So, here we go again...
As deep as my thoughts are lately, even
more so with upcoming future events in the spring (which I will touch
upon later), I cannot help but to be somewhat unable to stay entirely
topical with these blogs. Then again, is there really any need? I'm
unsure of the rules with regards to how a blog is supposed to be
structured or even characterized, which leads me to believe that
perhaps they are not. Maybe a blog is supposed to reflect the
characteristics of its creator, in which case I'm gonna be successful
with this one; I hate characterization, I don't do well with labels
and I follow no kind of noticeable structure in my life... save for
that of my own personal values. So, whoever reads this, be warned...
I'm gonna be bouncing with this one :-)
Let's see...
I posted something today on Facebook
regarding the dehumanization of customer service on the phone. I got
a few different responses to my complaints about how it frustrates me
that those who are on the other end of the telephone seem to lack the
basic skills or the personality to make you anything but annoyed, and
suggested that it was a strong reason as to why these jobs are
disappearing. I'm not sure, but I feel that I may have been unfairly
harsh... after all, as I see on the railroad from time to time &
hear from my co-workers out in the field, the general public is the
hardest animal to tame. People as individuals are fabulous; as a
whole, they make me want to thank whoever invented the flamethrower &
put one on layaway. Some of them are really quite rude, in fact.
Last night, while shopping at Wal-Mart, I was appalled to listen to
this guy at the register next to mine rip into this clerk trying to
ring up his purchases, using all kinds of slurs & basically
degrading her in front of the general public. Now, if this clerk
were being rude, I could understand the frustration if not condone
his actions... however, this sweet little woman seemed nothing but
pleasant, and to her credit, just smiled & nodded while this
moronic pile of douche treated her as though she were beneath him.
That frustrates me to no end, and upon further review, perhaps I
should be a little more patient with some people. After all, they're
just trying to do their jobs... and at a far lower wage than I'm
fortunate enough to bring home. Life's too short to get heated over
little things like that, anyway. To quote George Carlin... “Don't
sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.” :-)
What else...
Oh, here's something. I have recently
begun to think of some of the mistakes I made in relationships of the
past, and I came running back to a conclusion that I had reached long
ago: I had measured my self-worth in any type of relationship on
trying to fix everything, to be the hero to those I cared about, the
one to lead them from their troubles & bring them to a better
state of being. I thought I was being noble, and my actions were
well-intentioned. Unfortunately, they were misguided and did way
more harm than good. My ex-wife tried to teach me this a long time
ago, but I wasn't able to grasp it for a long time. See, the clarity
I've attained has opened my mind to all these mistakes I've made... I
really have to laugh at what a dope I was, LOL! See, by trying to
rescue others & take them away from their troubles, I wasn't
helping them; instead, I was giving them a false sense of security by
trying to convince them that their problems were over because I would
force them to disappear. What I never took into account was that you
can't make someone else's troubles disappear like that... problems
have to be faced, dealt with, and solved. And you can't outrun
them... in the end, if you don't confront them on your terms, they'll
find you and destroy you on their terms. I finally realized that if
I truly want to help the people I care about, I can't be the hero
that magically makes the darkness go away; instead, I'll be the rock
they need by standing behind them & helping them to their feet
when their struggles knock them down a bit. It seems to me that a
person who has someone standing beside them in the struggle can
overcome the chaos of the world much more successfully than having
someone hide them from the world. Wish I knew that years ago... you
live, you learn :-)
Random Lesson: Never drink
Goldschlager. I got my ass kicked :-)
… y'know, I think I'm gonna try to
get a band together. I miss playing guitar (even though I kinda
sucked, LOL), and I know I've got the vocal chops to make anything I
do successful. I'm gonna look around...
Speaking of which, I feel I should
address something. For a long time, I was kind of humble about a lot
of things in my life, displaying what some may refer to as “false
modesty”. Well, it wasn't false. I really placed a cap on how I
rated my skills as a musician and a performer. However, the more I
get going with performing, the more I'm starting to realize just how
much potential I really have. I've always been one who has said that
settling for something is never good enough, if you really want
something bad enough you have to keep pushing until you get it.
Well, fair warning: I'm about to become very pushy... and I'll leave
it at that.
I found a new idea for a tattoo. I'm
going to get a phrase tattooed on my wrist. For the purposes of
surprise, I will not reveal it at this time. However, I will confirm
that the phrase is not “WHAZZZZUUUUUUPPPP!!!!”
I'm tired. I'm going to bed now.
Thank you to my close circle of friends who really keep me focused &
remind me that, though I sometimes feel as though I'm alone on this
ship, there are others walking the deck with me, sailing the waters &
embracing the unbelievable weirdness of the world. My life, crazy as
it is sometimes, is still so very awesome... and some of you remind
me of this always. You know who are are :-)
And... that's a wrap.
-MC
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