I’m not always sure it’s a good thing but people always tell me I don’t act my age. Now I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to act because to me I’m just being myself and truthfully it took me a long time to accept myself and all my quirks and idiosyncrasies. I was always trying to fit in….fit in to a group or fit in to a ideal. I don’t even remember when it was but I finally just embraced who I was and really that’s just a kid at heart.

I tell my wife that I was more mature at 18 than I am now in my 50’s. Thankfully she has also accepted me although I think she becomes exasperated with my behavior sometimes as she often complains that I “act like a kid” or that our young adult son is more mature than I am. Sometimes I think she wishes that the man she married would act like a maturing adult, but truthfully we balance each other out as she tends to be more serious.

Truth is I do often act with a kid like view on the world. Everything is so serious that I tend to look for and embrace the whimsical, the funny and the absurd. I look for laughs throughout the day and most importantly I try to make others laugh even at my own expense as I tend to have a self-depracating way of poking fun of myself and situations I’m in.

Beyond that I still enjoy doing kid like activities. For instance, I always keep a frisbee in the back of my car and I’m always asking people to throw it around with me. They usually look at me funny and they remark they haven’t done that in years but if they do join me in a toss they are soon laughing and having a blast.

Last spring I bought a kite, a spiderman kite. Now I really have no deep affection for Spiderman, I just wanted to fly a kite and I thought it would be cool and fun to fly a Spiderman kite. And so there I stood in my front yard on windy spring days flying my kite as my neighbors drove by. I like to think my behavior doesn’t really draw attention as my neighbors are used to my goofy ways but I’m sure it does. I really don’t even care what other people think anymore, which is truly one of the advantages of growing old….I just like to have fun and what’s more fun than being a kid so I fly kites and throw frisbees around. I goof off endlessly and see humor in situations where others don’t.

It also helps to find a kindred spirit so I’ll leave you with one last example. I had a co-worker who would laugh and roll her eyes at some of my kid-like behavior but she would also join in my antics. One time we were leaving work and walking to our cars in the parking lot. As it happened our vehicles were parked directly next to each other and so I naturally challenged her to a race to our cars…..she rolled her eyes and remarked much to my dismay that she wasn’t going to accept my challenge and then a few seconds later she took off running shouting over her shoulder

“last one there is a rotten egg”…..

“you brat”….I yelled after her now trailing by a good 5 feet, a distance I never made up as she arrived touching her car seconds before me. We stood there panting and laughing uncontrollably for at least a minute, each enjoying the others behavior before we climbed in our cars and headed home to our families to start adulting again. As I said before….it’s nice to find a kindred spirit.

So be a kid again….it’s fun and not very many others are doing it so you’ll stand out and maybe bring back some wonderful memories of days gone by

Peace and Love…..like, share, comment or subscribe and thanks for stopping by

This may seem surprising as I sit here at my keyboard typing this, but most people don’t know that I write. To be fair I didn’t really start writing this blog until about 5 years ago, and I really didn’t tell a whole lot of people when I started. It was never my intention to have a huge following so I only told a few close friends and co-workers who I thought might be mildly interested. They were kind enough to humor me and read some of my postings. They gave me some positive feedback and I enjoyed doing it so I continued.

Nobody in my extended family knew about my writing until only recently. It’s funny, those closest to you always think they know you best but yet that’s based upon how they view you from years ago. I’ve always been interested in writing but I never really felt I had the time to do it. I only started it because my son had reached an age where he no longer wanted to spend as much time with me on the weekends. He had reached an age where he was growing more independent and hanging out with his friends and being involved in school activities. So writing gave me an outlet, an outlet to be creative, to observe the world around me, to find humor in odd situations and put my own thoughts to them.

Some of my earliest writings were just observational humor…..I’ve written an inordinate amount of postings about grocery shopping….it’s my belief that the grocery store and the Department of Motor Vehicles are the two places where you see everybody in society, everybody you normally never see in your daily travels eventually ends up at the grocery store or the DMV. Which make them the perfect setting for finding odd situations, odd people and wonderful stories.

I also wrote an entire blog post about my love of Nutella and some interesting facts that I discovered about it. When I first started writing I made it a goal to write something once a month and for the most part I did for the first couple of years. Then I hit a dry spell where I hardly wrote at all and my wife questioned why I had a blog and why I paid for my site if I never actually wrote. And to be truthful I still don’t write as much as I would like. I still have a day job that leaves me too little time and I do kinda like to have a quiet area and be in just the right mood, but lately I’ve been paying attention to the daily writing prompts and I find it helps me to think creatively. At least now I’m writing about once a week.

