Ffolkes,
I never asked for this, nor do I deserve it….. I’ve always suspected that Murphy is an asshole, and this just gives me proof positive my suspicions are correct. If I weren’t such a nice person, and wasn’t fully aware of the importance of such incidents in the larger picture, I would object to such cavalier treatment, even at the hands of an iconic force of nature, whose only purpose for existence is to keep people on their toes in dealing with the real world…. Besides, who needs this kind of crap in the morning?….

Hmm…. it needs work. Don’t you think? Well, I do, and my opinion is the only one that counts in the final analysis, because it’s my fingers hitting the keys….. I don’t really think there would be much of a market for generic complaint templates, do you? I mean, I know that Murphy fucks with EVERYBODY sometimes; I’ve never known anyone who didn’t know who he is, or hadn’t had the dubious pleasure of his acquaintance, or the distinct displeasure of his attentions. So, I thought, maybe, I could pick up some extra cash by selling a template people could just fill out, adding their name, the date, and the specifics of Murphy’s depredations….. but, then I realized, who are they going to turn it in to?…..

Nobody gives a crap about what Murphy did to anyone else, and I can’t think of what government agency might cover what he does….. As far as I know, we don’t have a Federal Bureau of Sympathy yet. I’ll have to write my Senator, to have them suggest it as a new agency, dedicated to mitigating the deleterious effects Murphy has on the citizens of this country, effects which have a negative impact on the economy, and on the national spirit, dragging it down into the proverbial dirt…. It might not have much political pull for a while, but, I’ll bet it would be one of the busiest agencies in Washington D.C from the moment it opened its doors…..

Sure, that’s what we need, is another government agency sticking its nose into the lives of average citizens….. not that the government, or the BRC, for that matter, gives a rat’s ass about what we care about, or what might be good for us, so, it’s all pretty much a fantasy, and an exercise in mental futility, as are most things involving the BRC…. and this isn’t the place to start ranting on the BRC, or anyone…. I just can’t seem to help myself…. SIGH…. break time….

Pardon my French, but, FUCK!  Reality is giving me things to think about that won’t be ignored, and I’m going to have to spend some time making hard decisions, if I want to live…. Sounds ominous, I know, and might be so in fact, but remains true, for all that I’m not sure yet of what is really happening to me. I know I’m also being obscure, but this is not something I’d be ready to share in detail, until I know for sure what’s up…. So, I’ll shut up now, and get on with today’s mess….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“Every stage of human life, except the last, is marked out by certain and defined limits; old age alone has no precise and determinate boundary.” —  Marcus Tullius Cicero

Last evening, as I was standing in the front yard, leaning on my walking stick, as I must, if I wish to resemble a human being more than a pretzel while I’m  making my way about the landscape, words my doctor had said to me a few years ago loomed large, to wit: “If you hadn’t been so active when you were young, you wouldn’t be so creaky and worn out now.” As you might guess, we have a candid, forthright relationship, and he didn’t blame me at all for the broken chair, nor did he even mention my language, except to ask me to repeat one line so he could write it down….

He was amused, I suppose, at my obvious discomfiture (a fine euphemism for being extremely pissed off….) at having that little piece of information left out of the manual, and at falling for the old adages and cliches about exercise being good for you, a healthy mind means a healthy body, and other such lies…. The truth is that most people, the ones who are active and don’t become obese, become obsessive, or at least habitual, about working the body hard, which, it turns out, is the wrong approach for true health, and keeping one’s limberness and strength into later years…..

Moderation, of course, is the key, which, as I looked back on my life, I realized had NOT been my habit…. When I trained in or for a sport, it was all out, to maximize my performance, and, in the process, my enjoyment of the activities…. In short, I loved playing ball, (I’ll chase, or throw, or catch, or do almost anything marginally legal with just about anything that will roll, bounce, or otherwise lend itself to recreational use and/or abuse by humans….), or running into people (specific to football, American style), or training to fight (the actual fighting wasn’t nearly as much fun, but, one must accept reality as it is….), making myself strong, and, apparently healthy…. with a hidden process going on that would lead to my current state of disability….

Now, according to Marcus Cicero, I have an undetermined amount of time to contemplate living with constant pain, to a degree, and living with the goal of keeping said pain tolerable, and not so debilitating as to eliminate my ability to be mobile altogether, rather than the relatively mild challenges I face now in getting around to do what I need to do….. Or, as we are wont to say down at the Senior Center, getting old is a bitch, and don’t let anybody tell you different…..

