My Blog has been in Quarantine

Ok, so I put my blog in Quarantine since last September , lest it be infected  with all the Covid, Vax, and political B.S. that is running rampant through what seems to be the entire world, the moon and any surrounding planets. This shit is EVERYWHERE.  I will end my Covid rant there, because anything I say has been written about, talked about and reported about ad nauseam.  

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    Let's then, talk about Chickens!  My Son Nick and my Son-in-law Dakota raise chickens.  They have somewhere in the area of 15 or 16 heads of poultry running around.  It's amazing. 

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    When they came to me last year and said they were getting some chickens, I thought it was a quaint little hobby. Nick has always had a spot for animals, and I figured they would get a couple of chickens for fun. I gave them a little money to buy chicken-type supplies and what-not. At that point I didn't give it much thought.

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    Fast forward about 2 weeks.  Nick called and told me they had purchased some chickens and built a coop.  I did go to visit them a few days later, and was a bit gob-smacked by the progress.  They had built a proper coop, with perches, nesting areas, heat lamps... the whole nine yards.  In the yard were 6 or 7 small chicks, about the size of a proper adult pigeon.  All of a sudden the "farmers" were telling me expectations of laying timelines, what chicks lay the small and large eggs, white eggs, brown eggs, how to ward off infections, and a ton more info that I never knew.  With my son-in-law being a vet tech / assistant, they had an advantage when it came to the chicken well being department.  

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Skip forward another year, and they now have a serious venture. 15 or so chickens, and a constant supply of eggs.  I have not purchased store-bought eggs in many months.  They are even selling eggs to my co-workers, taking orders, and all their "customers" love the fact that these are the most organic eggs you can get. Sometimes they are still warm from being laid a little while ago. It's great. They have also expanded into baking their own sourdough bread as well, and again, they have a great customer base at my job.

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They are both in their mid 20's, have "real jobs" and love their poultry and baking venture.  My point being, that they have chosen a path of joy and helping others. Something you don't see a lot of in this day and age.  I am very proud of my boys, and they are a joy to be around.  I guess if I had to tie this blog entry into 'self-help' it relates in the area of self-determination and reaching inside and finding something you love to do. Will they always raise chickens? Maybe...probably...but more importantly, they will always follow a passion of some kind.  They are a great example for all. 

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The Whine List

 

Hey everyone...

It's been a few weeks since my last blog. I usually write when inspiration hits me. Sometimes 2 or 3 a month, sometimes a period will go by where there is nothing. Much like rain in Las Vegas. 

All the blog advice sites say to keep a strong readership, you should post on a regular basis.  Keep in front of the reader.  While I see the sense in that, I also refuse to blather on about stuff just for the sake of "putting something in front of my readers."  Many blogs become what I refer to as "WHINE LISTS."

I read a lot of blogs that pick a topic, whether politics, lifestyle, health, yadda yadda...and bitch and moan about whatever the talking point is. 

"I hate this...."

"I can't stand that..."

"They need to...they should...I would do it like this...."

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of blogs that are insightful and helpful and interesting. I follow many of them. My hat is off to many bloggers that research, verify points they are making and argue their point in a coherent manner. Keep on, carry on, and God bless you.

What I am talking about are people who take a headline and form an opinion piece. (Nothing wrong with that). The thing with opinion pieces is that they are OPINION and not fact. Trying to make an opinion into a fact is a hopeless task.  If there are 5 marbles on a table, and your opinion piece goes on about why you think there are 7 marbles on the table, no natter how much YOU may believe it, and strive to make all others believe it, the math (research) shows that there are 5 marbles on the table. Period...unless math works differently in your world, in which case I will listen to your argument and make my own decision.  

Trying to make things fact that are conjecture or theory is a long row to hoe. Ask any politician.

If your blog is an op-ed, so be it. Good for you. We need that sort of thing, however, it's a thin line. Forcing or mandating beliefs generally does not work. 

So here I am, spewing forth my opinion about bloggers and facts. (LOL) it is an infinite circle. I am guilty if it too, and try to be mindful of what I pass along. In A.A. we have a phrase, "Take what you like and leave the rest."  Be aware of your Whine List.  Offer you opinion without a solution. Offer a solution based on fact and research. Insightful thought. Offer clarity.  

And with that, I will say...Good Day!

Here's a good little thing to read....The Self Help Book for People Who Hate Self Help Books. 

Available now:

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Psychic Vampires

 

Have you ever been in a situation where one or two people just seem to suck all the energy from the room? They tend to have to be the ones talking all the time and know everything about everything. They will even go as far as to butt into a conversation to give their opinion and end up taking the conversation over. (Mind you, a conversation that had nothing to do with them in the first place).  By the time they are done, you just want to curl up in a ball and take a nap. Welcome to the Psychic Vampire (PV).

