Monday, September 15, 2014

A new chapter (or 7 months later)

Last night, I made a major change in my life.  I closed a chapter of my life.  Permanently.  It wasn't easy at first.  I was actually downright irate at a situation occurring 1,486 miles away from me.  After thinking about it and speaking with one of my best friends (and fellow blogger), Rubina Uzzaman, I was given a clarity of mind to realize that allowing myself to be upset was tantamount to giving them power over my life.  I finally took that power back.

Why am I telling you this?  In hopes that you may find some solace (and strength) in knowing that you're not the only one dealing with these issues.  And that if I can do this?  So can you.  After closing that chapter, which was ultimately as simple as saying the word "Goodbye", I felt like a gigantic weight was lifted from my soul.  I am happier.  The sky seems bluer.  My appetite has fully returned.  I feel like I am finally the master of my own destiny.  I spent many years allowing others to dictate my actions, thus altering my destiny.  At time, that dictation was done abusively.  No more.  And you don't have to allow it either.



I'm moving on.  Time to take the wheel and drive.
Namaste.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Never forget...not even 13 years later...



2,996 casualties between New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania including the 19 hijackers.  66,077+ casualties in total when you add the casualties from the resulting war effort.  And if you add the casualties in Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq?  Untold millions.  1,182,934+ additional casualties.  1,249,011+ in total.  Before you say "Yes, but the non-American deaths are okay!  We had to get even with the bastards!", how many of those might be innocents?  Women and children?  And correct me if I'm wrong (I have a propensity to be wrong), but isn't all life precious?  That's what I've always heard.

Never forget.  Very powerful words.  Never forget.  I know I won't.  Where were you?  I was lying in bed, off from work that day.  My son had crawled into bed with me to take a nap.  My ex-stepdaughter came upstairs to inform my ex-wife and I that Tower One had been struck by an airplane.  I turned on the television just in time to watch the next plane impact Tower 2.  It was at that moment that I knew it was no "accident".  That it was intentional.  I spent the remainder of the day glued to my television, watching as America was seemingly thrown into fear and chaos with a great amount of ease.  So where were you?  What were you doing?  Do you remember?

What I find so stupefying, yet amazing, is how many people have held on the their prattle about "inside job" and "conspiracy".  Get over it, for God's sake!  I was on Facebook the other day.  A friend of mine had shared a status update by Ted Nugent.  Apparently he has decided in his foaming, rabid, megalomaniac redneck wisdom that today, 9/11/2014, is the day that we are going to get attacked again.  And he was catalyzing (more like inciting and brainwashing) some very sub-par intelligence individuals that we should all be armed to the teeth and shoot anything that moves wrong.  Then go hide and do it again.

Ted Nugent, former guitarist and singer.  A musician.  Not even a good one.  Not in my opinion.  But he decided that a minimum of 22,338 people needed to be rabid enough to kill any Muslim on sight.  And why?  Because he didn't forget?  Maybe he forgot his sanity.  Or forgot what happens when a megalomaniac whips people into a frenzy.  Anyway.  This blog post is about remembering what happened, not about a rabid hillbilly.

I implore you, whatever you're doing today, take a moment and remember.  Remember those who diedRemember the fallen.  If you're with your kids and spouse, take a moment to be thankful.    If you're out with friends tonight, take 30 seconds and toast a drink.  Don't forget.  Ever.  And don't let them be forgotten.  The worst feeling in the world is to be forgotten.  Be it in life or death.