Instead of writing just observational humorous type stories I started dabbling in some non-fiction. I wrote a Christmas story last year and the few people who read it seemed to enjoy it. Also I wrote a story about my father and the wonderful coincidence that happened to our family after he passed away and the story was published in a faith based book. Not only did my family discover that I write but it gave me more confidence to expose my writing to others. Now I actually want more people to read my blog and my stories. Maybe I’ve been bitten by the publishing bug but I want to try to get more stories published or at least try to publish them myself.

I’ve had a few friends tell me that I have a gift….I think they’re being overly kind but I also realize that not everyone writes, in fact it seems very few people write. I’ve always found it to be comforting. In school I was terrified of giving speeches or even book reports in front of my classmates and even today I don’t do well in front of large groups, perhaps that’s why I drive a truck around. Some of my best writing happens when I’m alone in my truck and my brain is just being creative and open. I often think I should turn on the voice notes on my phone and just let it all tumble out and listen to it later and try to make a story out of it. I think the key to writing is being open and honest…..something that is difficult for a lot of people in today’s society where it’s much easier to create a persona on social media and gain likes and followers based on a false image.

I believe that my writing shows that I’m not afraid to reveal vulnerability and weakness and I think people connect with my authentic nature and that’s part of the reason why they tell me I have a gift…..also they like my stories about grocery shopping.

Hit the like button and subscribe ….I really do want to reach more people with my writing

Peace and Love

I’m not a procrastinator but I definitely tend to put off things I don’t want to do. There are times when I’ve ignored a problem or task and it’s taken care of itself somehow. This has given me the idea that most problems just work themselves out without me having to do anything which is actually a bad habit to get into, and obviously this doesn’t always work out.

There’s a saying that goes…..once begun it’s half done…….and I kinda use that saying to get myself to start on a situation I’ve been putting off. I tend to not like confrontation so it’s very hard for me to begin something if I know that there will be a disagreement involved. I think that’s why I tend to let things go and use my philosophy of letting things work themselves out on their own.

Lately tho I’ve been putting off anything where I have to go online and set up a profile and establish a password. I hate all of it. I have a small book of passwords for all these different websites and I dislike the idea of creating another one. But I know this is the wave of the future as fewer companies actually mail documents to you anymore and everything becomes digital and paperless. I like holding something in my hand and reading it and then keeping it in a designated folder or throwing it away.

It is the one problem that I know won’t take care of itself and I will have to do it myself and I’ll have to get out my book of passwords and write down yet another one and hope I don’t lose it. I know this makes me sound old and I dislike that too, but I’m still not comfortable with a paperless society with everything on the computer or on my phone.

Peace and Love

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My parents instilled in me a belief that hard work is a good thing. A strong work ethic was something to be proud of, something that other people would notice and respect. They believed that through hard work you can control your future, control how your life turns out. I remember as a kid working with my parents in the yard on the weekends cutting grass, raking leaves, trimming trees, painting the picket fence.

I would have friends stop by to see if I could go “play” or ride bikes. I would sheepishly have to tell them that I couldn’t, I was expected to help my parents. My parents believed there was a time to work and a time to play…..and work came before play.

Most of my friends seemed perplexed by this. I could only guess that they were not expected to help their parents as much as we were, and to be honest there were a lot of times I was angry with my parents for requiring me to help so much. There were times I felt I was missing out on whatever fun my friends were having and I think some of the time my parents did it so I wouldn’t be spending so much time just hanging out and getting into trouble with my friends. They figured if I was home working then they knew where I was and I wouldn’t be causing trouble in the neighborhood.

Of course now I appreciate the hard work they put into their lives and careers and the work ethic they instilled into me. I found a career I enjoy, I work hard and I’m compensated for my time which allows me to provide for my family and enjoy life as much as I can.

I read somewhere that men get more fulfillment out of completing tasks. They enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor, the end product. I must admit I enjoy a day of yard-work, seeing the grass freshly mowed, the hedges trimmed. I feel a sense of accomplishment after an afternoon of raking leaves. I often wonder if it’s the male DNA of me or the days spent helping my parents as a child.

Work fulfills me……do I day-dream of retirement and having more time for my hobbies and time to travel….of course I do. But that is still a ways away and even in retirement I’ll find something that seems like work but still gets me out of bed and gives me that sense of accomplishment and that exhausted feeling of knowing that I put in a day of work.

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Peace and Love

John

I don’t even remember where I heard this. It wasn’t from my parents or a teacher I had in school. It wasn’t from a mentor I had in one of my jobs….I just heard it somewhere.

The best piece of advice I ever heard was…..just show up.

It’s amazing what good things can happen when you just show up, and it applies to so many situations.

When I was in college just going to class every day put me ahead of everyone else who didn’t.

