Are you a Forrest Gump or a Walter Mitty?

Fellow soulful touchy-feely opposite friend,

The calendar is a benign measuring tool yet my anthropomorphising self thinks the countdown clock taunts me today:

13,378 days to go!

Dividing the illusion of self into seven-plus billion, using the illusion’s self-delusion as a form of divining rod, one allows oneself to dissolve in order to smell the wind.

Messages pulse through society like heartbeats, pumping health and filth at regular intervals, clogging the arteries of public opinions, creating cesspools, cancers, festering sores full of the disenfranchised losing or gaining energy, affecting the whole.

All for the sole entertainment of one person.

As the message goes, “As it is, as it should be.”

Street talk says a film starring the Big O herself was to blame for the latest “when all you have is a hammerlock, the only solution is gunpowder” message spoken by a costar, paraphrased, “for every one they kill, we kill two,” despite its negative connotation, or because of it, a cat o’ nine tails whipping the shipyards like convicts stuck in a bad performance of Les Miserables, their malice clear as day in their bloodshot eyes.

Every positive mental attitude teacher knows that you never include “not” or other negative subtext when encouraging or enlightening one’s students to improve their world image, for the “not” becomes a “Yes I can” in the thought patterns of the misaligned, maligned malcontents, the chaff wanting to be eaten at the same table as the wheat.

Yet, the world doesn’t go away.

In seven-plus billion is every one of us — the colours of the rainbow, the blind, the deaf, the happy, the sad, the brights, the conscienceless, the healers and the social arterial cloggers.

A subset of the superset of states of energy desires to be one with history, to walk amongst the cultural giants, to be what they feel they cannot be for reasons best left for them to explain, if they have a clue.

Humour is the key that unlocks the door to society’s medicine cabinet, which is fronted by a mirror we choose what to see of ourselves in the reflection looking back at us, left eye to reversed left eye, right eye to reversed right eye, unlike the reflection of ourselves we see in others, left eye to right eye, right eye to left eye, assuming the nominal operation of the symmetrical binary division of our body parts.

My thoughts for the day.

Bai read the text from Lee and wondered what he was trying to tell her.  Had she not picked the song for him to read the title as straightforward an approach as she knew how, leaving room for playful teasing?: “Would I Lie To You?”

Bai basked in the glow of the previous weekend’s conference on self-improvement where she had served as the “touchy-feely” expert, providing free hugs and handshakes of love and encouragement for the attendees.

She knew how to handle the negative inner voice that wanted to dominate her thoughts sometimes — as a successful self-employed person, she had long ago put her internal and externalised views of the world into a positive light.

Bai had developed a love for others that allowed her to reach out without compromising herself in order to express to those around her that she loved them unconditionally, releasing the instantaneous fears of meeting strangers that made many others apprehensive in a crowd.

She only had a few hours with Lee to refine their dance routine for the upcoming showcase in two days.

But it was not just the dance routine that she wanted to work on.  She wanted to make Lee a more open person, helping him forgive the images of important people in his thoughts, release the negative inner messages that twisted into passive-aggressive attitudes serving as an unnecessary shield between himself and the people around him who wanted his full love and attention undivided by inner doubts fed by fear of rejection.

Was it too much to ask of him?

Her life was also in turmoil but she was getting a good grip on her emotions, balancing the need to let her boyfriend go without losing him against her need for a steadying male presence in her life, sometimes served mainly by one person but more often served by a mix of personalities across several men — brother, father, confidante, lover, DJ competitor, dance partner — and sometimes served by the socially-defined male-like personality in women that varied by subculture.

She knew the only way to bring happiness into her life was to give happiness freely.  Not everyone accepts gifts and that’s okay.  She couldn’t control their behaviour, giving out hope and love in equal quality, the quantities depending on how much she felt the other person needed her — for one person, a smile; for another, a hug with no time limit.

She debated responding to Lee’s text.  Instead, she was going to talk with him and ask him to open himself up to what he really wanted out of life besides dance lessons.  Text messages were great when you couldn’t be with someone but not nearly as fulfilling as real conversation.

By way of word of mouth

The one obit to rule them all:

