know is best for us. ****I am excluding parents raising children from this, obviously. Children must be taught healthy boundaries and to grow to be healthy adults where they in turn can make those same healthy decisions for themselves.****** It comes down to, how badly do we want to live a health, happy, love filled life?

“the hand to gather it to us”. This is by far the hardest part, if in fact it was easy every one would be living wonderful lives. It takes courage, it takes strength and determination to bring about changes to our lives. It comes back to how badly do we want it. Change is difficult especially life changes. As difficult as they may be, they are the most important changes we can make in our life. The most necessary changes we must make in our lives. Because of my health I have real a lot of articles, books etc. on death and dying. Countless is the number of times I have read of people on their death bed, feeling full of regret. Regret over not spending more time enjoying life. Regret over having wasted so many of their precious moments enjoying life, living life. Never have I read of anyone regretting not working a 60 hour week instead of only a 40 hour week. Never have I read of a person regretting not staying in an abusive relationship to take just one more beating or put down. All of the regrets are the exact opposite of having endured life instead of living it.

I hope and pray any and all that may read this will have many, many more years of life in front of them. Let today be a new beginning, recognize that OK there have been many wasted moments of irretrievable time, lost in the past but no more. Today, is a new day and I will not waste any more of my precious moment of time. Nothing is impossible, no matter how bleak your circumstances may appear, a change is possible. Yes, it will be difficult, but the pay off is so well worth it. It will require strength, energy and determination and unfortunately time, but it can be done. Some may come in little baby steps but with determination it will come. Some may require drastic immediate action, IF YOU ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP GET OUT NOW. Courage, strength and determination will see you through.

Any life change is difficult and may in fact require the support of others. Irregardless of the change you are making big or small, out side support is always a great help. Surround yourself with healthy support. Seek out help a life change is difficult, encouragement and support could make the difference in success and failure. Surround yourself with nothing but healthy relationships, in fact rid yourself of unhealthy relationships of any sort. It can be done. Always remember:

“There is so much in the world for us all if only we have the eyes to see it, and the heart to love it and the hand to gather it to ourselves.”

Lucy Maud Mongomery

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Selling Yourself Short

I spent an interesting afternoon yesterday at the heart failure clinic. I met with the dietitian, the physiotherapist, and the pharmacist. All of whom were very nice, kind and friendly ladies.

Now the dietitian, I wasn’t to excited with her suggestions about even further restrictions to my diet. Even something as little as a pickle, is to be no more. Huge long list of food no, no’s. Most I already knew and was trying to follow. There were a few surprises  such as the pickles, oh well.

Physiotherapist wants me up and walking more just around the house. In the past I have always thought of exercise should be something at least a little strenuous. Things like taking a walk or such should be 30 minutes long or something before it counts as exercise. I was wrong, every single individual step we take is indeed exercise. When I think of it, that is so obvious. So I now have a target number of minutes to be walking. It is a daily target and can be broken up into as many little walking segments as I like, it is the total minutes that counts.

Pharmacist reviewed my medication list to ensure I am taking them correctly and I am.

So it was an interesting visit.

I am sitting here thinking about my life and just life in general. Dwelling in the past is never a good thing, but it is natural to occasionally reflect back. You never want to get stuck in the “if only” mind set. We need to accept what has transpired in our lives and move on. But, I do think there is a healthy way we can look back at our “if only” times. If done correctly and in a healthy way, we can learn from these times.

I think we so often tend to sell ourselves short, not giving ourselves enough credit for who we are or what we do. I suppose it is a form of insecurity that can give us a defeatist attitude. There is no way I can get that or do that so why even try. This, no point is even trying attitude leads to the “if only” thoughts. Go for the gusto, give it a try, even if it doesn’t work out you at least know you tried.

I think this applies to every area of our lives and virtually every age in our lives. What are examples, lets go right back to our school years. Suppose, say you had a huge crush on a particular girl but lacked the nerve to even ask her out. Who is to know she may have said yes, she may have said no and you are left with the “if onlys” which are magnified because you didn’t at least try.

Lets move to career and job choices. Let’s suppose you have in your mind a dream job and suddenly it become available. But, you see the list of other candidates applying for the job. That defeatist attitude kicks in and you realize within yourself there is no point in even trying. I can’t match or compete with those other candidates. Later you face the “if only’s”. How do you know you wouldn’t have gotten the job if you didn’t at least try. If you tried and got your dream job, excellent. If you tried and failed well at least you know you tried.

I think often we settle for things in life, because it is the safe or easy thing to do. We so often don’t try just reaching for our dreams. Doing this may expose us, make us a little vulnerable, fears of failure or being embarrassed creep in.

I guess my whole point is, how do we know? How do we know if maybe we would have gotten that dream job? How do we know so very many things in life, if we don’t at least try?

