Incorporating these three P’s into our lives will transform dreams into reality: Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance. If we apply these three P’s to our relationships imagine the cumulative effect. If we apply these three P’s to the pursuit of our dreams, we just might catch them. Get inspired by this brief YouTube video.
He Took A Vegan Out for Barbecue?
Here’ hoping the third time is the charm. La Flor is strangling her iPhone X. LC (AKA Little Carmen) is spending the time playing licks on his air guitar. Me? I feel like I’m watching a Disney cartoon. And, being forced to see it over and over again until I crack.
La Flor’s voice breaks the silence. “I’m ready to spill my guts. I ready to tell all. I’ll sell my story to the dirt rags. They’ll get the truth out. I’m not holding back. I’m going to expose that mystery blog writer. She’ll be sorry.” La Flor’s voice rising with each word. A few more words and my windows would crack.
“Wants me to take care of her so she doesn’t bother use no more? Me and buddies could, use know, take her for a swim” asked LC.
“Don’t you dare go swimming with her. She’s cute, but not beautiful. LC, they’re not real, like mine. Stay out of it. Stay as far away from her as possible. I may need Lil Carlo, though,” she said.
Time for me to jump in with two feet, “Lil Carlo, doesn’t he …”
“Yes, he does,” said LC.
“I’m sure we can work this out, La Flor. It’s probably a simple misunderstanding,” I said.
“There is no way she’s going to jiggle those things of hers at LC and get out of this. I’ve got the goods and she’s going down.”
“Here’s what she did ….”
A knock on the door. “Don’t answer it, Ray.” said La Flor.
A harder knock on the door, and a male voice said, “It’s the police.”
LC said, “I didn’t do it.”
I went to the door, looked through the spy hole. Read the ID the plainclothes detective was holding up. I opened the door, “What can I do for you?”
“I’m detective Sean O’Leary. I’m here to talks to one Little Carmen, AKA LC, AKA guitar man, AKA meatball, AKA the dude, AKA Don Juan, and twelve others. ” (I used an Irish name for the detective because it’s a stereotype – please don’t write, it’s all in fun).
I walked O’Leary into the living room. LC looked up, walked over and said, “Hey Red, how’s it going. Use still going with the girl from the vegan food blog?”
“No, she split when I tooks her out for barbeque. I tried vegan. One and done, use knows what I mean?”
They all talk this way from the neighborhood. English is a second language.
“I bet she don’t likes pepperoni, neither. Use want me to have tonight’s special sent to use apartment seeing use is not with anyone for the present moment or two. Free of charge, no tip because use is one of the first responders.”
They know each other? A free pizza? No tip?
“It’s rough, man. Not having a woman to dote on me; telling me I’m Superman.”
“Use know a woman who does that?” asked LC.
“I did, but she was vegan. I dig her but the food I don’t. Listen up, I got to question use, LC, about a heist at Best Buy. I don’t want to do it. But I gots no choice in the matter. I normally don’t make to this blog. In fact, this is the foist time I been in this blog. How do use like hanging out with this guy?” He pointed a thumb toward me.
“First off, to answer use question. I’m innocent as a baby rattler. As for Ray-mo? He’s a good guy. He’s got no clue what’s happening, if use knows what I mean?”
“As to use first answer. That clears use from the case. But use raises another question. Wait a minute. I want to know what’s going on? He looks suspicious to me. It’s the nose, or maybe the ears.”
O’Leary cast a look at me, “Yah? What’s going on and don’t leave anything out?”
LC stared at me. La Flor stared at me. And, I said, “La Flor’s just about to tell us why she wants to hire Lil Carlo.”
“Not Lil Carlo? AKA Hit man? AKA The node. AKA spaghetti factory? AKA the shooter,” said a stunned O’Leary.
“All five in the same,” said LC.
“Use got to chill sister. Talking it out will be good for use. Wing it and sing it and dish it out. It’ll be good for the digestive track,” said O’Leary.
