Make Your Holiday Count This Year

Over the years I have seen stores that would close down for days to celebrate holidays.  Not every holiday, but the ones that people travel to visit distant relatives and keep the spirit of family alive.  Nowadays, things have gone too commercial.  I understand that in today's world, that everyone doesn't share the same values in celebrating holidays.  Some people don't celebrate any holidays.  The point that I am going for is that I live in the United States.  I live and work based on our calendar.  I have grown up and founded my own traditions based on the holidays on that calendar.  So, if I expect certain for myself, then I think others should be able to do the same, and whether they do or not is solely up to their discretion.

The first sign that stores care nothing about anyone and that money is the sole purpose is the placement of seasonal items.  This year, our local big-box store was placing Christmas items on display...before Halloween.  Quit shoving seasonal merchandise in my face two seasons early.  Secondly, the advancement of "Black Friday".  Growing up, stores would open up early the day after Thanksgiving with big, but limited, specials to encourage sales.  Also, it would help out the numbers for their final quarter of the year to help show a profit.  To a point, that doesn't bother me.  The point that it seems inappropriate is when people go out and fight over minuscule and trivial things they don't really need.  "I want this for my kid!" "My wife needs this more!" So on and so forth. Guilt lies on both parties in this situation, but that adds to my point.  Stores should not limit quantities and encourage such behavior.  On the other hand people should plain out know better.  Less than 24 hours ago this person was telling their family what they were thankful for, and now they are fighting of some sort of greed burning inside for something they want.

The commercialism doesn't just affect people on the outside.  It is now taking family out of the equation.  This goes to the families that are missing a Mom or Dad during a family get together because they have to work.  "Black Friday" sales are now starting in a lot of places on Thanksgiving evening.  That means someone is cutting family time short to go service people who also cut family time short to go fight over a *sale*.  Who wins?  The store.  Labor costs may go up, but sales will win every time.  That is, unless I can pass my influence on to anyone else.

I want to be the one responsible for teaching businesses a lesson.  First of all, we don't need any special deal.  We quite frankly don't need to buy anything out of the ordinary.  The main purpose of the holidays are to spend time with your loved ones, regardless or religion or belief.  We don't need to rack up debt and overspend on unnecessary things to show we love someone.  That is purely a *want*.  If you want to show someone you love them, give them something they can't buy.  Your time and affection.  Once you're gone, they can't buy that.  Will your kids remember that football you got them or will they remember "Daddy was always there to play football with me after Thanksgiving dinner."  If I can be the person that can get people to stay at home with their families and build value with their loved ones instead of the value of a stores bank account, that would be the best present I could ever get.  

I'm not against business.  People have to make a living somehow.  That's not what I'm trying to change.  I feel business is overstepping it's boundaries and stripping away the morals and foundation of families everywhere.  I want to motivate people to empower themselves.  The only way that one person can make a change is to have the help of others.  If we can stand together and take back family holidays, we can stand together and make the country a better place for our future generations.  But one person can't do it alone.

If you agree with the message I'm trying to get across, please help me share this and spread the message please click the link below.  The link will open a pre-filled tweet with the following information:

Take your family back.  <Link to this blog> #KeepingFamilyFirst

If you want to share to other networks or different networks there are buttons directly below this article.  My goal is to get this message to as many people as possible and hopefully encourage and motivate people to take back what they deserve.

Here's the link the share on Twitter :Share on Twitter

Remember to do something good for someone other than yourself, Pay It Forward.

Conspiracy Theory

I feel like having a little fun, so I recorded a new podcast on my Spreaker account (The blue audio player above.).  I have heard conspiracy theories about everything.  There may be truth to the stories, or they could be from the farthest stretches of the mind.  I don't know, but I think the conversations are very interesting nonetheless.  I won't spoil the audio by writing it out.  I encourage comments from either side of the spectrum.  I don't try to dispel either side, I'm just trying to have some fun, and hear what others have to say.  You can leave comments below, and/or I have made a special link to include the hashtag I mentioned in the audio.  All you have to do is click, and type your response at the end (make sure you click in the box to deselect the text, or you will just overwrite it, and I'll never see it).