It is time to quite selling ourselves short and reach for our dreams and goals. What is the very worst that can happen, you get turned down or get a no. At least you can rest easy knowing you tried.

Life is to be a positive wonderful thing and it truly is. Never sell yourself short, who knows reach for a star and you may just get it.

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Wooden Bowl

My deepest regrets to my blogging friends. I have been on line very little of late. My mind seems to be totally preoccupied with other issues. I have read and so appreciate every comment I have received. I will be responding to each in turn, very soon.

More and more it seems I have been just copying and posting the content of some of the wonderfully inspirational emails I have been receiving. There are writers out there so much more gifted and I and are able to convey what really are my thoughts and feelings, it is just worded so much better.

I give you another message that just really struck me.
The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year -old grandson.
The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.
The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
‘We must do something about father,’ said the son.
‘I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.’
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.
Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.
He asked the child sweetly, ‘What are you making?’ Just as sweetly, the boy responded,
‘Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.
‘The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless.
Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.
Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.
For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason,
neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens,
how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:
a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I’ve learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, You’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.

I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life….’

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands.

You need to be able to throw something back

I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, > your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you

I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch — holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I’ve learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about .I just did.

OK, back to me. That message just hit me where I needed it. Something I’ve learned also is that no matter what the message or it’s content, it is made even more special just knowing who it came from. Make someone’s day, let them see your name in the inbox of their email

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Abandoned Children

 I have been sort of MIA for the past while for a number of reasons both medical and personal. I am so happy, the new second pill has my blood sugars in line and I do feel so much better. For the first time ever I haven’t even been able to keep up with just reading the wonderful comments left by many. I do apologize to all. I have read all and will be responding to each individually. Just know I am back, I am here and doing fine.

I suppose all should be warned. Normally, I try to keep things on a relatively positive note. Today, I am upset, I am angry. I am blowing off steam by ranting here in my journal. I suppose if I am going to rant what better place to do it than here, what is a journal for.

For any that may not know, here in Canada we have been going through a record cold spell. It has been like this for at least a week if not even 2 weeks. With wind chill, temperatures have been in the -30’s and -40’s in some areas even -50’s. Now that is cold, hard to really even imagine unless you have experienced it. Your skin will literally freeze within minutes or even seconds.  Us, Canadians love to brag about the weather, shows how tough we are. This extreme cold is not pleasant, but if prepared, dressed properly etc. it is endurable. OK, my rant is not about the weather but about the unimaginable things some people are doing during it. Every year there are death due to the cold, all of which are tragic. BUT THIS YEAR, ahhhhh, words escape me.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH US, HAS THE COLD FROZEN OUR BRAINS? That is the only answer I can think of.

I have been following a couple of stories in the newspaper.

First story, the gist of which is as follows. some one went to park their car in a mall parking lot. As they did they notice  the car beside theirs had 2 small children in the back seat. The car was not running so there fore obviously no heat in the vehicle. Thankfully this good Samaritan called the police, who arrived immediately. Open the car and took the children, who thankfully were still OK, to the warm and safety of their car. They then waited apparently for about 1/2 hour for a parent to appear. A mother came out of the mall and supposedly was surprised to see the police and couldn’t seem to understand that this was any sort of an issue. Hello.

Second story, an infant, I believe a new born was found abandoned lying face down on the cold concrete of an unheated parking garage. Again very luckily a passerby noticed the child and authorities were called. Miraculously the child had been discovered in time and I understand is doing fine. Police are searching for family.

Third story. They just keep coming and getting worse. A few mornings ago a man showed up banging on a neighbors door at about 5:30am. He was suffering from severe frost bite, hypothermia and was apparently babbling incoherently. Ambulance, police all were called, the man rushed to hospital and treated. Reportedly it was several hours before anyone could understand anything he was saying. When he did become coherent enough to be understood, he asked about his children as he had left them outside in a field. This was the first authorities knew of any children being involved in the situation. Naturally, them rushed to the area he said and sadly found 2 small children a 1 years old and a 3 years old clad only in a diaper and light tee shirt, frozen to death. The only explanation I have read so far includes the heavy use of alcohol and that he must have blacked out!!!!!! This just brings such a sad sigh.

Final rant, this one about our laws here in Canada. I read of a police officer being inter viewed. Apparently we do have a law on the books here that actually makes it illegal to simply abandon a child. Well duh, apparently we needed the government to pass a law to make it illegal. I suppose in fact the need for the law was to set appropriate punishments etc..

Now again according to this police officer, abandoning a child can get you up to 2 years in prison. Now he carried on to say, he was aware of many cases involving such children but couldn’t actually remember even one single time when any charges were actually laid.