Where did this guy come from? Why does my blog attract the weird alt egos?
La Flor leaped on top of the table. She cleared her throat, looked at LC, “LC, pick up the beat with your air guitar when I hit it.”
LC held his air guitar in hands, raising it over his head and nodded.
“This is for all you girls out there in alt ego world who think you can get your fingers on my man, especially you, my used to be BFF, mystery blog writer. How dare you like the photo I posted of LC on Instagram,
Women like you they’re a dime a dozen you can buy ’em anywhere
For you to get to him I’d have to move over and I’m gonna stand right here
It’ll be over my dead body so get out while you can
Cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man*
O’Leary stood up and applauded. “Man, you gots the vocal chops to be a big star. Use and LC playing that air guitar likes it was a third arm. Something to see and hear, I might add. Use sang like Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swifty all rolled into one or two or three.”
I have to get O’Leary out of here before La Flor screams about the Taylor Swift comparison.
“That it O’Leary? We’re kinda busy,” I said.
O’Leary scratched his head, stuck a pinkie in his left ear and wiggled it around, extracted it, looked at his reward, wiped his finger on his pants, and said, “The only real reason I come over, was the mystery blog writer wrote me in to come over here. But she loses control when I come in this blog. I think I’ll hang around if use don’t mind.”
“You can hang out, but not now,” I said said and wrote in this blog. O’Leary kissed La Flor’s hand, shook hands with LC and said, “Have extra pepperoni put on the pie.”
“I showed her. Ray, put my song on YouTube and it will go viral,” said La Flor.
A second later, “Hold it, Ray. Don’t do it. The mystery blog writer just text me and said she’s sorry, we’re going to double tonight. She’s writing O’Leary back in if you can write him out and taking O’Leary and joining LC and me tonight.”
And so it is in La Flor’s world. Tomorrow. LC tells us his troubles.
*You Ain’t Woman Enough” performed by Loretta Lynn (1965).
What Sparks Your Curiosity?
What sparks your curiosity? What do you want to know? Why do you want to know? Being curious is the mark of a human being who chooses to learn, grow, and experience our cosmos. Enjoy this brief (less than 2 minutes) YouTube video about curiosity. Stay curious. Continue to learn. Continue to grow.
I Like Sushi
“Heads or tails isn’t working, Ray. Think of something that will favor me. What I have to say may be the most important thing anybody said all year,” said La Flor.
“But, most beautiful, tough, and edgy one if use knows what I have to say use would know what I has to say is what I has to say,” said LC.
“Stop. Stop. Stop. You’re both driving me nuts. Here’s the deal. One of you will go first, the other gets to choose where we eat tonight.”
“Dis is a good, very good deal. It reminds me of Big Carmen’s special two for one deal tonight on sausage pizza,” said LC.
“I like both options, it’s so hard for me to choose. I like sushi. What’s your choice LC?” said La Flor.
“I likes sushi, but I likes to eat barbecue more. Use can talk first if I can talks second,” said LC.
“You are so sweet, LC. I agree if I can talk first and I can choose your fav sushi restaurant. What could be more fair. If you agree you will make me happy,” said La Flor.
“Use logic makes sense to me. Dis is why use is the beautiful, tough, and edgy one. I wish I thunk of it firsts,” said LC slapping his hand against the side of his head.
Dear reader, do you understand now why I have to go for long walks, meditate, and snack on chips and salsa?
“Let’s hear your problem, La Flor,” I said repeating to myself, do not roll your eyes. Do not roll your eyes.
La Flor takes a deep breath, brushes her hair back, reaches into her handbag and takes out her iPhone X. “You both have to promise me you won’t go goofy. Promise me you won’t take things into your hands and do something you’ll regret. Promise me, you’ll back me up, no matter what I decide to do.”
