Thursday, January 15, 2009

Stumbling Cost...


“Deceit always stumbles upon repetition.”

If you watch someone over time and notice that their main mission in life is to get over on others ie. take advantage of situations in order to reap some sort of self-perceived benefit, you will discover cracks in the roads they’ve traveled. Eventually something happens. Perhaps it’s karma. There’s those who will never learn. They’ve managed to embed their lies so deeply within that from their vantage point, all is true. They’ll proclaim themselves with passion and vigor about being a "good person." You’ll wonder who are they tying to convince; you or themselves. I’ve had to deal with this sort of individual(s). I file every moment under the category of “silly but unfortunately necessary.” A product of one aspect of life... It’s been eye opening. The human nature part of it intrigues me. I pay close attention to those that I know and those that I observe from a far. I’ve always done this to a certain extent but now I feel it’s on a deeper level probably because of two reasons. I’m older now and I’ve been through a wide range of life experiences in the last ten to fifteen years that should give me some kind of credential for making slight on point observations.

Another case in point: The last few months at the hospital I work at, I’ve observed a young surgeon as he moves closer to becoming a full fledge doctor. He’s in his first year of residency and seemingly unaware of the blessing he holds in his hands. His work ethic is non-existent unless you count the consistent effort in which he puts forth to try to get around his responsibilities. It appears he’s brought with him a playground sensibility or mentality. He does whatever he can and says whatever he needs to say in order to NOT do what he’s supposed to do. He’ll lie with ease. The sad part is I predicted his behavior after speaking with him during his first week at the hospital some months ago. He attempted to use his techniques on me and went into that give-a-brotha-a-break, feel-sorry-for-me mode. For what he was trying to avoid doing which took very ilttle effort and time, I knew then and there, this young man would be trouble. If it’s any indication on how he’ll be as a doctor and especially a surgeon, I fear for anyone having to be under his care. Hopefully he’ll wake up and realize the seriousness of his chosen career. I’ve seen other young doctors verbally whipped into shape by their more senior counterparts but this fella reminds me of a high school student holding his head up high because of the perception or belief of superior status rather than recognizing the incredible value of an academic foundation followed by career achievement. He may suffer from the "invincible syndrome" that many fall victim to these days including the first example. In the end, like most people who choose to deceive, the achievement resembles more so an image of pathetic behavior and conniving pursuit than anything else. Perhaps it elevates them in one respect but the eventual payoff could be a much longer and more painful drop when things go wrong… (?) Humility is the only pill that must be swallowed... IMHO *smile*

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dealing with it...


Days and nights on the front porch with my man Jessie, I began to learn what made him tick though I'm sure he figured me out long before I reached any conclusions about him. We both shared life experiences thru conversation that was not only a trip for me to even divulge such personal stuff but also mind blowing to hear what another man been through from a different era. His situations sounded a whole lot like mine with the exception of his successful relationship with his lady. Thing is, I caught Jessie at a time in his life when he was battling a much different kind of opponent and there were times when he wasn't taking it on the chin and getting back up again like he would preach to me so many times. Frustration set in. He would be talking crazy like he looked forward to joining his wife where she was much more than enjoying what time he had left in this world. Sometimes I had to throw verbal bricks in his pathway. Meaning, I had to say things that might cause him to step back and think; sort of like what he would do to me whenever wisdom filled responses would enter his mind after I said something stupid. I get angry when out of frustration he'll warn me about the ways of the world and keeping myself together so I won't make the same mistakes I've made in the past; stuff that I would sometimes regret ever sharing with him. I lashed out a few times. The last time I caught him off guard.

I said, "I'm supposed to be afraid to live just because you afraid to die? If you frustrated and getting scared because your days are numbered then you need to just admit to what you feeling and deal with it!"

Jessie just looked at me and then a smirk came upon his face. He nodded his head a few times and then said in a husky voice, "okay, okay..." He cleared his throat and said the same thing one more time. After that moment, a few weeks went by and everything seemed cool but there were hints of the same frustrations coming out; little sly comments and remarks but I figured that's just the way it is when a man's been told that life could be ending soon. Until he comes to grip with his journey and the realization that there's always an end, he's just gonna keep planting seeds of self-pity. It's kind of like his garden will grow so fast that he'll lose himself deep inside all that selfish pride to where no one can find the true blessing of what he'd eventually leave behind. They always say with respect to money that you can't take it with you. Well, in the case of what's truly the most important; it does go with you. I'm talking about the wisdom carried through life experiences, the stories from what your eyes have seen during your lifetime, and every emotional step along the way. To me there's a lot more nuances to living than that final submission to death.

