And a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I’m not really sure how to say this, but I need to. Bear with me here; it gets complicated and there will be some rabbit chasing but hopefully the point will be made and the thoughts of a crazy man will be made clear to the reader. No promises though!

First, what is Thanksgiving? Each person has a different definition, and each one is correct to the individual. But what IS Thanksgiving? Speaking in generic terms, it will involve things like family, traveling, lots of food, football and here of late, Santa and some really big spending. But, like all things, they tend to grow and morph into things that didn’t necessarily have much to do with the origin of the day.

We all know the story of the first Thanksgiving, a day set aside by the original settlers from Europe, to give thanks to God for His provision and getting them through a rough start. Inviting new friends of Native American persuasion to join in and the party was one for the ages! See, we still speak of it today, can you name a party you have thrown or even attended that will be remembered in 400 years? I didn’t think so.

So we have this epic celebration of life and of giving thanks for making through the first winter and an abundant harvest when about half of your friends and family are taking permanent naps with dirt on their faces. Lucky you! Your number didn’t come up and you may add another birthday to your resume’. But there are many more winters to get through and lot’s of danger outside the safety of the ship.

Now, remember, that they were supposed to land in Virginia, but bad weather sent them further north. Self governance was established before they left the Mayflower and one of the things that set them apart was the issuance of land grants by the acting governor. You planted and harvested your own crops so if you chose to fiddle about, you were going to be hungry come winter. Not to say they didn’t help one another out, but there was no communal arrangement for the collective good. They probably would not have made it had it not been for the Native Americans. These kind souls taught them how to plant, harvest, hunt, and fish along with basic survival skils.

If you make it, you had a lot to be thankful for! And they did celebrate every year. Each colony did their own thing whenever it struck them, Abraham Lincoln fixed this around 1863 and made it an official holiday on the same day nationwide.

I love this day! I am a truly blessed man. And although the blessings in life are always with me, celebrating them on this one special day is something that I take seriously because I have known want. It’s not pleasant and for numerous reasons, don’t care to feel its cold embrace again. So, I eat too much, talk too loud and probably should stay away from the liquor cabinet but it is a celebration, so celebrate I shall!

Happy Thanksgiving my friends! May we all be mindful of the blessings of God in our own day to day living! Enjoy life today and everyday!

The Cola Wars

            I was driving along today, just trying to get to work like everyone else in the rat race. Not really thinking of anything in particular, just general thoughts. The same thoughts everyone else has while driving in traffic. Such as; “Did I remember to turn off the coffee pot?” or “Is the Amazing Race for real and who the hell pays for all those tickets and hotels?”, “Can sheep get rabies?” just normal everyday thoughts.

            Suddenly a song came on the radio that brought to mind of a dark period in our nations past. Some of you are way too young to remember it, but it divided our country and came really close to destroying it. That period in the 1980’s called “The Cola Wars”.

            We were a divided people. Some were Coke, some Pepsi. No one can say for certain what the cause of this conflict was, but even the loyalist to the brands themselves were under attack from within their own ranks. In the Coca Cola camp, it was split between the new and the old Coke. Even Bill Cosby was vocal on his drink preference choosing the new version of Coke. Then there was regular and suddenly a diet version was brought to fore. For Pepsi, they made a lot of hay with the split n the Coke ranks but soon realized that their own brand was splitting! Who can forget the Pepsi Free faction?

            The carnage was seen on TV screens every day, no one could sit this one out, I personally choose Royal Crown Cola, just seemed to click with their philosophy.

            It ended like all wars do, someone claims victory, and yet no one ever really won, the sentiment of the conquered is still festering beneath the surface of every pop top and bottle cap in America.  Even at the Tomb of the Unknown Soda, there is always speculation as to whether it’s Coke or Pepsi.

            Perhaps, future generations will learn to live in peace and love each other for the character of the drink, not the content of their bottle.

Peace out

Thoughts on turning 60 and life in general

Thoughts on turning 60

Another milestone has arrived! I will be 60 years old tomorrow! There isn’t a whole lot of anything planned to commemorate the occasion, I’ll take the day off, maybe ride my bike through the woods, eat something completely decadent just for kicks and giggles and probably do some reflecting on where I’ve been, where I am and a few minutes on where to go from here.

Thinking back on things, there are not a lot of birthdays that made an indelible impact on me, I remember one, I think I was turning 4 or 5, we lived in Florida and my Aunt Linda was waiting at our house when we arrived home. It was dark and my mother was surprised to see her and my cousins waiting when we arrived. She brought a cake and presents for me; my first birthday party. There were not many of them so maybe that’s why this one stayed in my memory. I don’t think I ever thanked her for that so, Aunt Linda, if you are reading this, Thank you! It was a shining moment in the life of clueless time traveler that I have become!

I had a couple in West Virginia, I think 7 and 9. 7 I was really sick and 9 my grandfather was in the hospital.

13 was memorable because my Dad came home with a brand new 10 speed bike! I was king of the world for a day! Shiny chrome fenders and skinny tires! He brought my brother one home a couple days later. I rode that thing to death! I only wish I had known then that a guy could actually make a living riding a bicycle, my life would have been just a shade different; instead I decided to start smoking.

Oh 15 was something! You get your learners permit and discover girls! You long for a car of your own and a girlfriend; both of which have been very unkind to me at various times, yet it’s one of those things that you just can’t do without!

I bought my first legal beer at 12:00 AM, August 9^th 1976. Yep, I presented my ID to the clerk and smiled! Good times!

21 was a brand new truck! I spent the next 18 months trying to pay it down to where I could sell it. One of those teachable moments you hear about. Just because you can buy it, doesn’t mean you should! Same goes for drinking and a few other things in life.

After 25, when your car insurance rates  go down, things get fuzzy. I spent my 50^th in the ER with a kidney stone.

I think you come of age in your 20’s, hit your stride in your 30’s, make your mark in your 40’s and 50’s then finish the rat race and start living in your 60’s. That kind of sucks because what I did 5 years ago seems to make me hurt in lot’s of places that did used to hurt at all!

No matter, I made it this far when a lot of people that I knew are now fermenting in Greenlawn. I have no desire to join them anytime soon; but only God determines that. If the sun rises on me tomorrow, I will have reached an age that, to be completely honest, I have never seriously given any thought to! But here it is and so am I! Wow, if I look back on the world and see what was and what it is now, it kind of boggles your mind. We had 3 channels, rotary phones, no microwaves, video recorders, air bags, anti lock brakes or unleaded gas! Rode in the back of a station wagon facing the car behind without seat belts and drive thrus didn’t exist. You learned to read and write, add, substrate, multiply and divide in the first grade. Learned cursive by the 3^rd and you did not talk back to teachers! You got your school clothes in August and you changed into your play clothes when you got home from school. You either rode your bike, the bus or walked to school. We started the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and in 1960’s Florida, we actually had nuclear blast drills! Duck and cover!

Life was simple being a child then, and I intend to spend what remains of mine making it simple once again. I loved roaming the woods, fishing and hunting back then and I am in the process of rediscovering that pleasure once again. I don’t need a new car, big house or much of anything to be honest. I have my tools, my hands and a God given talent for fixing and building things. I spent too many years chasing gold and now it’s time to start relaxing. Notice the word relaxing, not quit. I will probably never stop working because I love what I do. Now, I can pick and choose for whom I do it and that makes all the difference to me.

So Happy Birthday to me! Enjoy it Johnny, you have it made! Actually you always have, you just didn’t always realize it!