Scout

Scout brought happiness and terror into our lives but for a brief moment. He was a fierce and vicious, sweet and cuddly, little dog. A Jack Russell by birth he filled our lives with mirth, but once again, for just a short, little while.

Scout taught me a few things. Scout embodied the perennial saying paraphrased, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog."

Scout had a humongous fight in him. He taught me never to back down. He would stand up to any other dog no matter how big that dog was. He taught me never to back down.

Fights are gonna come at you. All your life. Don't back down. Face each one with a chin held high and a chest puffed up. Like Scout. You lost your job? Shake it off and find a new one. You lost your home? Do the best you can, get back on your feet, and find another place to live. You lost your family? Don't be too proud. Still, keep your head up, love them the best way you can, and take the next step in your life journey.

Notice I never said any of that would be easy. But when Scout stared down an opponent, friendly one or not, his eyes, his face, his chest, his legs, front and back, never betrayed an ounce of self-doubt. He had none. He was in it to win it. Literally.

Scout, thanks for teaching me to stand up and show up to any fight life wants to throw at me. And not only did you teach me to stand up and show up, but also, to never back down. No matter how big the fight that life throws at me, I can stand up to it, and not back down.

I can stand up and show up, never back down, and finally I can do it with confidence, with my head held high and my chest puffed out. Just because I choose. Just like Scout.

I can choose confidence or I can choose defeat. It's up to me. The choice is a switch; it will turn on the size of the fight in you. It will determine whether you back down or not, whether you show up or not.

Scout showed up every time. Scout never backed down. Scout stood "tall", confident.

How about you?

Peace?

I've always been a peaceful person. My whole life. I've avoided conflict any time,  everywhere, and for whatever reason. I want things around me peaceful all the time.

It's easy to see that this is nothing but a pipe dream. If you want peaceful all around you all the time fly off to one of those remote islands in the Pacific somewhere. Otherwise, it doesn't exist. You can imagine my frustration for most of my life.

Trying to control everything around me so as to have it peaceful, all the while raging turmoil inside my soul. Wrangling everything I could so as for calm to prevail. I wanted it peaceful in my sphere. Calm. Quiet. But I did not know Peace.

Peaceful is an adjective. Peace is a noun. Peaceful describes something, peace you can possess.

Do you possess peace? Peace inside gives you the ability, not to control things, but to remain in control as everything unravels. Do you possess peace when disaster strikes, when struggles come, when peacefulness shatters?

If you don't have Peace, find Him.

My Three New Mantras

Ok so, now that you know that life has put the hurt on me, I'm going to share with you three new mottoes that I am going to live by from now on. Three new mantras:

1. Take responsibility
2.  If you're not ten minutes early, you're late
3.  No excuses

First: Take responsibility. I am taking responsibility for my life, all of it; from my depression and anxiety, to my reactions to life and people, to happiness and adventure.

Life was just happening to me! It was pathetic! I'm going to happen to life from now on; I'm taking responsibility.

Second: If you're not ten minutes early, you're late. That's easy enough. I'm not just talking about work, although that's a biggie. I'm talking about work, appointments, commitments, etc. It's about respect people. You want respect, respect others.

Third: No excuses. That's it. No excuses. No excuses for not taking the risk. Period. Take the risk; take a step forward, see what happens. It won't kill you.

I'd love to get your comments. And more, if it resonates with you, I'd love it if you shared my blog!

All the best.

Welp...I lost my jobby-job.

Again. Major life event some would say, some not. Which are you? Are you paying attention? At this point in my career, major life event. That's two now. Two in a row. It's making me take a long hard look at my life. A major life event will do that to you, if you're paying attention. I wasn't. I haven't been for a long time. Just set it in neutral for oh, I don't know how long. Coasting.

Major life events are stunning aren't they? They're soul-rattling. They're destabilizing. They will take your core, your gut, and squeeze. Like a boa constrictor. That is, if you let it. What do you do with these things? What do you with an event so devastating, so monumental...?

Of course, you're thinking of negative major life events, which is what I'm talking about. But positive major life events can have the same effect. They are soul-rattling. They are destabilizing. They will take your insides and squeeze. If you don't believe me just think back in your life to when you had your first child.

This isn't where I was. I was just coasting remember. Nah, said life. Hello! Wake up! I SAID WAKE UP POOH!

It's your choice actually. What you do with a major life event devastating or exhilarating; welp...It's your choice. You do have one.

60 reasons in 60 days to vote Gary Johnson President in 2012

Reason #49:  No ambiguity.