Many of these people do not even realize they are sucking your life energy out of you, BUT, there are many of them that do it because they need to do it for survival. After draining your energy, they go on to the next victim, and in the end they feel as though they have done a good thing by sharing their vast wealth of knowledge about everything. They will tell their friends (usually willing victims) about how helpful they were to everyone they talked to. The other side of the coin is that the victims are already talking about never being around that person again. In reality the victim is of no use anymore, and the PV moves on to find new ones.  

So often  however, people allow these PVs to suck all the air out of a room or all the positive energy from a person, and the victim lets them happily in the door again and again. As long as there is a fuel supply for the PV, they will gladly do their part to drain and drain and drain.

My wife, is an Energy Healer, and we have this conversation on a regular basis. In most cases, the PV is a person with horrible negative energy, and will often find the "glass half empty" solution to a problem or situation. This in itself is enough to wear on people around them to the point of wanting to find an escape. There are, however, ways of fending off PVs.  The first, of course, is to recognize them and steer clear by miles.  This is, of course not always possible in certain social settings of family situations. It is very tricky to navigate sometimes. 

You can ask your higher powers to shield you and protect you from these PVs, much like wearing Garlic around your neck to ward off blood suckers. 

There are many crystals that help as well.

I wear Tourmaline a lot! Mine is set in gold and is a very pretty piece. I get many compliments on it, and yet no one realizes that it is my first defense against energy suckers. My forward deflector shield. It is one of the most powerful energy protection stones there is. Does great for blocking negative crap that PVs tend to wield. 

It's all about energy. Deflecting the negative and absorbing the positive. Remember, you are the sum of the 5 people you surround yourself with on a regular basis.  Positive people exude positive energy and you will be surrounded by that. Negative people (PVs) will drag you down into their abyss exhausting or depressing you. It is not a good feeling or comfortable place.  So, be aware, keep your antenna up and your shield strong.  Find an energy healer to help you learn how to protect yourself from all the negative stuff out there. Here is a link you can check out:

 Design for Life Energy Healer

And, while you are at it, make The Self Help Book for People Who Hate Self Help Books  part of your summer reading!

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Have an "Imperfect" Day

 I actually posted this in 2017, but I think it is worth re-visiting. A reminder that perfection is all a state of mind, and in many cases, unattainable.  From FEB. 2017: 

"No one is perfect".  How many times have we heard this or even used it as an excuse for lack of knowledge or experience?  

The whole perfection thing is a lot of pressure. We are raised to be the best we can be. That is WAYYYY different than being perfect.

You don't have to be perfect. Perfection is a illusion. It's unattainable. It's a unicorn.  Great to imagine, but in real life, it's still a horse with a horn glued to its head.  

However, there is a way, somewhat Taoist to look at this. If you have have imperfections, and those imperfections make up the person you are, then it would only fit that you are perfect in your imperfection. You are the perfect you. 

We are hit from all sides with media and peer pressure to look a certain way, or dress with a certain style, or have a perfect hair style yadda yadda yadda.....It tends to make one very self conscious about one's self.  You hear the horror stories every day. Young kids turning to drugs, self mutilation, depression, isolationism, suicide...all for what? Because they don't fit in with the latest trend. 

True, some people are genetically predisposed to "good looks" or "athleticism" or brilliance...and some are not as attractive, or strong or smart.  Nature will always balance. Yes, it has been proven that mates tend to gravitate toward the strongest of the herd. Or the prettiest..(example Bird of Paradise). In nature, this is for survival of the species. Humans do not have that problem. We get together, hang out, have sex with each other and boom....on goes the species. And yes, sometime alcohol is involved that makes you pair up with someone that for whatever reason you would not normally pair up with. 

Point is, there is someone for everyone. What I find unattractive in someone, the next person with see as the one they have been looking for all their life...perfect in their imperfections.  A lot of "imperfection" has to do with self image.  We all can do things to make changes in what we see as faults in ourselves. All good. Make those changes.  Embrace those changes. But, be sure you are doing it for the right reason. You can not be beautiful to others until you are beautiful to yourself.  You can only love others when you love yourself first.  Embrace your imperfections and love them. Life is a wonderful thing once you  realize that you don't have to be a clone on the model on TV who is pushing the latest "make yourself perfect" product.  Just be the best you that you can be.  

Have an "imperfect" day!