LC leans in toward La Flor. He swallows her tiny hand in both of his catcher’s mitts. Then he said, “I promise. I promise. I promise. I tinks I covered all three promises use mentioned beautiful, tough, and edgy star of my dreams.”
“What about you, Ray?
“I need to know what I’m promising to,” I say.
“You don’t trust me,” pouted La Flor.
She’s right. I don’t trust her. Well I do trust her to think only of herself; to be the star; to be the center of attention. I can work with this. I said, “La Flor, you know I trust you. Look at our working relationship. Look how well we get along.”
“Thank you, Ray. I’ll take that as you agreeing to everything I’ve said.”
“Huh?”
Dear Reader. I’m trying to get these two to tell you what’s bothering them. Now you have an idea of what it’s like living with them. Come by tomorrow. I have a good feeling they’ll tell us what’s bothering them.
Experience Is My Teacher
Our experiences can make us or break us. At the moment of our experience, we cannot predict how it will influence our life. If you and I choose to take our experiences, especially the difficult ones, and creatively draw something meaningful from them, we may surprise ourselves with the experience’s powerful and positive influence on our lives. In this YouTube video Gene Wilder shares his stories of the two experiences that let loose his creativity.
I Want Heads and Tails
“Beautiful, tough, and edgy one, I needs to talks to use about something I needs to talk about,” said LC.
“That’s nice, LC. But what I have to talk about is more important than what you have to talk about. So, what you have to talk about will have to wait until I finish talking about what I want to talk about,” said La Flor.
“I didn’t quite understand what use is saying. I tink I got the first part. Maybe the third part, but I don’t remembers the second part is nada.”
“Don’t try to sweet talk me using Spanish. You are the smartest person I know besides me. How did you master Spanish without studying? Don’t tell me until after I tell you what I want to tell you.”
“Let’s play a little game,” said La Flor.
“I like this idea, it will break the tunnel (I think he meant to say tension) over who gets to talk first, second, and turd (He meant to say third).”
“Okay, I’ll go first. I’m going to talk and you have to remember everything I said. You can’t interrupt or you lose. When it’s your turn, we’ll call Ray over and he has to be quiet while you talk and then we’ll see how much he remembers, which won’t be much because he only pretends he’s listening.”
“How can we tell who wins?” said LC.
“It’s not about winning. It’s about how we play the game,” said La Flor.
“There’s gotta be a winner so’s Big Carmen can set the odds in case anybody wants to place a bet.”
I can’t take anymore. They’re driving me nuts. I walk over, “Why don’t we flip a coin to see who goes first. Do you agree?” I said.
La Flor looked at LC. LC looked back at La Flor. They both looked at me and nodded.
I need to change my name to Solomon.
“Who wants heads?”
In unison, “Me.”
“You both can’t have heads,” I said.
“Why not?” asked LC.
“I’ll take tails, if it will help, but I want eight tries to win,” said La Flor.
“That’s brilliant beautiful, tough, and edgy one. I want tails with the same deal, too, Ray-mo,” said LC.
“I changed my mind. I want heads and tails, Ray,” said La Flor.
“You can’t have heads and tails,” I said.
“Why can’t she, Ray-mo? My beautiful, tough, and edgy girl who gives me goose bumps when she touches me can have anything she wants,” said LC.
Before I could say another word, they’re both out of their chairs. La Flor does the leap. I head to the patio.
We’ll try again tomorrow to find out what’s bothering these two. But now it’s time for love.
Want To Change?
Change isn’t easy. It’s difficult. It’s really difficult when we’re in an established routine. We can make change easier for ourselves and for others if we think differently about change. What if an enjoyable alternative was offered to replace what we want to change? It works. In the following YouTube video you’ll see a creative approach to changing behavior. There are no limits to how we can restructure our environment to help us those we live or work with to change.
Dare To Push The Boundaries – 2 Minutes of Inspiration
Don’t be afraid. Don’t be frightened. Push the boundaries. Take your “crazy dreams” and chase them unrelentingly. We are not designed to be spectators. We are designed to play. Let’s push the boundaries and see what happens.