“I think, therefore I set off the smoke alarm…” — Smart Bee

Any who, as I was standing there, feeling old, and thinking long thoughts, it also occurred to me that it was okay…. I was okay with the pain, and the weight of my years, and all the mistakes I may have made in engaging in so many activities that were, ultimately, not as good for me as I had thought, or been told…. It was all worth it.

No matter what sport it was, I enjoyed every minute of playing it, at least in retrospect, and now, while I am not feeling the pain and stress of the effort it took at the time, and, often, the intense pain afterward (such as the six days of a painful charley horse in my calf, from taking a cleat on the final play of a high school football game we lost… Ah, sweet memories, even the losses that bring nostalgic melancholy….). I was pretty good at all of it, and I enjoyed using my skills in both team and individual sports….

Now, my most active form of exercise, since I’m currently celibate, is walking to the library with a few books in a backpack, a matter of seven city blocks or so, which, all in all, I consider pathetic…. I was never a long distance anything , but it takes me more time to recover from that walk than it did to run a half-mile for time, or even wind sprints, for goodness sake…. Just pathetic…..

Like I said, though, it’s okay…. There are folks who cannot get around at all, with worse disabilities, so I’m thankful I can do as much as I am able to do, because it’s enough…. As I think Lao Tzu said, it is a rich man who knows that enough is enough….. Or, as gigoid has been known to remark, all we can do, is all we can do…..
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I can make haiku
more real than any other
of my poetry.

~~ gigoid

I don’t have anything new, other than this haiku, so you’ll have to settle for an older one…. It is an appropriate choice for today’s mood, and subject matter thus far….. Enjoy!

A Failure to Germinate

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“Commonly, physicians, like beer, are best when they are old, and lawyers, like bread, when they are young and new.” — Fuller

“As to Jesus of Nazareth…I think the system of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity.” — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Well, as you can see, Smart Bee is being a bit recalcitrant, an event which, though usually not a good thing, did give me the opportunity to use the word “recalcitrant”, which doesn’t often happen…. Any who, I’m having a bit of trouble finding a pearl, or a group of pearls, that would be suitable for either a rant, or an old-school quest; the two above are the best I can find, in over an hour of searching. Though not too bad, they aren’t quite right for either process, and not strong enough to stand alone, in my opinion. So, I’ll cheat again, with another blast from the past…. this one will be a random choice, the first one I come across that will fit physically into this space, so I have no idea what it will be like…..

From 4/10/12:

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” — Proverb

This is the sort of pearl that is much, much deeper than it appears at first glance. (Note: It seems common to find the most complex and deep issues most often described or related in very short sentences. Hmm…. probably something to do with K.I.S.S., which the universe believes in strongly…) Applied as a metaphor for human interactions with reality, it assumes an even greater degree of relevance, as it implies both choice and hope. Both are always present, but not always in view; such aphorisms as this can help one to find where they are standing, hidden in plain sight…

It is clear to most by now that reality does not adjust to our desires; any adjustments made must be on our part, as we have absolutely no power to change any aspect of reality other than our response to it. A hard lesson, one that many never learn, or come to terms with, one which guarantees they will find life to be one long struggle, as they spend their days futilely trying to make what is into what they wish it to be. To use the analogy provided, they never learn to trim the sails of their vessel, and find themselves constantly fighting with, and cursing, the wind, never realizing their own lack of understanding is what sends them into uncharted waters, or into the metaphorical rocks.

Thus, from simplicity does great wisdom arise; to reach one’s desired destination in life, one must learn to trim and adjust the sails of our vessel to make the best use of the wind that the universe sends in our direction. Or, more plainly, we can only make changes to ourselves, not reality. Learning this one simple lesson can turn a life out of balance completely around, and give it the direction and stability it has ever sought, allowing the most troubled soul to sail into the light, and out of the darkness that engulfs those who argue with reality…..
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Given the handicaps with which Murphy decided to load me down with today, I consider the fact that this is done to be a major victory…. It’s another one that I doubt will catch the attention of the Pulitzer committee, but, I can live with it, since I’m not getting paid to do this, other than with a little stronger grip on my sanity….. as they say, the price is right. With that classic cliche ringing in your ears, I bid thee adieu for today, and leave you with my assurances that I’ll try harder tomorrow…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..