Happy Is As Happy Does

Saturday, long holdiay weekend. Yep, I'm at work.

Crazy stuff this work. Wishin' I could retire. Don't ever see that happening - but hey, that's why it's a wish!

Haven't been a very good steward of this blog in the past month. It just seems that in order to sit down and have a coherent thought process that would include things like the phone to stop ringing or me to stop thining about what I need to do in order to rescue all the drowning people that work for me.

So because I haven't been able to do that, well, I haven't been able to post very much.

As a matter of fact, I have no idea what I am posting about right now other than the fact that I feel guilty for not having done so with any regularity.

I will say that I am one happy boy.

Last Friday I was given a birthday party downtown and it was the bomb. I had to go lay down in the car before it was over but I look at that as a sign of my having a good time instead of being the responsible one which is my usual gig.

My daughter graduated from high school on Saturday and is now on her senior trip cruise. I'm sure she's having fun in Mexico today!

And my days and nights are filled with more fulfillment than I have ever thought possible.

So happy is as happy does. And I'm wishing lots for you today.

Helter Skelter

Bob Dylan tells us that "he not busy being born, is busy dying".

I haven't posted in a while because i've been so damn busy at work that I haven't had a creative thought in quite a while.

Life rolls on like an army.

But I can tell you that I enjoy the day to day stuff and that's not something I could have said earlier in my life. Each day brings me new joys and triumphs and it's a pretty good place to be.

There is so much hatred and disharmony in the world that it just drives me crazy. I want to take the world by the hand and tell it to slow down and look at the beauty around us.

I turned 45 last week and was celebrated by friends and family. I was entirely blown away by all the things that my lady did for me. And in the midst of all of that I was just a boy, in love with a girl without a thought for how old I am.

When do we feel old?

Does it ever happen if you keep happiness in your heart?

I don't know. All I know is that I look forward to each and every day and am constantly amazed at what life has to offer me.

So thank you - to all of you - for making my life so very cool.

Amen.

Say it's your birthday? It's my birthday too!

Where, oh where have you been?

Right here. Working, working, working. When I get in the mode of working it seems that all of my extra time and energy goes into ideas and planning so there blog thing just gets left out in the cold.

Sorry.

It's been a while since I've been on here and the truth is that life goes on whether I write about it or not.

But tomorrow is my birthday. My special day.

Actually, I'm one of the rare ones that gets to have an entire special week for my birthday. I know, that's a little over the top - but so am I. Last night when I got home, my baby made me sit on the couch and drink some wine while she prepared dinner for me. Wow. What a treat. It was very fancy and it was yummy. Tonight is the Purple Parrot dinner. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. But the big one is on Friday night when we will be going to the Walnut Cirlce Grill at around 8pm to have a party. For me! My friend Dave's band the Deltamatics, will be playing some loud rock and roll, R&B and some down home blues.

So if you're not busy, why don't you come join us. I can promsie you that a good time will be had by all.

God Bless.

Freedom

I love my motorcycle.

I ride for the freedom. I ride to get away. I ride to see the country. I ride to explore the back roads. But mostly, I just ride for the joy of it. Riding is like the only experience besides love where all your senses are in synch. I am completely focused on the sheer joy of the experience.

I ride alone or in small groups. I take thirty-mile jaunts to my favorite restaurants and thousand mile expeditions across the country. I love the excitement of taking on an open road, devoid of traffic. I relish the freedom and thrill of letting go, of not having to be somewhere at a certain time. My pulse quickens as the powerful engine’s strength grows and takes charge of my attention span. I love experiencing the centrifugal force on long turns and gliding at speeds way above the law.

If you ride, you are my friend. I promise and vow never to judge a person based on the type motorcycle he rides. Whether or not you trailer your bike to a rally or ride across the country, you are my friend. We all ride motorcycles because we enjoy the freedom and uniqueness that this mode of transportation gives us. The degree in which you absorb yourself into the sport is of no concern to me. Motorcycling is a lot like life; it’s a participation sport. People who don’t ride will never trust those of us who do because we do not conform to societies expectations. Being so judged, I will never judge in kind.

There is a mystique about the entire experience. There is a love affair between me and my scooter that only other riders can understand. I love the smell of leathers and of coffee wedged between my handlebars. But mostly I love the smell of life. Musty earth, sweet grass, beautiful flowers, sunshine and even rain. I do not love cattle trailers. For those of you that don't understand that last sentence, just know that cows go to the bathroom all the time and unwanted showers are not pleasant. Not at all.

I dream of taking a trip to nowhere in particular. Cruising in some spontaneous, uninhibited way where my bike and I become one entity. Perhaps it’s the feeling I get from the wind hitting my face, the sudden acceleration or the constant vibration and loud hum of the engine. Or perhaps it’s just the fact that I am on my time, responsible to no one but the road and whatever conditions it throws my way at that particular moment.

Maybe it’s just the fun of going somewhere beyond my living room. Maybe it’s the thrill of seeing and being seen. Riding is a sharing thing, a bold thing, and an exciting thing. It’s a thing that lets the little kid in me come out and play. It’s a cross between a sport and a way of life. It’s shedding the confinements of my day-to-day existence and evolving into something completely different. Something better, or at least, someone that believes in his dreams…even if it’s just for a few hours.

Zen masters spend lifetimes learning to empty themselves through meditation so they can achieve an emptiness that is equated to God in their philosophy. I have achieved the same experience on the open road. It seems that cruising at 100 mph a mere 24 inches from the ground spiritually induces peace and emptiness. You come to a place where the only thought that passes through your central nervous system is staying alive. And in that place, you discover that life begins anew.

Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead. My prayer daily is for God to give me the strength to believe in myself, to trust others and to continue to look for true love. In the meantime, if I have the opportunity, I will ride there on my motorcycle.

Hope to see you there.

One Love

I've been thinking today. Yep, smoke is coming out of my ears.

Sometimes I can hardly believe that my life is so good. I can wake up in the middle of the night and feel so blessed that I don't want to go back to sleep because I think that it's just a dream.

But it's not a dream. It's real.

So as I was driving to work, feeling so very blessed, one of my favorite songs comes on the radio. It was U2's song "One". As I listened to the lyrics I was amazed at the ties between art and life. I have always envied people that have such a stong way with words and melodies that they can influence emotions in others. And U2 has got it goin' on.

Here are the lyrics:

Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame
You say…

One love
One life
When it’s one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don’t care for it

Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it’s…

Too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We’re one, but we’re not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One

Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now it’s all I got
We’re one
But we’re not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can’t be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we’re not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One life

One

I guess at face-value, it's a very sad song about the deterioration of a relationship. But for me, it's one about hope. I firmly believe that we are given love and it is the most perfect gift we can ever have. It should be treated with the utmost respect and all of our time and resources should be spent in cultivating the love we are given.

I see so many people that take this for granted and push it to the fringe of their lives.

Well this boy won't ever do that. I have lived and I have learned that there is nothing more precious as when the one you love looks at you and reaches out for you. There are no job responsibilities or hobbies or any other facet of our lives that has such a direct impact on us as love does. It colors our world and has the ability to allow us to rise above whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

So for me, whatever sacrifices that I think I may have to make, I make freely and gladly. Whatever decisions are made differently than they way I may make them are just fine with me. Because there is nothing that will ever come between me and my love - not while I still draw breathe.

And for each of you, I will pray that you will also find the happiness that is within you and not be afraid to reach out and take the hand that is offered.

Peace to you on this day.