Excerpt from
Lynwood and Jessie
Copr.2009

Thursday, January 08, 2009

The frustrating, the historical & the beautiful full circle



2008 I can honestly say was a lot better than 2007 though life remained a struggle in so many ways. I lost and had to let go… The down times moving in and out on a weekly basis; still having to deal with the same frustrations created by bad decision making on my part but at the same time witnessing the beautiful growth of something that kept me sane, hopeful and escaping the reality that always set me in a mental backwards spiral… sometimes… The hopeful was and is love. I couldn’t ask for more than what I’ve been blessed with thus far; the kind of love that makes the world a little easier to deal with. It’s an escape from the present into the future; feeling like past dreams and beliefs of how good it can be, colliding with sincere efforts to make it is just that…. Really good… The beautiful full circle also included CREATIVITY… whew… It’s the fuel that drives my engine in ways that keeps me passionate about life because without it, I wouldn’t have come up from the negative depths of 2007 or risen above the frustrations which I was forced to bring with me in 2008 and still must continue to deal with in 2009. Sometimes individuals see not the reward in being true to their word, thus causing them to latch onto ways to get over, get around, and avoid simply doing what they promised. And dealing with that sort of thing as I’ve had to do can drive a person nuts when all you want to do is learn, move on and move forward in life. No one wants to keep reaching back to deal with that which should’ve been over, but in 2008 I had to; over and over again… still… the beautiful full circle does it’s thing represented by what you see above and what has been represented in past months with the photography shown in this blog. I’ve got a triple threat of creativity flowing thru me right now.. the writing… the photography… and the music, which is an incredible re-discovery and yet a reflection of what can come to the forefront after dealing with adversity and trying one’s best to simply pull yourself up and move on…

2008 was exciting in that I watched and really kept up with the whole campaign and rise of the days away, soon to be Preseident of the United States, Barack Obama. What a trip it is to listen to all the opinions, the talk, the hopes, the dreams, the expectations, the detractors, the supporters, the accountable holders, the history lovers, and the list goes on and on… Soon to be President Obama will earn any vacations he takes during his time because so many place so much on this man’s shoulders to solve and so many will unfortunately not make it an easy task for him to accomplish anything… The cameras will be and are focused on his every move. He may need to invest in the “Just For Men” product ‘cause his hair might go completely gray in less than two years. But on a personal as well as historical note, it’s a beautiful proud image to see him where he is; an image etched in forever… I’m glad I could see it and wish that many of my family were around to witness this as well. I look so forward to his inauguration… What a proud moment in time it will forever be…

My 2008 ended very quietly…. A glass raised, a kiss; time shared with new friends/family and quiet thoughts; the kind that keep you humble because eventhough I carry a great deal of hope and even excitement for the days ahead, time moving forward always has the potential of taking away… I feel it every time someone says “the years are going by so fast.” When I nod in agreement, a lot of times my whole life flashes before me in my mind. I always see and imagine family members faces; their spirits... I see moments in time, emotions that lifted me up and took me down, good times and bad; the whole gamut of my life in ways that make me stop and marvel at how much I’ve seen. I thank God for the vision because mentally speaking, I can travel to a lot of places and pull out of it some sort of emotional attachment similar to what most may experience when hearing an old jam from the past… So many times I wish I could reverse time or undo certain steps that I took but every moment is important, depending upon how one recovers or in essence, learns from it. Still, reversing time would be really nice right now, not only for reliving the past but more importantly, going back to a day in time when the most important person in my life was super healthy and had no limitations upon doing what brings her happiness. Nevertheless, time changes everything like a rollercoaster ride surrounded by a neverending change of backdrop and scenery all around you… Time doesn’t just heal wounds, it bounds each moment like chapters in a book; titles written boldly and just like Obama’s moment, etched in forever… This was my 2008 and every moment before that… Greetings to 2009. I welcome it in a somewhat bittersweet fashion but still hopeful and prayerful…

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Xmas 2008


Christmas was surprisingly good.. Here’s my tree.. A lot of love went into it combined with a special desire to fill the house with sincere Christmas spirit. It worked. It was a great escape from the usual and a nice spring board to hopefully a very positive, dream fulfilled, get over the bump in the road of life direction…