Thursday, November 24, 2016

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Our Father, (and by that please feel free to insert a name or reference that makes you feel thankful and secure if you are atheist, this means it can be anyone except Uncle Jack)

Where was I?
Oh, right, sorry.

We are thankful on this day, this thanksgiving day, for many things.
(I would like to stop and observe that Thanksgiving Day is probably a mythical event that was invented more than it was actually observed and that no one invites the Native Americans... First Peoples? Some tribal Americans who were kind enough or foolish enough to help out some very poorly prepared or equipped settlers/exiles/volunteers/pilgrims? with some food after they nearly starved to death or were about to starve to death....
Actually, I might have forgotten how the story went and am relying heavily on the official Charlie Brown Canon at this point....

Sorry, I beg your pardon?
Oh right, the prayer
(clears throat)

I am thankful for having family and friends, which for me is the same things as most of my friends are like family to me... except for Uncle Jack. Those of us who can come together and celebrate life and love with food that has been lovingly and thankfully not burnt, with wine and water (for the kids). We can pause in our lives, taking a moment to recognize that we all need each other, try to remember those of us who cannot be with us, raise a glass to their absence of memory, loving them with this gesture, thanking our mothers and fathers for the sacrifices they made so that we can gather together at this blessed table.
I am thankful to have known peace in my life, without war, without regret, to sit back and recognize that my life has been blessed with all the love of those who have gathered here together today, those who wanted to come but could not, those who have cats and thereby had a built in excuse to not come (because we all know they burnt the casserole again and are just mortified beyond belief). I love you all and thank you for being here.
I am thankful for knowing such good and great people who shaped their lives to that my life could be shaped as well. For their constant sacrifices and tireless efforts to make my life better - even if they did not know that their example would inspire me to be a better person. I am grateful for great art and art done greatly. I am filled with such thanks that someone else carried the torch for me so that I can see my path before me, that they would leave the same torch for me to carry for others... of course, it would have nice if they had told me where they put the matches.
I would like to thank Grammarly for making appear to be a competent writer (not commercially endorse).
I am thankful for good music, great musicians, and long play albums. Times spent sitting the record machine dreaming of my chevy and my old blue- sorry that's a song, but you get the point (just tell Uncle Elton, okay?).
I am thankful for this life I have. It's not perfect or as wonderful as I would like but it isn't as bad as it once was. I don't have to live alone with the sounds of my neighbors having fights and makeup sex coming through the all too thin walls, eating microwave dinners, watching romantic movies while binge eating ice cream and loneliness.
I am thankful to family and not having to relive the election, American Idol and Twitter wars for an hour or two where there is a collective truce between the warring factions and everyone grins or shakes their heads at my attempts to alleviate the situation by alluding to old movies and famous quotes while my cousins sharpen their knives under the table.
I am thankful for my aunts who still believe enough in me to forbid violence at the dinner table and thrown icecubes and forks no longer poise any immediate threat to the casual joking or me reminding them of that time when they almost choked on a chicken bone or when Uncle Jack's wife told everyone that he loved their car more than her and that if he was hoping for nookie tonight, he better take it up with the Mustang becuase she was going to her sisters and we all studiously ignored them while cringing at each jab she made with her fork into Grandma's antique table.

Sorry, Uncle Jack, but someone had to say that.
I would like to take this moment to observe the sacrifices of the few million turkeys who have given their lives so that we can gather together in love of good food and family.......
and that was when I found myself outside with the freshly roasted turkey while everyone else enjoyed the pumpkin pie and ice cream.
Some things never change.
Love to all.
Amen.

and that's Thanksgiving according to Mike.


Wednesday, November 9, 2016

And!.....wait for it...... life goes on.

America is in shock and disbelief.
They Won.
We Won.
but.....
but....
Given the general distrust of the media and government and the small truth that many people believe to be true but don't talk about, is that life goes on. America as a whole doesn't care.
Some people will huff and puff and then go find a wolf to blame for it, but America doesn't care.
There will be victory speeches and back patting and bed wetting but,
America doesn't care.
I suspect many people (especially those who don't and didn't vote) will go Meh, that was the election. What is really important is will it rain soon?
Will the (insert football team) go to the Super Bowl?
Will gas prices go up?
Social Media will declare that America hates women or Blacks or Gays or Liberals or Bill Maher,
but America doesn't care.
What is really important will be the next episode of The Walking Dead.
Who will die next on Game of Thrones?
Will the next (insert actor's name) suck, should I risk the money.
Is snap chat working today?
Did I remember to turn off the stove before I went to work?
Will I win the lottery?
Can I win the lottery?
Should I ask Jill to marry me? Will she say yes?
What if she says no? She won't say no, will she?
Life goes on.
Our pets will still want to be petted and fed and played with (unless they are cats...they are so finicky). The birds will sing and the sun will set and dawn will come again.
I made myself sick with stress and worry last night to the point I could sleep and I saw a lot of my bathroom as my body reacted. Irony.
The irony you might ask?
I knew who was going to win.
I hoped and might have even wanted to pray that I was wrong.
But God, the God I believe in doesn't work like that.
God had nothing to do with it or everything to do with it, who am I to ask for such things?
I am just some guy trying to make his way in the universe.
I will pray for important things like other people, not my own needs.
So there you have it.
This is the most political blog you will get here.
If that disappoints you I am sorry because I will no feed that kind of madness.
I will pray for you, and the next president and the former one, the winners and the losers.
We are all on this planet together. I may not like you and I may not be like you but it doesn't change the nature of hope.
I choose hope.
Hope for better days.
Hope that one of you will win the lottery.
Hope that Jill will want to marry Jack.
Hope that you will come back here to see what I write about in the future...it won't be about politics though (yep that was some circular logic).
and that is Wednesday according to Mike.