My head is both numb and spinning at the same time, how can this be? Our children are our most helpless, wouldn’t it naturally follow that they need our greatest protection. Both within families but also within society as a total. How can this possibly not be the case?

Now, I am trying to imagine a comparable. Now I think of an adult, someone who either through disease or age or what ever is physically unable to do anything for themselves, really as helpless as these little children. Now, I can only imagine but suppose you took that adult. Say in a wheel chair of what ever, had the adult clad only in underwear and a tee shirt and you take them outside into the frigid temperatures and leave them there. Now, while I don’t know this, I am sure you would very likely be charged with murder if this adult died. I think this is as it should be, we need to protect the sick and the elderly.

I ask for feedback as I pose one simple question. So we not need to protect our children as least as much as if not more than all others?

Dying Man’s Dialy Journal - 2 Boxes

I am taking the easy way out again today. I have received an email that so eloquently states my thought, there is really nothing more to say.
> God’s Boxes
>
> I have in my hands two boxes,
> Which God gave me to hold.
> He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black box,
> And all your joys in the gold .”
>
> I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
> Both my joys and sorrows I stored,
> But though the gold became heavier each day,
> The black was as light as before.
>
> With curiosity, I opened the black,
> I wanted to find out why,
> And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
> Which my sorrows had fallen out by.
>
> I showed the hole to God, and mused,
> “I wonder where my sorrows could be!”
> He smiled a gentle smile and said,
> “My child, they’re all here with me..”
>
> I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
> Why the gold and the black with the hole?
> “My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
> The black is for you to let go.”
>
> We should consider all of our friends a blessing
> Send this to a friend today just to let them know you
> are thinking of them and that they are a joy in your life.
>
> A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end.
> It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends.
> But the treasure inside for you to see,
> Is the treasure of friendship you’ve granted to me.
>
> Today I pass the friendship ball to you.
> Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you…

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Special Prayer request.

I have just received a special prayer request from a dear blogging friend Jo. Please I ask all for prayers, here is Jo’s message:

Hi Bill, Can I be greedy and ask for a few prayers to be sent over this way. My Aunty is in the middle of her brain surgery as we speak, trying to remove the tumor. It’s a 50/50 chance. Any prayers would be appreciated……………………… Thanks heaps
Love Jo
xx

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Spirit within me

Had a good weekend, quiet but good. I am feeling well and just plain excited to be alive.

We were blessed to be able to share our home with a very nice young man from Thompson. Zack, is the son of a very good friend of Vi’s and came to the city. Zack we enjoyed your company.

I am happy to see people are slowly joining my totally non-exclusive group of friends. I thank each a every one so very much. I again invite all to join our wonderful little group, maybe with time we can turn it into a wonderful big group. For any that may have missed my original post on this, I invite you to read the page, shown at the top of the screen, titled “Spirit within Me”. By clicking into that page you will read all about my friends and what the purpose of that page is. I thank and welcome all that have “signed up”.

I have been thinking a lot about this sort of thing a lot lately. I believe that contained with in each and every one of us, lies an inner light. The very essence of you, call it your soul, your spirit what ever, within that light is pure goodness, pure love. I believe we are all born with that light shining brightly and that light continues to shine just as brightly through our entire lives. Sadly as we grow and mature the events of our physical world can cause us to see things differently, maybe even warping or distorting our views.

As an illustration of what I mean, I picture the flame within as being like a beautiful lamp, here in our physical world. It is a beautiful light that brilliantly and beautifully lights the entire room. I picture the negativity in our lives as being the equivalent of a shade we would put on the lamp. As soon as the shade goes on the lamp, it doesn’t outwardly seem to give off the same light. With progressive events in our lives we continue to put thicker and thicker shades on the lamp. This continual adding of additional thicker shades, gradually diminishes the amount of the light that can be seen. Just because the brightness of the light is blocked doesn’t mean it is not there. It is still there as bright and beautiful as it ever was. For anyone of about a million reasons we have just covered the light, sometimes we have covered it so well, we can no longer even see or feel it. We have to know, it really is still there just buried under the mountain of issues in life.

Many have written to me about the wonderful feelings they have enjoyed by doing simple small acts of kindness. Truly helping another, not out of necessity but out of just wanting to. They write of the warm glow they feel inside, that comes from true acts of kindness, a giving from the heart. It truly is such a wonderful feeling. A wonderful feeling I hope that we all as a group can share. That as a group we can share our stories, love and support each other on this venture.

I am sure it is safe to say, everyone would agree there needs to be changes made in the way the world is today. I am sure we agree on that. But then I question, how as only one individual can I hope to make any change “in the world”. Here is but one line from my last post.

