Hard Times, Good Deeds?

Seems to me that back in the day, when folk's fell on hard times, there were others that were there to help. Fast forward to today, with the fall of the almighty dollar and high unemployment. Are people treating each other better or is everyone out for themselves?

I see on the news, just in the past week where celebrities and politicians are just plain behaving badly. These people are supposed to be role models. We put them in the spotlight and keep them there so we can emulate them. We want to be them. How do we justify their success if they behave like your red-headed three year old? Does it make us want to be more, to be better, or are we justified to act like idiots too?

It makes me sad. All week long I've been in a funk. I think this is why. I see the world changing in ways that I never imagined when I was a child. I do believe there is good in everyone. Some more than others, if given the chance. I also believe that the good in people can also be depleted if given enough hard blows.

In the end it's the action, not the people themselves, who make the change from good to bad. Think about it. Anyone could run on stage and yell at a music singer and make her cry. She did the right thing by shrugging it off. Any tennis player could have thrown a fit (and a racket) at a ref, but then what did the ref do? Did they go home and feeling bad lash out at someone else or did they shrug and let it go? And the guy who yelled at the president... Well, everyone wants him to keep apologizing, but telling someone to say they're sorry doesn't mean they are. Let's face it, as an adult you're not going to learn it by saying it. Let it go. Next time maybe he won't get picked for team and he'll learn what he needs to do to make it right.

There is a silver lining. In the end it's STILL action that makes the change. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. It's still true today as it was years ago. It's something I need to keep in my head at all times. This week really was a let down for me in terms of human behavior, but I know now that just because they're in the spotlight doesn't make them the majority. The majority of Americans still want to live in a way that would make their parent's proud.

So do I.

Trying Something New

Well, I started it. I finally got up the nerve and started my new hobby. Well, tried it anyway. I grabbed the sketching pencils, eraser and canvas and sat down and got to work. I used a picture of my dog and graphed it. Then I graphed the canvas as close to the same dimensions of the photo, only bigger, if that makes any sense, and then I just drew. And you know what? It doesn't look too bad! It actually looks like a dog! Now I haven't started painting it yet. I might try that this weekend and see where it goes. I do know that it probably won't look professional, but it will look like someone cared about what they were doing.

I chose Toby's picture because it actually inspired me. I have a photo of him in my office. He's sitting behind the fence just staring off in the distance, and the greenery in the background blurs because the camera is focusing in on him. I remember the day I took the photo because D was in the yard with a friend doing a project for my office. I was wandering around the yard shooting whatever caught my eye- the side yard with it's new growth, the trees, the sky with it's strange gold coloring that we get in the evening. Toby was by the fence with the guys, but his attention was caught by something. Maybe he heard something because he sure didn't see it. Once he actually sees what has grabbed his attention he becomes a reaction of barking, running and jumping. Basically, he's your typical beagle.

Toby will be seven next year and I am so glad that Beagles are expected to live a long time because I don't know what I would do without him. I've raised him from puppyhood (six weeks old), and it's like he's my very own boy. I know, get a life, but this IS my life. So that's how he became my very first subject for a painting.

The Dumbing Down of American Citizens

Yes, you read that right. America is getting more and more stupid every time one turns around. It turns my stomach when I think about it, but this latest outcry regarding the President's speech to school children just kills me.

Parents don't want the President to tell their children to work hard and stay in school? To get an education? To find your niche to become a productive member of society? I suppose these are the parents that let their children talk back to the teachers. They are the ones who buy violent video games for the kids at Christmas and let them sit in front of the game for hours. These are the parents who let their teenagers smoke and drink at home, because they can keep an eye on them. Hell, they probably smoke pot with their kids or trade pills with them.

The reason I say this is because ignorance breeds ignorance and somewhere along the way these things have become acceptable to middle class America. Unfortunately, it's come with a price. Our knowledge. Our wisdom passed down through the generations is being discarded at an unreasonable rate.

Not listen to the President? The most powerful person in America? We tell our children they can grow up to be President and it's more true now than it ever has been, and we're telling our kids not to listen? What in God's name are we doing? Think America. Bring back books and make our children read them. Bring back recess and make our children physically play. Teach them to work well with others and not to hide behind a text message. Show them the value of a human life, or any life for that matter, by taking them to a hospital- for people or animals. Teach your children compassion.

And for Heaven's sake, teach them patriotism. Teach them to be proud of their country and their President. Teach them that they can make a difference. Let them know its OK to like to learn. Teach them that they can be more than their parents. It's so important. Right now. This is the time.

Labor Day

I think I honored Labor Day pretty well. I labored all weekend around the house. I pulled almost all the weeds out of the big garden, vaccuumed all the floors in the house and washed the downstairs floor, cleaned the bathroom and started prepping the walls for my big redecorating idea. I cleaned out the air system, including soaking the big unit and washing the filters. I cleaned out the fridge and emptied the garbage- several times. Did some shopping for the house. Started teaching the dogs how to stay off the couch. AND I did laundry.

Now here's some things I didn't do. I didn't do any scrapbooking. I didn't start my new hobby, which is painting. I'm not sure if I'm going to do watercolor or acrylic, but I didn't even try. I am so afraid of failure its not even funny. My BF got home from a 3-day festival first thing this morning and when he asked me why I hadn't tried it I almost started crying. Well, I did start, but not huge sobs. I just teared up.

I feel so guilty about keeping the dogs off the couch. They're so used to sitting with us and they look at me like I hate them if I'm sitting there, so now I don't. I didn't sit on the couch all weekend. We're thinking about obedience classes for the girls as well as ourselves. We'll see...

Not very interesting, but it's a start. It ll get better, I promise.

Why I'm Here

One day I was born...

Well, that's one reason I'm here but not the main one. I want to write and a wise person once told me that in order to become a writer, one must write every day about anything. That was my aunt, and she was a published author, so she knew what she was talking about.

I turned 40 the other day and realized I hadn't written my novel yet, and I thought that I might want to start working out my mind and get in the habit of putting my thoughts on paper. I used to do this a lot when I was a teenager, and I have ton of adolescent writings boxed up in my closet that my boyfriend refuses to let me burn. He thinks I might need it someday. I just hope I don't die before it's destroyed!

I started a novel about eight years ago, but even though I started out strong, I lost momentum and I haven't gotten it back yet...

So that's why I'm here. I love constructive criticism, so feel free to comment.