Here's the Twitter link: http://clicktotweet.com/uH5wa


If you have any theories of your own, put them in the comments below and/or use the Twitter link above.

Do something nice for someone else, and Pay It Forward.

Who are you?

Who are you?  I know exactly who I am.  I'm that guy you may or may not have passed in the street.  I'm that guy that teaches his kids to stand up for what is right, by standing up for what he feels is right.  What is right?  Is something right based on your opinion?  Is it right because it sounds good? Maybe it's right just because it's right.

I know my last post kind of went slightly into a rant of sorts.  Oh well, I said my piece on it, and I still feel the same way, and it's time to move on.  I don't intend for my writings to be rants, but more along the lines of thought provoking.  Or you could call it brain prodding if you believe contrary to my ways, which is fine too.  I don't get into politics and votes and all that mumbo jumbo, which I will explain why later.  But interwoven in the political scene is something that catches my attention and bothers me at the same time.  I don't want to debate morality of the issue, but more so the concept behind it.

What catches my attention?  People starting their own campaign for elected positions.  I can see someone already holding the position and wanting to be reelected, which doesn't concern me.  But I feel that if someone is to be elected to a position the people should pick that person or persons and go from there.  Not so much the, I want to run for this title, and so do these guys, pick one of us.  I am also a firm believer in "job-advancement", where if someone holding a position does well, and would like to be elected for a higher position, they should be first in the running.  If I'm not mistaken many years ago holding a public office was a great symbol of pride bestowed upon an individual, where now it just seems to be about the money and the topics of debate.  It doesn't seem like anyone want to advance our country from where it was, but more like once someone is placed in a position, everything they do is geared towards the next PERSONAL advancement for themselves.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my country.  I spent 4 years in R.O.T.C. learning military values.  I served proudly in the U.S.Army and was Honorably Discharged.  I have read and even lived the ups and downs of the country I live in.  With that said, I want to see only the best for my country, and I don't think the tactics I observe from day to day are the right moves for that to happen.  What do YOU think should change to make our America the best it could be?

Why don't I get involved with politics, voting, this ballot and that?  It's pretty simple.  The entire format doesn't fit into what I feel is fair and right for my country, much less my county, district or state.  I alone cannot change how it is done aside from sharing my thoughts with others.  Maybe the right people will read what I have written and passed along and share it to the point that I start a movement.  A movement in what I believe is in the right direction.  At that point I will gladly stand with my fellow countrymen and women and help reconstruct our nation.  Hey, I may dream big, but at least I'm dreaming.  I guess my overall point for having nothing to do with politics is this.  If you only have choices A and B, and you don't approve of either one are you better off picking the lessor of two evils and hoping it works, or not choosing either and knowing you're not responsible for the messes they make?  I feel that sharing my thoughts with others may get some people out there to think outside of the box, and as a whole, we can make things better.  Until then, it's just hoping.

I want to know what you think.  Am I nuts for my way of thinking?  Should I just assimilate?  Do you have a different point of view to share with others? I'm all ears...oh, and part brain too.

That's all for today.  Please take a little time out of your day to do something nice for someone else.  Pay it Forward.

How many friends will I have after this?

Above this text you will see an audio player.  I highly encourage you to play this and listen to it.  If you agree with it, please share it.  If you agree or disagree with it, I want to know why.  Fill in a comment below.  Now.  What is this all about?  It's about a touchy subject I have been hearing about for the past day or so.  It's about letting Gays and Lesbians get married.  I've heard the arguments and slander from both sides, and understand both sides of the argument.  I have my own belief, which does side with the Gay and Lesbian side, but I feel from what I've seen, it may be for different reasons.  Let me lay it out for you.

