We've been very busy, and fortunately my beautiful, sexy redheaded wife has been takin' care of business as I am still trudging through this surgery recovery which was topped off with my first kidney stone which still hasn't passed. Nothing like a gal blowin' smoke with some diesel power to take care of yard work and such. Dang, I'm blessed with a life better than I deserve.
You see, I'm one of the most anal retentive over-thinkers that probably can barely be tolerated by most sane folks. You're not supposed to sweat the small stuff, but I do... and I think you probably should too.
Most people don't mess up on the big decisions or things in life, but they slowly drown with the small things they let go and don't attend to... like a frog slowly cooking in a pot of warming water. Face it, you're careful picking out a spouse, a car, a house... you research that sixty-inch flat-screen like you were finding a cure for cancer. On the other hand, most folks blow past those little decisions and things in life, not giving due diligence, until one day we drown in an ocean of meaningless manure that we've piled up over time.
We try to live life by design. It's no accident how we live, where we live, why we live, where we work, what we do, and why we do it. That's not to say we haven't made a lot of mistakes, but I can assure you that we have seen the fruits of our labor over time from all that small stuff and the big decisions.
Sometimes, folks just have their heads in the sand or just figure somehow it will all work out or someone, maybe something, will take care of the problems. I guess I've become tired and callous to many folks problems that are of their own doing. If you're household income is $84,000 a year and you're losing your $385,000 home and the government won't help you refinance... tough, downsize and live within your means with some buffer space. So you can't afford a decent gun for self-defense, but your monthly cable or satellite bill is $69.95... well that's over $800 a year for guns and ammo folks. Did you know that you can get your kid a Ruger 10/22 and a pile of ammo for the cost of an xBox or Playstation 3 set-up? Wonder which will still be around and working when your kid has kids?
Sports and athletics are great, but if you're spending a thousand a year on game tickets and memorabilia for your favorite team and don't have five-hundred in savings while your credit cards are maxed out... get a clue. I'm not impressed if your eleven year-old played ball in sixty-seven games and five tournaments in four different states this summer... can he or she swim? use a map? know what to do if they're alone and lost? make a fire or shelter? build something? help someone out? handle a gun? fight off an aggressor? cook dinner? work with common tools?
I really think this country is coming to a crossroads from which there will be no return. It's not red and blue states, it's not Democrats or Republicans, it's not conservatives or liberals... I think it's more basic than that. There's basically two kinds of folks in my view... those that want to take care of themselves and those that want taken care of. Unfortunately, even a lot of those in the conservative or Republican or red states want taken care of more than they will admit.
That is not to say I don't think there is a role for government. I just think the government needs to stick to the big things outlined in the Constitution and let folks sweat the small stuff. Military... yes. Government backed loans for school or houses... no. Fire and police departments... yes. Government run or backed healthcare... no. Courts and prisons... yes. Taking away my tools or abilities to protect myself and my family... no.
You have to be proactive in the small stuff. That local official you elect today may be your senator or governor in twenty years. The letter you write your congressman instead of another Facebook post that gets a few dozen likes probably has more impact for your cause. A few minutes of talking and a back rub for your spouse will cost you far less than a divorce that really resulted from a pile of little things that slipped by. Setting up a tent and building a fire in the backyard will be a better time and memory than Batman returns for the umpteenth time.
Well, shooting range upgrades, varsity tennis practice, state fair archery, the urologist, and a busted dishwasher seem to be the pressing items this week. I've been rambling on and while I'm sure you've got better things to do than read through my diatribe... though if you've actually gotten this far... I'm curious... how much would you pay to be unarmed in a dark room with a hundred plus strangers? $7.50? $11.00?
If you're not doing much, stop on by... we'll be setting up a tent and building a fire. Oh, and maybe tomorrow, think about things that are troubling you or naggin' in the back or your mind... 'cause maybe... You need to sweat the small stuff...
I have a bit to say, but I won't. It seems like you needed to get that off your chest...glad you did!
ReplyDeleteVery well put. You said it in so many ways, but it can't have too much emphasis: When you discover yourself in the hole you've dug, one small bit at a time, stop digging and start climbing!
ReplyDeleteQuote: "Did you know that you can get your kid a Ruger 10/22 and a pile of ammo for the cost of an xBox or Playstation 3 set-up? Wonder which will still be around and working when your kid has kids?"
ReplyDeleteOr which one will even still be cherished (let alone still used) in the next ten years? Around 1994 I was given a Sega Genesis and a .22 rifle, (the latter handed down to me by my uncle). That Sega was mothballed by 2000 (mostly because I could no longer get new games for it), but I still use that .22 today. Firearms don't go out of style, and are a great rite of passage.
Wise words indeed. Hope you are feeling better soon.
ReplyDelete@Brigid... thanks!
DeleteDann in Ohio
Having had a kidney stone myself i feel your pain. Doctor told me to take my pills every 4 hours and get as drunk as i can for about 3 days. Flushed it out just fine. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteExtremely well said Dan. I'm 24 and from Seattle so we're probably not going to agree on every political point but I absolutely believe the enormous percentage of people who can't or won't take care of themselves is the biggest problem facing this country. And the root cause of all the complaints towards my generation and younger.
ReplyDeleteI like to think I can take care of my self but I know there is so much more I want/need to learn. Thank you very much for a couple of little nuggets and big general ideas like this one that I've picked up from your blog.