BOO-YA

Around February, it was suggested that we (you know who you are) "do" an upcoming 5k. Of course, I balked at it. HAH fools, running is for people without cars. But then...I got thinking (nothing dangerous)...I've always wanted to do a 5k-but could I? After much in-depth internal contemplation, scientific research and deliberation, I decided that I would do it! And joined the 5k "suggester" in convincing the rest of our team to join. We did...insert maniacal laugh...convince them all to join us. All plans were going smoothly UNTIL we took a fatal blow to the kidneys. Our band of 5k Soldiers were disabled. All commitments were gone-washed away-like those little dots Pac Man eats while running away from those ghosts. Oh, the disappointment, the agony, the pain...not to mention the inability to pee (from the punch to the kidneys). But then-all of a sudden-through the mists of darkness was a lone light shinning like a beacon to carry me home. One peep-didn't let "something that is spurious inferior, or of questionable origin" get him/her down...and alas I wasn't the lone soldier. Race day arrival and yet another soldier rises to battle. 3 soldiers prepared for battle...okay...really only two because the third one was late (no offense). The first soldier takes off...and all I see is dust. Then there I go...busting out! I finished! No cheating, no quitting...no pansiness! Take that kidney punchers!

Seriously - it was my first 5k-and I did it-no giving up-no quitting-I pushed and I completed it. Even more special - my niece was with me. Her first 5k too. Nice, huh! There is nothing like looking back and having that feeling inside that you did something-something hard. Trained for it, wanted it, and took it (sorta like stealing, lol). I should get a medal-or a trophy-yeah that's better. It feels good to not give up on something-NEVER GIVE UP!

Fish don't always float

For those of you that may have wondered, fish don't always float when they're dead. I know this because Tiger, bless his little fishy heart, died. He likely died on Saturday but I didn't really notice until Sunday. You see, he liked to lay on the rocks at the bottom of his tank and so it didn't seem out of the ordinary to see him there. Then I went to feed him and he didn't move. I had to call my sister to see if you could really flush a dead fish. I mean...the movies lead you to believe that they float when they're dead-which isn't true-so maybe it's not true that you can flush them. Well, you can and so I did. It was harder than I excepted...not to get his little body to go down but I felt a tad disrespectful. But he loved the water and thus it's only fitting he should have a watery grave. He was like a million years old...so...he lived a long happy water filled well feed life. So long Tiger.

Courage

Does courage stand in the absence of fear or in the face of? I think some would say that courage is devoid of fear but I wonder if courage is when you take a stand and stare down fear in the face. If it is the later, then doesn't it empower you to take courage in your attempts at change, etc? Knowing that you can be courageous in the face of fear instead of waiting for fear to have played his roll before courage can take hold seems powerful and conquering.

Death

Today a friend lost her cousin and another friend lost her grandmother. Though it is sad when someone leaves this life I truly believe that not only is the person relieved of worldly cares they carried but they find happiness in leaving them behind. I believe that while we grieve for them they grieve for us. Not in the sense that they miss us but that they wish we understood the great relief they feel and in doing so it would lesson our grief. Dying, I feel, is a graduation of sorts. A chance for the human soul to move onto a higher learning process...to evolve in greater ways than we can imagine. As with graduating high school or college, I feel we should celebrate this new opportunity for our loved one. Yes, we'll miss them. But we'll be with them soon enough and in the meantime we can learn from their life, their legacy...good or bad...and better ourselves and the lives of those we interact with. Who knows, perhaps if we celebrated ones passing we'd better live our own lives. Just a thought.

Politics

So what if someone is a Mormon...or Jewish...or Catholic...or whatever. Should one's religious practice determine their ability or inability to be a good president? Does being a Jew make one incapable of making decisions for this country? Does being a Mormon make one less capable than a Catholic? There are many that think so but let's be honest here....it's absurd. It's as absurd as saying that Hilary Clinton can't make presidential decisions because she has a vagina or that Obama can't represent the USA properly cause he's black. Really people. For those of you who are not voting for someone or are voting for someone solely based on their religion...I say...get a freaking education. And for those of you that say you are Christians and yet preach intolerance of other types of religion other than your own...I say...read the freaking Bible. You have a brain so put it to good use and stop allowing what others tell you what is right or wrong to make your decisions. Mormons don't worship the devil and based on the pure definition of Christianity are Christians. Read a book...study...research and you'll know. A vagina can't prevent you from being a leader nor does being black make you stupid. EDUCATE yourselves. You fear the differences in others because you lack intelligence and your fear is pure discrimination. So before you go and decide that one candidate isn't as good as another based on some arbitrary attribute, educate yourself.

Understanding

Why is it that the more you search for understanding the more you find yourself dazed and confused? This applies to anything really. Ones search for an understanding of death, of life, of love, of heartache, of war, of peace...I can go on. Is it that in the search we forget that living is what bring answers and not the search itself?