LET GO AND LET GOD ... Another Bumper Sticker Story

     As many of you know, I am a proud member of Alcoholics Anonymous, have have spent more than 30 years both learning and teaching in the program.  AA and Al-anon have, over the years, been cubby-holed by some as Those slogan groups.  You know... You will see bumper stickers, or go to a meeting for the first few times and will no doubt hear people say "One day at a time (ODAT), Keep it Simple, Easy Does It, Let Go and Let God, It works if you work it."  To the outsider, these may seem to be just slogans, or bumper stickers or cheerleading for sobriety. BUT to people that are in the program, really working it, they become mantras to a new way of life. 

I am not here to extol the virtues of 12 step programs. But I would like to share a story with you that happened to me a little over a year into my sobriety.

It was late summer, 1984. I had just completed a year and a half in Broadcasting school, and the same amount of time in AA, it was time to make a move. With my bags packed, and a new car, I set out on the road armed with my diploma, tapes of what I could offer a radio station smart enough to hire me, and the wind at my back. No computers or smartphones at the time, but I did have a radio station guide that listed every station in the United States. SO I began to cold-call visit, sometimes just leaving my tape and resume, and sometimes talking to Program Directors. 

It was not long until a bit of reality set in and I was to realize that it was not going to be an easy task, this radio thing.  I listened to DJs on all kinds of stations as I drove, trying to pick up some style pointers. My route was through Northern California, Nevada, Las Vegas, L.A. and across to Phoenix, Az.  From there up to New Mexico, Texas and who knew from there. 

I arrived in Phoenix. I visited a total of four stations there, and was turned away from all, mostly due to lack of on air experience, which is what I was getting pretty much everywhere.  It was 110 degrees, I was worn out and lost. I could not seem to find my way out of town. Frustrated and feeling very sorry for myself. I felt like I needed a drink very badly. My next stop was a bar. Any bar.  I was going to figure out my next move over a couple or more beers.  

I was sitting at a red light, and the car behind me tooted his horn.  I rolled my window down, pointed at the red light and gave him a WTF hand gesture. When the light turned green I peeled away from the light only to catch the next red light. The car behind me pulled up beside me, and again honked his horn. He rolled his passenger window down, I rolled my window down and asked him, in a not so friendly tone, what the hell he wanted?  He smiled, and said, "I saw your Easy Does It bumper Sticker. Saw you were from California, and you look a little stressed. I'm headed for a meeting up the block? Wanna Follow me?"

I was gob-smacked. My higher power had stepped in when I needed help and sent an angel to show me HIS will.  I went to the meeting, and the topic was HIS will HIS way (vs. HIS will MY way). We all want to think we are in control, and want to hold on to a tiny thread of control even if we turn it over to God. I am not get religious here, I use the term GOD to define any power greater than yourself or Higher Power as we more often refer to it. 

The man who honked at me was Carl, and he and I remained friends over 20 years until he died. That one moment in time may have saved my life. 

Remember, when you turn your will and life over to the care of God as you understand Him, Her or It, you also have to recognize when your higher power puts the answer in front of you. I go into that a little deeper in my book: The Self Help Book for People Who Hate Self Help Books

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In the meantime, remember that the answers are always in front of you. Sometimes you need to get your ego out the way to see the solution. 

Have a Great Day!

Nothing Matters Much and Very Little Matters at All

 My late father-in-law was a brilliant man. He lived a long, happy life. One of his mantras was Nothing Matters Much, and Very Little Matters at All. There is a very deep train of thought here. It is a lot like trying to conceptualize the universe being infinite without trying to figure out where the universe is contained.  It's a little more than we can comprehend without being Stephen Hawking or at least in the company of that type of brain-pan. 

In the great scheme of things, we may make a small difference in the world, much like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. But in the big picture, we have to remember that we, as humans have done a lot in the history of us, but we have been here for but a sneeze in the history of time. All the hand wringing about saving the planet is a bit of a pipe dream. At some point we will, as a species, likely go extinct. It is a given, and when humans are no longer here, the planet will heal itself. That's what mother Earth does. She has done it many times before, and will do it again. At one time the dinosaurs were the ruling species. They were here for far longer than humans, and I am sure that all that Methane from all the dino-poo and T-Rex farts were a factor in Jurassic global warming, not to mention all the volcanic activity and swamp gas. The planet is continuously in flux. Boom....asteroid, Dinos done...Planet goes into  years of darkness....but...Mother Earth took a breath and fixed herself. 