If you want to understand where my point of view comes from, listen to it above.  I'm just going to write out the basics here.  The only debate I see being thrown up as to why homosexuals should NOT be allowed to get married is strictly religious point of view.  When does religion dictate law?  My question to those with that debate is, "What about people that have a different belief?".  Are they wrong for having a belief that doesn't coincide with yours?  What about homosexuals that do follow the Bible and understand their sins, and they are prepared to pay for that sin in the afterlife?  I can't personally quote the Bible.  I don't feel the need to, or even want to.  But I have read it, in different versions, and have a fairly decent understanding of it.  I'm not a scholar, but I have a good idea of what I'm talking about.  That would be, as with most religions, they are open to interpretation.  Now, for other people that maybe don't follow the Bible, or have completely different beliefs altogether... What does YOUR Bible and YOUR beliefs have to do with THEM?  Don't take me the wrong way.  I am not trashing Christians or their beliefs.  I am trashing the belief that the Bible and God are the ONLY beliefs available to people.  It doesn't matter to me if someone is Atheist, Baptist, Pagan, or Voodoo High Priest.  What does matter to me is that people have something to believe in.  Even an Atheist believes that there is no higher being.  They stick to their beliefs.  They don't push their beliefs onto others.  But they will respond when the time calls for it.

Like the title of this blog mentions, I don't really know how many friends I'll have after this.  But as I think about it, I think I may know the answer.  If I lose a friend over this, they weren't a friend to start with.  That means my answer would be, "All of them.".  All of my friends will still be there after this.

If you listen to the entire clip, please follow the call to action.  Do what you feel is the right thing, and stand up for what you believe in.  If any portion of the audio or this writing motivate you or inspire you, please share it with others in the hopes that your passion will pass along with it.

Do something good for someone else, and Pay it Forward.

What about you?

My family and I were outside doing some yard work today.  It never fails, when I work outside my mind wanders to pass the time.  Here lately my mind keeps going back to the same topic.  I'm not going to share a lot of in depth information, but I will share enough to try and make an inspirational point at the end.  Hopefully someone out there will digest this and make some use of it.  Here goes...

It wasn't very long after high school I lost my father.  So I took every chance I could to surround myself with friends and family, and try not to feel down about my loss.  I really try to be an upbeat and happy-go-lucky kind of person.  I mourned and grieved like anyone else would who loses a close parent, but I also wanted to find a light to follow out of the darkness I felt I was embedded in.  I worked a regular schedule and tried to run a home.  In my free time I would find something to go out and do with my friends or family.  At the time I always had somewhere I could go, or something to do.So I would say I did a great job of occupying my time and staying busy to stay out of "the darkness".

What had started out as occupying my time seemed to take a slight twist which I loved.  I was the "Go To Person" for most of my family, and a few of my friends.  Anytime they needed something I was there.  If they needed a designated driver, I was there.  I was part of every family function, and never left out of anything.  I was the person that anyone could talk to in confidence, and could take a secret to the grave.  Everyone had my number, and I always answered.  I could go on for pages about the things I did or was, but I think you get the idea.

This went on for about 8 years or so.  That's a pretty good amount of time to be there for everyone.  That time seemed to honestly fly by because I loved doing it.  But now, let me introduce the dilemma.  I now have children of my own and a loving wife.  I feel that I have gone above and beyond in trying to include my new family in with my old family.  I have called, visited, met with, and anything else I could do to have my children know the rest of their family.  I feel like the family "I used to have" has no use for me now.  I have 2 friends that I actually talk to on a pretty regular basis.  I have family members that used to call me on a daily basis that haven't picked up the phone and called me in years.  I don't hold any grudges against them.  They all must have some sort of reason, whatever it may be.  But it does hurt that the closest people in your life seem to forget about you.

Now, hopefully it is time to pass on some motivation and inspiration.  I'm a grown man.  I can handle the situation I have been talking about.  I didn't write this for anyone's pity or sympathy.  I wrote this to make you think.  Is there anyone in your life that fit my description above?  Do you think you are one of the people I was talking about?  Who's that person you used to hang out with, but seemed to of lost touch with? Do you have any idea how it might just make that persons day to get a call or a letter, an email, text message, something that makes them feel remembered?  What if you tried to rekindle the relationship you once had?

My overall point is try not to become so self-absorbed that you forget about, not just the ones you love, but quite possibly the ones that truly love you back.  And just in case someone I was actually writing about reads this, I still love you like I used to.  I just hate it ended so soon.

And remember, do something nice for someone else.  Pay It Forward.