Where are you going? What are you doing with your life? Are you stuck running on a treadmill? It may be time to reinvent yourself. It may be time to reset your expectations for yourself. It may be time to toss your rope around a more powerful, compelling dream. The following short YouTube video encourages us to invent and reinvent ourselves. It may inspire you to leap tall buildings with a single bound. Enjoy.
A Simple Act Of Kindness
What can you and I give away and get a one-hundred percent return? I’m not selling hedge funds, stocks, or property. A simple act of kindness will make someone smile, renew a belief that life is good, generate goodwill, and you and I can do it with a simple act of kindness. Unexpected, wanting nothing in return. Light up someone’s life today with a simple act of kindness. The following video will inspire you.
Fall Down – Shake It Off – Get Going
Each day we have a choice: We can complain about our situation; or, we can resolve to make the most of it. I don’t know about you, but to me it seems like a no brainer. Resolve to make the best of whatever is. The alternative is to spiral into despair, depression, and a permanent funk. I like to hang out with people who fight back, won’t quit, and shake it off and get going each they fall. They inspire me. This video of Junn Abriza inspired me to keep on going and never quit. Well worth three minutes.
“Impossible is Nothing” from Junn Abriza on Vimeo.
It’s The Police – Any Donuts Left?
“La Flor and LC we need to talk. Family discussion. I’ve got something that’s bothering me,” I said working on my fourth cup of coffee.
“Too much caffeine is gonna gives use the jitterbugs, Ray-mo. Maybe the runners,” said LC.
“I drink coffee when my anxiety cranks up,” I said in rapid speak. I need to buy an espresso machine, I’ll get my caffeine in one sip.
“It’s not your turn, Ray. Remember, I went first and we worked it out. We still have to have an intervention. My advice, get in line if you’ve got a problem. I heard Dr. Phil say this on a tough love segment.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll wait my turn. Let’s settle down. Where’s Big Carmen? Is he okay with it?” I asked.
“Two things. All Big Carmen knows is that you want to see him. And second, I’m not ready to settle down. LC would you pour me a glass of the good white wine, not Ray’s cheap stuff that ruins whatever he cooks. Add a few crackers and cheese to help me listen better,” said La Flor scrolling through her likes on all the social media.
“I is at use beak and call beautiful, tough, and edgy star of my dreams,” said LC.
Exit LC for five minutes.
Not again. The front door bangs against my wall, it bangs again, I hear a voice say, “Dat’s not good.” Then another voice, “Maybe he won’t notice it, move the lamp over.”
The handyman is now number one on speed dial.
Enter Big Carmen and his trusted lieutenant, Lil Carlo. Big Carmen stops at the entrance to the living room, he covers his eyes, pulls out his Ray-bans that hang over the third button of his shirt. The first two buttons left undone to show of his virility.
“I needs my shades to stop me from going blind from the glow of use beauty, beautiful, tough, edgy and sexy woman who might do a bit better than LC.”
I think I’m starting to understand the problem.
LC whispers to me, “I wish I coulds speak like Big Carmen. He can charm the ink off paper. He can tame a wild ballerina (I think he meant to say hyena). He can make woman fall all over him like he was a Castanova (He meant Casanova).”
La Flor, for her part, is no help, “Oh Big Carmen, you handsome lug. You say the sweetest things.” Thankfully, she didn’t do the leap. Instead, they meet halfway and hug, kisses on the cheeks barely avoiding the lips.
LC spoke up, He didn’t want La Flor and Big Carmen to have a moment, if you know what I mean. See, I’m now talking like these guys. LC said, “Ray-mo, tell Big Carmen whys he here.”
“Me?” I said pointing to myself.
“Tell him whats use said about the prevention,”
Big Carmen lets go of La Flor. La Flor glides over to the sofa and pats the seat next to her. Both LC and Big Carmen make for it. They slam the brakes. A knock at the door, a voice, it’s O’Leary saying what O’Leary says when he knocks on doors, “It’s the police, any donuts left?”
Big Carmen grabs me by the shoulders, “Did use rat me out?”
“No.”
“Why’s he here?”
“He’s LC’s friend.”
“He on the payroll, LC?” said Big Carmen.
“Do donuts count as being on payroll,” answered LC.
“No, but it’s a good start.Answer the door, Ray. We don’t want to keep the first responders waiting,” said Big Carmen.
La Flor helps out with the sticky problem of where to sit when she slid to the middle of the sofa. LC went to her left. Big Carmen to her right. And La Flor right where she liked to be, in the middle of it all.
I walked O’Leary into the living room. His first words, “Hi Big Carmen I feel like I know you. The vice squad is always bringing up your name.”
“I hope what they has to say is good. Next time use sees them, tell them about my copper special, Free pizza on Saturday nights for cops in uniform.”
O’Leary looked crushed, “What about plainclothes cops?”
Big Carmen looked O’Leary up and down, “Yah, I feels sorry for use. Use clothes is plain enough. Use can have free pizza too. Now why we here.”
La Flor said, “Ray said, you were making a play for me and it’s making LC nervous because you’re so handsome, you’re blue eyes see right through me, and your muscles, oh your muscles, do you hit the gym every day?”
I thought LC was going to start crying.