Ambiguity - n. 1. doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention, 2. an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc. synonyms. 1. vagueness, deceptiveness 2. equivocation (dictionary.com)

Ambiguity, did I just define the presidential candidates for the two major political parties or what? This is ridiculous, said as an aside. "I changed my mind on this, and I couldn't follow through on that cuz I didn't see that one coming," said both politicians.

Maybe you like uncertainty, vagueness, deceptiveness, equivocation in your politicians, but I don't. Unequivocally I don't. Take that to the bank. And I'm not saying it like Obama did; where you took it to the bank four years later and the check bounced. There weren't any funds in there to cash what he said. I'm a deeply troubled American citizen when it comes to our political landscape people. Do I know what the answer is? well, no, not unequivocally (again), but I do know what the first step is.

The first step is to stop the bleeding. What's it called in a hospital setting, triage? Stop the hemorrhaging. Stop the insanity. Stop the merry-go-round or you're going to throw up all over the place. Stop doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Politically speaking, stop putting the source of the nation's problems back into office. Was that ambiguous? Let me say it again, another way, STOP PUTTING THE SOURCE OF THE NATION'S PROBLEMS BACK INTO OFFICE.

On November 6, you, as an American citizen, are going to get another chance. DON'T BLOW IT! If you don't vote because you've grown so sick, cynical, jaded, tired, disparaged, distrustful, contemptuous, pessimistic, and bitter with politicians, join the fastest growing segment of the American population: Independents. I encourage you to vote. If all of us did, we could oust the duopoly that has controlled America for generations and strives to retain its iron grip.

It's time to elect someone of whom you have no question on where he/she stands at all on any issue that matters. You've got a question, just ask him. His name is Gary Johnson. The man shoots straight people. In one word: unambiguous.

60 reasons in 60 days to vote Gary Johnson President in 2012

Reason #50:  Gary Johnson is not lying.

I have heard it put this way about the politicians that are running for president from the two major parties: Pretty much, if their mouth is moving, you know they are lying. Almost with 100% certainty you can bank on the fact that President Obama, and Candidate Romney are lying when they are speaking.

Here's one example of how we know: when then candidate Obama was running for president in 2008, one of his campaign promises was to immediately bring our troops home. You can see for yourself in this YouTube video. The quote was immediately upon taking office, he would bring our troops home if they weren't home by the time he took office.

I was looking for an example of Romney lying but just type the words "Romney" and "lies" in YouTube and the result can be overwhelming. People the point is this. Why do Americans, the American electorate in general, everyone of voting age, continue to believe the crap that comes out of Republicans' and Democrats' mouths?! Why do voting age Americans continue to support political parties that so obviously lie to obtain office, shirk their responsibility, continue with the same failed policies, and continue the momentum of increasing the executive powers of the federal government?!

I will never understand. In contrast, Gary Johnson will come in and do what he says he will do. It's as easy as that. If we would all just vote against the two party oligarchs just this one time. America could be great again.

60 reasons in 60 days to vote Gary Johnson President in 2012

Reason #51:  Gary Johnson is the only presidential candidate who is talking about things that matter, in a way that really matter.

While the other two candidates, the only two that seem to get any publicity, are talking about each other's irrelevant and short-sighted soundbites, Gary Johnson is telling us he would end the wars immediately, and bring our troops home now. President Obama promised the same thing as candidate Obama, but we all know how that worked out. Gov. Johnson's track record tells me he would actually do it.

While the other two candidates are telling us what each other would do to Medicare and what they themselves wouldn't do yet never actually telling us what they would do, Gary Johnson is telling us point blank he would cut Medicare funding by 43%. Wait, CUT MEDICARE BY 43%! Is he crazy!? No, he's just sane people. Forty-three percent is currently the dollar figure we are spending that we don't actually have. So the government is borrowing 43% of every dollar spent. How's that for fiscal responsibility? Johnson is simply saying, "hey, I think I'll just stop spending money we don't have."

While the other two candidates hem-haw about the budget and propose things that don't actually make any sense yet don't take the time to explain it to us, Gary Johnson is telling us he will present Congress with a balanced budget by 2013. Yes 2013! That's one year later! Again, according to his track record, every indication is that he will keep his promise. Amazing! Imagine that, a politician that actually does what he says he will do! That's the kind of leadership we need in the White House. Please fellow Americans, let's give him a chance to do what he says he will do.

Live Free! Be Libertarian with me for one election, just one election. And if you don't like real, you can always vote the actors back into office next time.