“You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.” I have read this before and then always just seemed to take it as applying to loved ones etc.. I now realize that it at any given moment apply to any and everyone. If I am drowning and a stranger jumps in the water and saves me, at that time that person means the world to me. It doesn’t even have to anything nearly as dramatic. There is just no way to tell how even a seemingly insignificant gesture on our part may affect the lives of others. A single smile can light the entire world as a group we can do much better than light the world we can make it shine.

This is such a win/win situation. The recipient of our kindness will obviously benefit for the very act itself. We will benefit, from the warm glow that we will feel inside. Maybe, even managing to take at least one layer of shade off of that light within.

There is a ripple effect to goodness and kindness. Lets create not ripples but waves.

Please check out the spirit “within me page”. Also please let me know what you think of this idea.

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - Stress Management

Often I receive emails that contain such a wonderful or meaningful message, I feel I just have to share. I look for these as so many have writing skills beyond my own and convey a message I would like to but, couldn’t do so in such an elegant manner. I received this from Kerry a very dear friend.

Stress Management:

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water? “
Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20 oz. The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on
how long you try to hold it. “If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.”
“In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. “
> He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. “
“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. “
“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.”
“Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested. Life is short. Enjoy!
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1 * Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.
2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3 * Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4 * Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5 * If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8 * Never buy a car you can’t push.
9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
10 * Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
11 * Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12 * The second mouse gets the cheese.
13 * When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15 * You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once
17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box .
18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today .

Dying Man’s Daily Journal - My thinking/Be a Man

This may sound strange but the past few days I have been thinking about my thinking, where do some of my thoughts come from. Now I am not talking about here on the blog, I believe I know that. I am talking in just every day, day to day stuff.

At times I wonder about the old brain tumor. It is there, about the size of a large walnut. It’s located on the right frontal side. This is I am told the part of the brain that we use for things like judgement, control of impulsive actions, actually quite a few things that sort of determine the person I am. Our brain is naturally contained within the confines of our skull. Being confined as such, there is no natural room for swelling or for such a thing as a tumor. Within this confined space the tumor then just squishes other parts of the brain, compressing these parts into un-natual shapes and positions. It can’t help but have some sort of affect on you.

Hey, maybe I am really a big jerk, it is just the tumor has rearranged the brain in such a way, I am able to pass myself of as a reasonably nice guy. Now isn’t that food for thought, hmm.

I am what I consider to be a deep thinker and not prone to acting impulsively but I have notice that now arising and will just have to be more aware.

Just realized something, if I write something stupid or ridiculous, I can just blame it on the tumor. lol

Stepdaughter Lynelle was here all last week and as we talked. During her visits we usually find some time to chat, about anything and everything. Now memory guy is coming through again. I can’t actually remember what it was that we were talking about but what ever it was, it got me thinking about male/female roles in life.

First off, I believe in equality in every aspect, no exceptions. OK, that is a given. But, my mind is wandering along the lines, is there or should there at least be one additional expectation of men. Maybe some of this stems from something I can remember my mother saying when I was young. You know how somethings just sort of stand out or stick in your mind, well this is one of those for me.

“Always be a man. A real man is a gentleman. A gentleman always shows due respect to others. Under no circumstances would a gentleman ever hit a woman or anyone smaller than himself. He will always stand up to protect and defend his loved ones, himself and anyone in need.”

There may have been more, that I don’t remember. I like to consider myself a gentleman. Have there been times in my life where I know I have fallen short of that definition, sadly yes. But, it is something I have tried to generally live my life by.

I know there is an equally good argument about the ladies standing up and maybe one day I will post my thoughts on that. But, today I am just talking about the men and specifically in the home, thoughts on other areas of life will likely follow.

I just can’t fathom how any male that sees himself as really being a man, “the man of the house” could use his possible greater size and strength to do anything but protect your loved ones. There is no circumstance, situation or event, as angry as you may be, that could justify violence against women and children. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS, NONE. It is time for all real men to stand up and be counted, show yourself as being a man. If anyone realizes in their hearts, changes could be make. How about starting that change today, right now.

As men, we do often possess a larger physical stature and even greater physical strength. Let’s use that in the way it was meant to be used.

I guarantee, I will never strike a woman or child.

I guarantee, I will never use my size to bully anyone, ever.

I guarantee, if we hear a noise in the middle of the night. I will be the one checking it out, baseball bat in hand.

I guarantee, if anyone says or does anything, I ever perceive as being done to intentionally hurt my loved ones. I will be in your face, immediately.

It is almost strange reading that last point. I know it to be true. The strange part is I am a very easy going relaxed kind or guy. Very little upsets or bothers me, say or do something to me and I will very likely just laugh it off. Do the very same thing to my family, different story all together.

A direct question to every male reading this. Are you a gentleman, a real man or merely an over sized jerk pretending to be a man? Give it some thought before you automatically reply.