I often tell my wife I love and adore her, mainly because I do and also because women like to hear the man in their life actually say the words. But during one conversation I had to confess that some times when I say it – especially when she is irked and giving me the deadly silent treatment – I am also reminding myself of that fact so I don’t start yelling and slamming doors. Is that so wrong?
I am officially an old man. Sometimes I forget, then I look in the mirror and there it is. The truth is that life has its limits, and that is how it should be. There are new generations coming up, ready to step up and take our place. They are welcome to it. If you have reached old age, you have made some blunders in you life. If you think otherwise, then you are indeed a fool. You can warn the new generations about the mistakes you made, but they are oblivious. This too is as it should be. It’s their world, and it’s on them to screw it up for the generations to follow, just as we did for them.
There is a saying that no good deed goes unpunished. It’s mostly – but not always – true. The problem with good deeds is that most people who do them expect to be appreciated. In actuality, good-deed recipients are more often resentful about it, rather than grateful. Nobody likes being the person who has to rely on the good will of others. So do good deeds for your own sake – because it makes you feel better, not because you want to be feel appreciated.
Did you ever notice that some people – maybe more people than not – like to complain about everything? In the summertime, it’s too hot. In the wintertime it’s too cold. Health care is too expensive. Young people are too rude. Old people move too slowly. There ought to be a law against anything and everything that might make one unhappy. It’s recreational bitching, and we all do it to greater or lesser extent. Maybe once in a while, it might make sense to listen to how we talk and how we think. Most of us are just doing the best that we can.
Carmela bought this workout T-shirt, but she didn’t realize until later that just above the right breast was the word “EMPOWERED.” She likes the shirt and she continues to wear it, but it did spark a bit of a discussion between nerdy wife-and-husband over what exactly does “EMPOWERED” mean. “The word would suggest that an outside somebody “EMPOWERED” you. I know my wife, and she was born “POWERED.” It’s one of the things I like about her.
We are at war. Fall has brought on an influx of mice and rats. We are all in favor of live and let live. Rats and mice are an important food source for birds, coyotes and other wildlife, but inside our house, we become an important food source for them. Not only do they chew away at our food and supplies, but they beget new generations of hungry mouths. The rodents must die. But if one is married to a soft-hearted woman – how you kill them matters. Quick and easy is the rule. So we are placing electric rodent killing traps at various locations. Zap! Goodbye you dirty rat.
Everybody may have a story to tell, but not everyone needs to tell it. The story for most folks is they were born, they lived, they worked, they loved, and they will at some point die. That’s nice, but by itself, it’s not a story that has a point. Just saying.