When I started working I learned that by just showing up you learn how to do the job on a daily basis, and you show your superiors you can be depended upon. My parents instilled in me a strong work ethic and a commitment to the people I work with. Now don’t misunderstand me, if I’m sick I take a sick day, but just not going to work because I don’t feel like it or it’s a sunny Friday…nope that doesn’t happen. I would feel I would be letting down my employer and my co-workers who would have to cover for me.

Also when the boss asks who can take on another task….be that person who volunteers to do it, and if it’s something you’ve never done before you’ll probably learn a new skill and show the boss your willing to have more responsibility.

So just show up and do your job…you’ll be way ahead of those people who constantly seem to need days off….you know who I’m talking about.

Comment or hit that like button and subscribe if you like my writing

Peace and Love

John

So much gives me energy…..writing gives me energy, the creative process stimulates my brain into overdrive thinking of how to create something readable and worthwhile.

Getting together with a friend gives me energy, especially if it’s been awhile since we last met. Catching up and hearing what’s going on with them is always interesting and fun.

Planning a vacation or just a short getaway is exciting. Discovering new places and things to do once your there, finding new places to eat and explore….the planning process while at times annoying and frustrating can be exhilarating.

The thing that gives me the most energy is exercise. That may seem counterintuitive but it’s true. There are many medical studies that show exercise boosts endorphins creating a better mood for hours afterward.

It’s true….I’m a much happier person when I’m consistently working out. I feel better, I have more energy for the rest of the day, I think it helps control my weight and I like how I look when I’m on a workout program. I vary my workouts some days doing cardio others lifting weights . Sometimes an after work bike ride to unwind and relieve the stress of the day works wonders. If I go more than a couple of days without working out I get cranky and lethargic, I eat poorly and I fall into other bad habits of sitting around watching too much TV. I also feel I have this need to sweat….and when I workout and get a good sweat going I feel all the negativity sweating out, all the doubts evaporating, all my self-consciousness from years ago being replaced by confidence, healthiness and good vibes. It is the single best thing I do for myself and I hope I can do it the rest of my life….that along with writing.

Thanks for reading…….Smash that like button, leave a comment or share with a friend…..I appreciate you stopping by for a few moments……

I can’t imagine a world without music. Music can convey so much and remind us of so much. A song can trigger memories of a long ago romance or a first concert attended. Music can bring back high school friends and evenings at a bar. Life would be empty without music. Many times I arrive at work feeling much better about the day ahead simply by a song I heard on the way in.

I have music to workout to and fall asleep to but mainly to fill the silence when I don’t want silence and loneliness.

Sometimes I listen by myself but its truly best when shared with others. I’ve often been moved to tears by hearing an old song which reminds me of a another time or another place.

Life would be empty and sad and we wouldn’t have those memories if there was no music

I made chili once by following a recipe. Making chili might be one of those meals where not following a recipe works better, but I saw a recipe in the newspaper that declared this was the best chili you’ll ever have and as I read it I became convinced it would be as great as they said. We had all the ingredients and since it was the weekend I told my wife I would take care of the cooking.

I carefully followed the recipe and let it simmer for the allotted time……I thought it would be great and everyone would like it but as soon as my wife tasted it I could see by the look on her face that she didn’t like it, but I figured my teenage son would eat it, teenagers eat anything, but alas he also disliked it.

I tasted it and it wasn’t good. I forced myself to have a bowl just so it wouldn’t all be wasted but I dumped the rest down the disposal.

I think the best way to make chili is to wing it and develop your own recipe….a little bit of this, a little bit of that, add some spices, let it simmer, taste it, let someone else taste it, add some more and voila you have your own signature chili…..that or just let someone else make it.

I’m a thinker….I don’t make quick decisions. I think this is usually a good thing. Quick decisions lead to poor decisions. I almost never buy anything that someone is trying to sell me. I always analyze each decision weighing the pros and cons.

When I was younger my thinking led me to overthink everything and most importantly I agonized what other people would think of my decisions. I didn’t trust myself and I worried about how I would be perceived. I lacked self-confidence and I was constantly looking for input from others to validate a decision I was about to make and often times I would change my mind based on input from others even if it went against what I was thinking of doing. Sometimes my overthinking led to inactivity….paralysis by over-analysis. Most of all I didn’t want to be different.

Now, I still think about every decision. Sometimes this drives my wife crazy but I don’t worry about how it looks or how it will be perceived. I’ve developed confidence that most decisions I make are what’s best for me….and I’ve realized that most people really don’t care about my decisions and really don’t spend anytime thinking about me and what I’m doing. The amount of time we think people are thinking about us compared to the actual time they are is quite startling. Most people are too busy with their own life as I am with mine.

So make those choices and don’t worry about what others think….you do you and live your best life and so will I.