William “Freddie” McCullough

Obituary

William Freddie McCullough – BLOOMINGDALE – The man. The myth. The legend. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. William Freddie McCullough died on September 11, 2013. Freddie loved deep fried Southern food smothered in Cane Syrup, fishing at Santee Cooper Lake, Little Debbie Cakes, Two and a Half Men, beautiful women, Reeses Cups and Jim Beam. Not necessarily in that order. He hated vegetables and hypocrites. Not necessarily in that order. He was a master craftsman who single -handedly built his beautiful house from the ground up. Freddie was also great at growing fruit trees, grilling chicken and ribs, popping wheelies on his Harley at 50 mph, making everyone feel appreciated and hitting Coke bottles at thirty yards with his 45. When it came to floor covering, Freddie was one of the best in the business. And he loved doing it. Freddie loved to tell stories. And you could be sure 50% of every story was true. You just never knew which 50%. Marshall Matt Dillon, Ben Cartwright and Charlie Harper were his TV heroes. And he was the hero for his six children: Mark, Shain, Clint, Brandice, Ashley and Thomas. Freddie adored the ladies. And they adored him. There isn’t enough space here to list all of the women from Freddie’s past. There isn’t enough space in the Bloomingdale phone book. A few of the more colorful ones were Momma Margie, Crazy Pam, Big Tittie Wanda, Spacy Stacy and Sweet Melissa (he explained that nickname had nothing to do with her attitude). He attracted more women than a shoe sale at Macy’s. He got married when he was 18, but it didn’t last. Freddie was no quitter, however, so he gave it a shot two more times. It didn’t work out with any of the wives, but he managed to stay friends with them and their parents. In between his many adventures, Freddie appeared in several films including The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd, A Time for Miracles, The Conspirator, Double Wide Blues and Pretty Fishes. When Freddie took off for that pool party in the sky, he left behind his sons Mark McCullough, Shain McCullough and his wife Amy, Clint McCullough and his wife Desiree, and Thomas McCullough and his wife Candice; and his daughters Brandice Chambers and her husband Michael, Ashley Cooler and her husband Justin; his brothers Jimmie and Eddie McCullough; and his girlfriend Lisa Hopkins; and seven delightful grandkids. Freddie was killed when he rushed into a burning orphanage to save a group of adorable children. Or maybe not. We all know how he liked to tell stories. Savannah Morning News September 14, 2013 Please sign our Obituary Guest Book at savannahnow.com/obituaries.

Published in Savannah Morning News on September 14, 2013
  • “Wow. I can’t believe Freddie’s dead…that’s what I said. …”
  • “Freddie, I never met ya, but I want to be ya! What an…”
    – The Priests
  • “ride on bro.”
    – kiven witmore
  • “Condolences to the McCullough family. Freddie lived a great…”
    – deputy tom
  • ” Freddie, you sir are a legend and may you continue what…”
    – George Mtonga

– See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/savannah/obituary.aspx?pid=166950349#fbLoggedOut

Sweeter than Sweet

The Mad Hatter stuck his head out of a starboard porthole.

“Where are going? It doesn’t look like the way to Wonderland to me!”

Lindbergh turned to Earhart. “You know you might get a reputation for getting lost.”

“No sirree, Chuck.  We’re running straight and true, tacking in the jet stream but on course and on time.”

Lindbergh ran a calloused finger across a weathered map.

Scribbled along the outside was a note in faded ink: “Seek ye the candy land in Olde Bavaria.”

“Are we after the fabled woods filled with Black Forest Cake?”

Amelia gave Charles the thumbs up sign.

The Mad Hatter frowned. “Did someone mention food? I could go with a cup of tea.”

“Brew us some, will ya?”

“Certainly.”

After the Hatter left the bridge, Lindbergh leaned toward Earhart.  “Look, enough with the secrecy.  We’ve got to fight crime, stop a war, make our fortunes and save drowning babies.  Tell me…what are your plans?”

“Of course, of course. We’ve received a distress signal from a stranded traveler who was sent to fight the evil socialistic candy queen and her regime of plaque monsters.”

“No! Not the arbiters of tooth decay!”

“Yes…them!”

“We may not be prepared.”

“Pshaw. I have stashed onboard a large supply of fluoride, said to protect against tooth decay.”

“What about plaque? That stuff is pretty nasty!”

“That’s where the Mad Hatter comes in. I need him to introduce the concept of capitalism.”

“Huh?”

“If he can convince the citizens of Bavaria to trade their sweet stuff for more healthy foods…”

“Healthy? Like boiled pork or a big juicy ribeye…”

An explosion shook the airship.

To be continued…

Why silence is often the best conversation a friend can offer

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/09/16/speech-conversation-debate-engagement-communication/:

Some thoughts on each. 1. As a general concept, freedom of speech includes the right to decide how and when to speak, and to whom.2. This freedom of speech also includes the right to choose not to speak, and not to speak to whomever, including to you.3. No one is obliged to have a conversation with you.4. If they are having a conversation with you, they are not obliged to give you the conversation you wanted or expected to have.5. If you challenge someone to a “debate,” they are not obliged to have a debate with you.6. If they do not debate you, this does not mean you win. You can’t win a debate the other party has not agreed to.7. Not all engagement is useful or fruitful, either for the participants or for the observers. Sometimes the best course of action is not to engage.8. If people do not engage you, it is not necessarily because they are afraid to engage you. Maybe they don’t have the time, or interest. Maybe they think you’re too ignorant to engage, either on the specific topic or in matters of rhetoric. Maybe they don’t want to either implicity or explicitly let you share in their credibility. Maybe they think you’re an asshole, and want nothing to do with you. Maybe it’s combination of some or all of the above. They may or may not tell you why.9. Communication is not always confrontation. Confrontation is not always communication. If you see communication as an opportunity to fight, you may find yourself without opponents. No, this doesn’t mean you “win,” either.10. People will communicate as they will. Outside of your own spaces, you have no power to control or compel them. Attempts to dictate the terms of their communication may be ignored. Attempts to demand they comply to your terms for communication will make you look like a child, stamping a foot.That should be enough for a start.