We humans are driven by Ego. We think we are the ultimate power in the universe, or at least on the planet. But everything we do, everything we fight for, every cause we back is short term, and the planet only needs saving from US.  No matter how important we think we are, the planet just sees us as an irritant. Like fleas on a dog... A nuisance.  Look at the mountains, the Grand canyon, Oceans, rivers...All that was here WAY before we were here, and Mother Earth did that all by herself without our help. We can shape mountains by excavating for the riches they hold, but we can never build mountains. The fact that a mountain grows at a pace of 1 inch every 1000 years is way too slow for humans to comprehend. The continental plates move about an inch a year. Again way too slow to comprehend. But to the planet, over her life, entire continents have shifted thousand of miles at a rate of an inch or so a year with the occasional jump like a major shift in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. 17 feet of movement in less than a minute. That certainly got our attention. We called it a disaster. Mother Earth called it taking a breath. It didn't matter much to her. Probably didn't really matter at all. It's what the planet does, and no matter how important we think we are, Mother Earth is going to pre-empt everything we do eventually. 

Human extinction is a concept that we have a hard time getting our heads around. But, be it by our own hand or natural causes like an giant asteroid, or Yellowstone Super-volcanic eruption, we will probably be gone, or at least whittled down to a few thousand survivors. It may be another 100 years, or another 500,000 years. Even if we manage to populate another planet, we are ultimately not in control of anything. The universe will dictate our survival.  

We can only be a part of now. Love now, Live in the now. Because 500 years from now, who is going to remember who you were, or who you loved or what you did for a living? None of it matters much. If you leave a legacy, that will be wonderful. A Mozart, a Chopin, a Jesus. How much will it all matter once you are dust and part of the Mother Earth? 

But there is a chance mankind will evolve and a giant shift will happen. We will learn to live in a totally new way. WE will all make a difference. Maybe we will teleport instead of using vehicles. Maybe we will live in a world where there will no rich or poor. Enlightenment to the point of just being in the now. There will ALWAYS be "bad seeds" but maybe they will be a super-minority. A world of autonomy and respect. Wipe the negative energy from the galaxy for good... and FOR GOOD. Boom! Outta here! Where nothing would matter much, and very little will matter at all because the positivity will just BE. 

And so it is!

And while you are contemplating all that, check out my book, The Self Help Book for People Who Hate Self Help Books! 

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Pick your Battles

 Hey everyone. It's been a month since my last blog, dealing with back some issues that are being fixed, and redesigning my office.

I always cruise through various online sites and blogs and social platforms, and take in both side of everything out there, trying to remain as neutral as possible, which is hard sometimes. I try to practice what I preach. Occasionally, though, something will trip my trigger and I will rant or repost. Hey, we are all human beings being human right? 

There is so much finger pointing  and "I'm right, you're wrong" going on that it is hard to tell who the players are and what the end game is.  I will comment on things, trying to be neutral, although, as I said, it is difficult.  I see pages on all kinds of social media sights where it is extreme one way or another. We have forgotten that a middle ground exists, and right now that middle ground is a deserted landscape where no one wants to go.  It has become an us against them society and we have to deal with it every day, and we all have opinions. 

The point is there is all this input and no outlet. I talk to people that say they feel trapped because they feel as though they can not talk to people about anything (even the weather) without getting into a political battle. This is not good for the mind or the body. Isolation from everyday life is a terrible thing. Fear of communication is a terrible thing. So, here is what I do...

I pick my battles. I talk to people, and if it gets to a point of discomfort, I end the conversation. "I really don't think I want to talk about this further."  The other person can accept it, or reject it. If they insist on drumming on, I will say, "thanks" and get up and walk away. Sometimes the other person will call me names, say that I am scared to face the facts (their version of the facts) and so on. Remember, What you think of me is none of my business. It goes back to the North and Southbound roads. Maintain your direction if that is where your are going. 

When you pick your battles, avoid statement like you should, you have to, I know, you're wrong, I'm right, I did it so you should too, THEY SAY, now listen....you get it. 

I capitalized THEY SAY because 80% of information we think we know comes from THEM. If someone says "They say," stop them and ask them who they is. You will probably get and answer like "The experts."  

Remember the scene in Indiana Jones when Indy asked who was studying the Arc? THEY answered "Top Men." We come to find out that it was boxed up and put in a huge storage house, probably in area 51!! Same thing. "The Experts" refers to I have no idea what I am talking about.

You have to realize that there are people who research and people who just get input. Quit watching the news. That is my first piece of advise. Network and cable news shows are the worst for mucking up the waters. One says this is what's going on while the other channel has the exact opposite happening. There are many trusted sources online no matter which side you are on. It's up to you to sift through and find what you think is right. It's a tricky balancing act.  

Try to be Zen and be an observer of the things going on around you. Don't judge, but glean the positive things from all you observe and put them in your to review mental file. Remember, not all is right or wrong. It is all Here and Now. How WE run with it is up to us. 

Summer reading list should include The Self Help Book for People Who Hate Self Help Books

Available on Amazon and other E-reader platforms

Amazon            Nook, Ibooks and more

Have a GREAT day.