Big Carmen looked at La Flor, then he looked at LC, then he looked at me, then he looked at O’Leary, “Use wearing a wire?”
“That’s only on TV. Nobody wears wires anymore. I like hanging out here. Ray wrote me in his blog.”
Big Carmen said, “Good to know who I gotta watch.” He jabbed an index finger toward me. He took hold of La Flor’s hand, and said, “I only knows one way to say it …
O’Leary put his index and middle finger on his lower lip and blew. A wet, sloppy fizzing sound came out. “I can’t get the handle of the whistle. Not to worry folks, I took a workshop on family disputes. I only stayed until they were out of donuts, But maybe I learned something.”
Big Carmen said, “What kind of family, this family or the other family. Besides be quiet I got something to ask the beautiful, tough, and edgy every man’s heart throb.”
What is Big Carmen going to ask La Flor? Come back tomorrow to find out.
A Dozen Donuts For The Detective
I’m in the yard talking to a cardinal some six feet away from me enjoying the breakfast buffet at the bird feeder. This is a clear sign I’m careering down a slippery slope. I said formally, “Mr. Cardinal I’m considering changing my address to the House of Horrors, the Comedy Channel, Bizzaro World, Nightmare on Elm Street. What do you think?”
The cardinal looks at me, bends his head down and picks up a sunflower seed. He gives me a whatever look. Then I hear a voice . . .
“Ray-mo it’s my turn.”
Ah, the nasal accent from one, LC. I bid goodbye to the cardinal, slowly walk across the grass hoping LC changes his mind. Open the patio door, and sitting at table are LC, La Flor, and O’Leary. O’Leary? I thought I wrote him out of the blog yesterday!
“You carrying?” the first words out of O’Leary’s mouth.
Is he nuts? I’m wearing a t-shirt and jeans.
La Flor speaks, “Good morning grumpy. Let’s turn those corners up, give us a little teeny, tiny smile.” She stops for a moment, then adds, “How does it feel? That’s your line when LC or me are not in the best mood, which by the way is never.”
“Use wants a bagel wit locks (yes, he said locks instead of lox). And, we gots six varieties of cream cheese. And, for the detective I gots a dozen assorted donuts because he’s what you calls, a stereotype. No offense meant, O’Leary.”
“None taken, LC. What’s wrong wit an Irish cop who loves donuts? I tell yah, nothing,” O’Leary bites in a jelly donut. The reddish goo slipping on to the table. O’Leary uses his forefinger to wipe it up and consume it.
I have to admit the bagels look like real New York bagels, foolishly I ask LC, “Where did you get them?”
LC looks at La Flor. La Flor looks at O’Leary who is holding his strawberry filled jelly donut in his right hand and has a glazed donut in his left hand. “I Calls it the assembly line method,” said O’Leary. He added, “Sometimes a first or second responder has to eat when he or she can eat, hear what I’m saying?”
The three of us, “We hear you (ok, LC said use).
“Where’d you get the food, I asked again?”
LC looks at O’Leary, “Ray-mo shoulda been a cop the way he don’t let go of none of his questions.” Then he turns to me, “I got em at a good place and they was on special because I was the foist one in the store. Punctuation has its reward (he meant to say punctuality).
La Flor got up walk around the table and came up behind O’Leary, “O’Leary, can I test your hearing? I’m considering becoming an audiologist after I try rodeo, NASCAR, a logger, or steeplejack.”
O’Leary’s mouth was stuffed with the jelly donut, the glaze next in line for takeoff, nodded his head. La Flor put her hands over O’Leary’s ears, then nodded to LC.
LC looked at me, “I gots the bagels from Stein and Goldmans Bagels on 4th and the donuts from the Donut Factor on 5th since they was in the same neighborhood. They cost me nothing because I got them on the early bird special.”
“Did you B & E to get them, LC?” I asked.
“Me?” said LC pointing a finger at his chest. Then he said, “If I says what I tinks use wants me to say I may be discriminating against me (ok, incriminating for those who are not sure of LC speak).”
La Flor removed her hands, “Did you hear anything O’Leary?”
O’Leary polised off the glaze. “Nope. Is my hearing okay?”
“Perfect,” said La Flor.
O’Leary picked up his cell, took a call, turned to the three of us, “I got to beat it, crime is breaking out in a big way in my precinct. We had two overnight burglaries, one at Stein and Goldman’s and the other at the Donut Factory.”
O’Leary took a last sip of coffee, grabbed a donut in one hand a bagel in the other, “If use guys hear anyting, text me.”
“We got use back,” said LC.
“La Flor your covering up,” I said.
“Of course, Ray. I’m not going to walk around the house nude. Give me some credit.”
See what I mean? How do I communicate? I give it another try, “Okay, LC. What’s your problem.”
“Actually, Ray-mo, it’s not me whose got the problem.”
“I thought you said it was very important,” I said.
“It is. And, I been talking to the beautiful, tough, and edgy brilliant woman who tells me it’s time for an invention.”
“An invention?” I asked.
La Flor butted in, “Intervention, Ray.”
“Who’s the target of the intervention?” I asked. I don’t feel good about this one.
My fears are confirmed when LC said, “Big Carmen.”
“Huh?”
Making Dreams Come True
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.
