Come Out of The Cave…

Was talking to someone today about friendships and balance in a person’s life. She informed me that my life right now is not balanced – I spend too much time alone in my cave. I need to get a hobby, join a club, take classes, go shopping, anything but just staying home and going to work.

I’ve been mulling over her suggestions on how to balance out my life a little more. It sounds so easy – get a hobby. Well, what kind of a hobby would I be interested in? Nothing that has to do with putting together small things such as puzzles or models – they usually end up thrown against the nearest wall long before I get them completed. I love to read and write – but granted, those aren’t hobbies that include other people. I don’t really collect things…am not much for material things at all really. I watch people at work making jewelry and scrap books but none of that sounds all that interesting to me.

Ok, so join a club. This I may have to look into doing but what club? The minor problem with clubs is that their meeting days are usually set and with my days off constantly changing there could be a couple months where I couldn’t participate at all. Clubs I’m interested in would be book clubs, garden club, maybe a bicycling club, a water sports club, a gun club, a horse back riding club, a “save the world” club if there are such things, and maybe a hiking club. Will have to look into some of them I guess.

Take classes – ah, this is where my interest was piqued. I’d love to take cooking, drawing, home interior design, garden design, writing, scuba diving, sailing, home improvement, and human interaction classes. There are plenty more things I’d take classes for too but those are the ones that came quickly to mind. I’d love to learn to shoot a handgun as well but that wouldn’t be hard to do if I bought a gun since I work with law enforcement. The classes would have to be all inclusive – start and end on the same day. Then I could schedule slots of time to devote to each class. For example – I may take the class on how to create a delicious lobster dinner but then skip a class that taught something like baking a cake.

Go shopping? I really don’t care to shop – stores make me dizzy and nauseous. I especially hate to shop for clothes. Shopping for furniture would probably be fun but who can afford it? There was a wonderful three or four story furniture shop I went to in Chicago with my niece – it was awesome! But again, who could afford it??

I guess my friend is right – I do need to do something more with myself before I go insane. Actually, she was more worried I’d develop PTSD because of some of the horrible things I hear every day. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder basically is that numb, unemotional, empty feeling a person who is regularly exposed to ghastly things can get if they don’t take a break from all the ugliness. I don’t think I’m in danger of such a thing because I am aware it exists and therefore mindful of it’s symptoms.

In any case – I think we all would be happier if we got involved more in our communities and our interests.

I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.
–Aldous Huxley

Update on Gator Post

Update on the gator post – the gator was killed per Florida law. There was no reprieve, no appeal, and no mercy granted. If I had the guy’s address, I’d send him a nice card with a picture of a gator & I’d share my feelings on just how big a dumb ass I think he is…oh, and trespass him from our state so that he can never return.

Oprah

Ok, I have a question. A journalist toured some third world countries – she is going to appear on Oprah tomorrow to share her experiences and the conditions she encountered. Now Oprah said that what you’ll see and hear will be “shocking”.

My questions is how could anything be more shocking then what we’ve seen and heard about from countless others who made the same trek? Did this journalist uncover the citizens of a third world country living a life of luxury where food and wine flow freely? Because that is the only thing that I can think of that would shock the hell out of me.

Sometimes I think journalists are counteractive. They show us all this horror until we are so numb and complacent that we believe nothing will ever change. These people will continue on living this way for hundreds of years. We are numbed to the sights of children starving to death in the streets.

I think, had I been Oprah, I would have said “What you’ll see will wrench out your heart” or “What you will see will spur you into action to help these people”. What good is hearing about the malnutrition and horrible conditions of these people if the hearing of it doesn’t bring about action? Anyone can see what is going on over there – only a great journalist can promote change by sharing the things we can’t see.

If you want to hear about their conditions and yet how they have an unyielding hope, read Angelina Jolie’s journal of her travels since becoming a Good Will Ambassador for the United Nations. It was very inspiring.

If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito. –Bette Reese

Family Annihilators

So I heard on the news this evening that a professional wrestler murdered his wife and five year old daughter, then killed himself. He strangled his wife and suffocated his daughter – which means he watched the life drain out of them as they fought for air. How could a person do that to another? How could a parent do that to their child?

The news said they will investigate whether steroids had a part in the annihilation of his family. As one coworker said, he obviously had been taking steroids for years so why blame them now? I know, I know – prolong use of steroids can cause violent behavior – but then again, why isn’t every athlete who takes them a killer? Are they all ticking time bombs?

Besides that – he had a great stress reliever – he got to hit and bully people around for money and fame. You’d think that would make him a very easy going and laid back kind of guy.

I’m tired of all these murderers. I’m sick of people wanting to take others with them when they kill themselves. It makes me furious that children aren’t allowed to grow up because their parent wanted to die. Children are not pawns or toys that a person just throws away when they want.

Let’s not forget the psychos who murder a spouse or lover because they aren’t happy with their present situation – as in the Ohio case and Scott Peterson’s trial. We can’t neglect to mention here the ones who marry and then kill their spouse for the life insurance policies – it apparently happens more then one would think.

Society needs protection from these kinds of people but how can we identify who the potential killers are? There is no way. As sad as it is there aren’t a lot of options that will help us identify criminals or prevent crimes. Unfortunately, murderers don’t announce themselves – they look and behave normal most of the time.

What would your spouse or significant other do if they came to the end of their rope? How about in divorce – how far would they go to keep from paying child support and alimony? How much are you worth dead? Do you know any potential murderers??