when big boys don't follow the rules

been thinking bout this... jails are full of boys that didn't learn to follow the rules and that have confused fear with respect. there are lots of reasons for this.... hmmm... as a society i think we have become desensitized and the line in the sand for what is ok keeps getting pushed back.... its like you can't unknow what you know... i hope this makes sense. so once you know something after awhile it becomes comfortable.... like loses its shock value... and what wasn't ok becomes ok ~ including breaking the rules.... can you see where i'm going with this? now thru all of this, we have exposed our young men to the likes of bad boys and glorify men from the other side of the track and wear their gang-history like a badge of honor... what's with that? yeah, they made it big but they glorify violence and the gangsta shit... these are men that at one time in their lives used fear to get what they wanted... and boys see that and want that "respect," only its not respect... its fear. don't get me wrong, i don't believe in censorship but it makes me wonder where we're going as a society if this is the kind of art that's created... i dunno... guess i'll have to think on this a little more...

my brother & Jesus

so my brother says to me the other day...I was reading the Bible the other day, and I have some good news. I love reading the Bible because it is the word of our Lord revealed to us through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and saved us.Saved us from what, exactly, isn't clear, because I think God was the one who was going to punish us for our sins in the first place. And since Jesus was God, does that mean God died to save us from God punishing us? It's all twisty. I prefer to believe that Jesus saved us from vampires. It clears up the confusion. Jesus fought a bunch of vampires and saved us. That's why you don't see any vampires these days. Well, you see fat guys in velveteen capes with runny make-up lisping in food courts, but it's not the same.

being what he's supposed to be

So my lovely-queen-in-training of a daughter has been at her dad's for what seems like eternity (it’s actually only been about two weeks) and I have been left in charge of her four-legged best friend, Kipper. Kipper-the-ho-dog-little-artichoke-puppy-scrumpkins. I am still trying to get used to being left with my charge and without the lovely-queen-in-training who normally does all the Kipper-the-ho-dog-little-artichoke-puppy-scrumpkins' caretaking. Every morning she shuts the bathroom door, makes sure there is no panty-buffet left out for him, and checks the house for no-no’s if I’m running late and am rushed with oh-my-god-I’ve-got-a-meeting-first-thing-today!

The lovely-queen-in-training has her morning routine of his care down to an art form. I, on the other hand, do not. Never mind that we’ve had him for 8 years and she was only 2 when he came to lay claim to us as his humans or the hours of showing her “nice puppy” or “Miyana, don’t kick the dog cuz I swear if your ruin that dog, I’m going to have YOU put down!”

Adjusting to her being gone is taking a little time and as a parent I have discovered I am not infallible. I have my faults and yes, I do screw up sometimes.

This morning I rushed out the door, but not before taking Kipper-the-ho-dog-little-artichoke-puppy-scrumpkins out to do his business, making sure he had food and water, and there was no panty-buffet for him. I went to work, went throughout my day, and followed by the gym and home to the precious pup.

What I came home to was garbage all over the floor. I had cleaned leftover take-out out of the frig and Kipper-the-ho-dog-little-artichoke-puppy-scrumpkins had found his way into discarded popcorn-chicken. Oh, did I fail to mention that I had also taken the garbage bag out of the pooch-proof garbage can and left it sitting on the kitchen floor bag open?

“AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!” and Kipper slinks out from under the end table to puppy-jail under Miyana’s bed. Self-exiled. I had not uttered a single word (ok, a sound, but not a word). I clean up the mess, take a deep breath and attempt to coax him out from under the bed. I messed up. I am the human and it is my responsibility to NOT leave an open garbage bag out. Some may say “WHAT?!?! But he got in the garbage!” Alas, he did but Kipper is doing what Kipper is supposed to do ~ be a dog. He is supposed to sniff stuff out, chew on what smells tasty to him, and be the dog. It’s what dogs do.

Mentally ill individuals aren’t much different. They’re supposed to do stuff that makes me go “Whaaa??” with my jaw hitting the floor and question my own sanity for doing this job. My clients are supposed to make me think for that brief moment, “What in the hell where you thinking?!?” and take it back immediately because the people that I serve do not think like you or me. They believe in logic where I’m the co-anchor on the Today Show and we’re getting married and throwing a couch off of a third floor balcony makes perfect sense.

So today I’m not going to be mad or frustrated with the dog. He was being a dog. And tomorrow when I go back to work I’m not going to get frustrated and remember that the clients I serve are doing what they are supposed to do.

Posted via email from margaretia