Simple Tips To A Happier Life
Sometimes I make it too complicated. Does it sound familiar? In my most lucid moments, it’s all so simple. Love the person in front of me. Cherish the present moment. Be grateful. Connect with family, friends, and neighbors. Enjoy each moment. Laugh a lot. Don’t be afraid to cry. Always show up when a friend needs me. Enjoy the brief Vimeo video that offers simple tips that will help you enjoy life a lot more. It will only cost you about 3 minutes.
Paper Fortress: 2009 – 2011 Reflection from Stebs! on Vimeo.
He Dedicated His Life To Pleasing Her
Few things in life are certain. One thing is for sure, La Flor’s interest in career opportunities has a shelf life of 24 hours. Don’t believe me. Follow along.
“Ray, I need a career change. I’ve accomplished all a human being can accomplish in the medical field. It’s time to move on, don’t you think?” asked La Flor.
“What’s the real reason?” I asked.
“Big Carmen asked me if I took care of bullet wounds. The only red I like is when I put it on my lips,” said La Flor.
“I think it’s time for a career change.”
“Are you proud of my accomplishments in the medical field?”
“You only worked with one patient, Lil Carlo,” I said.
“Yes, and everything I did was a medical breakthrough. I’ve got to leave some breakthroughs for other people,” said La Flor.
“What kind of change are you thinking about?” I said.
“Oh, it’s set and this one is permanent,” La Flor said with enthusiasm.
“Okay?”
“LC and me are going to be a famous duo. Like Ike and Tina, Sonny and Cher, Marie and Donny, Otis and Carla.”
“What about the Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel?” I added.
“Get real, Ray. LC should be here any minute, we’re going to write our first song and then sing it acapella for you,” beamed La Flor.
“Don’t go through any trouble,” I said.
“LC sings like an angel. He’s better than Buble. Sinatra might have been famous if he sang like LC. Justin Bieber? Wish in one hand, you know what in the other, guess which one Bieber will get first? Taylor Swift would give anything to replace me and now she can drool. Need I go on?” asked La Flor.
“No, I get the picture.”
“LC is an accomplished musician; of course, your prejudiced and wouldn’t notice,” said La Flor.
“An accomplished musician? I’ve never seen him with an instrument,” I said.
“He’s a private person. He could be a star in his own right. He isn’t because he’s dedicated his life to pleasing me,” said La Flor.
“Wise choice. What instrument has he mastered?” I asked.
“The air guitar,” said La Flor without a hint of smile.
A screech of tires. A door slamming. A siren in the distant background. I ran to the front door, and opened it just in time to avert the explosion of my door against the wall. LC dove headfirst into the entrance way, sliding ten feet across the Saltillo tile on his full body spandex suit.
“Close the door, Ray-mo. Quick,” he hollered.
I closed the door. LC pulled off his ski mask, latex gloves, and said, “I needs a beer. It’s hot working in a ventilator system. Do me a fav and burn my clothes.”
La Flor has perfected the leap, which she performed with amazing dexterity. Legs around LC’s waist, arms around LC’s neck. Lips synchronized to lock on contact. I turned and walked to the fridge. It’s my first choice when my anxiety level kicks up a notch.
Twelve minutes later, five minutes for the gymnastics, five minutes to change, and two minutes to pack his discarded clothes in a donation bag to leave at the church. LC comes out of the bedroom donation bag in his right hand, the remnants of his bottled beer in his left hand.
“I am ready to compose and dispose is use know what I mean,” said LC proud of his quip.
“Leave the bag in the hallway, Ray can carry it to church when we go on Sunday. I don’t want to you to be caught, I mean messing up your clothes with it,” said La Flor.
“Huh?”
Come by tomorrow to see the duo’s first song. They promise it will be a hit.
