To Build A Dream On

In the song, As Time Goes By, from the movie Casablanca, there is a line that says, ~You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss.~ Let me ask you this question, is a kiss just a kiss, or is there something much deeper and much more meaningful to it? For it's a special moment that two people share and everything that surrounds you and that particular person fade into the background. If you think about it, a kiss is the most personal form of affection that can never be taken back.

Someone once said, a kiss is something you cannot give without taking and cannot take without giving. Do you think that is true because as the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Women, more so than men, know if there is truly a connection just by a kiss. As said before, it's a very personal sign of affection and that brief moment of vulnerability, two people share a piece of themselves with each other in heart and soul. A special moment that can be considered tender, passionate, and/or romantic.

A kiss can also have a calming effect on a person that is completely stressed out. A woman, more so than a guy, has that power to ease that sort of tension which could be argued over, but not at this moment. In any case, when you kiss someone, all the worries that he or she has seemingly have gone away. A person can somewhat forget what one was stressed about. In a way, a kiss is like a stress reliever that is more potent than headache medicine that is sold and/or prescribed by a doctor.

People tend to remember, if they can, their first kiss and how it felt with that boy or girl back in the day. Answer this question, was the experience worth it or was it that you would rather forget and have that proverbial do-over so to speak. Scary, exciting, new, enjoyable, unforgettable are just some of the descriptions of one's first kiss that you do that other person may or may not have felt. It's just all in how one looks at that particular situation. if the mood, time, and or setting was just right.

Each one of us has dreamed/imagined kissing a certain celebrity, sports star, or that one special person in life. Sometimes one's imagination can get the better of him or her when one does finally give or receive that kiss. One's expectations can be somewhat disappointing, for it was not all that one expected. Yet, a simple kiss can be considered one of the greatest and most personal gifts that can be given from the heart. In retrospect, every person wants a kiss to build a dream on; a dream that nobody wants ever to be woken up from.

Choices

As an American citizen of the United States of America, one of the greatest freedoms we have is the freedom of choice. Every day, each of us makes choices, whether it be bad, good, small, big, or choices that sometimes don't make any sense at all. Let me ask you this question, have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had made or never made that seemingly all important choice that somewhat affected your life personally and/or professionally? Regrets or not, it was a choice each of us made.

One of the choices a person can make in life is choosing the friends one wants to hang around with. We've all had friends in our lives that have come and gone, but it's that person's choice to continue that friendship when one leaves. One could call that loyalty, for the bonds of friendship extend beyond state lines as well as the globe. A person has the choice to keep in contact with that person or persons either by email and/or telephone/cell phone. In any case, it's a matter of choice who you feel comfortable hanging with.

Another choice that person can decide on is saving one's self for marriage. It's an all important choice that most men and women choose for themselves to wait till he or meets, falls in love, and then marries that one special person. Oftentimes, one can be ridiculed, but yet that decision can be respected by his or her peers. For most people, waiting till marriage is considered to be a romantic display of affection. Though, it's a tough choice for any person to make, one's first time with the one you truly love will be that much more special.

One of THE most important choices that a person will make is choosing the next President of the United States. Not only do we have the choice to choose a President, we have the choice and right to voice our opinions. For our opinions can swing the tide of who gets into office and who is inevitably kicked out. Myself being from Florida, I hope we don't screw this up again, if we do, our state motto should be changed from Florida: "The Sunshine State" to Florida:" If You Think Hurricanes Mess Things Up, Wait Till You See Us Vote.

In retrospect, the choices that each of us have made over the years can teach us many things. Things which can be considered life lessons, and one of those life lessons is who each of us are as a person. Let me ask you this question, when the choices you made in life didn't pan out, did you learn from the consequences afterwards? I end this thought with a quote by one of the greatest football coaches John Wooden: ~There is a choice that you make in everything you do, and you must always keep in mind, the choices you make, make you.~

Got Problems?

Oftentimes a person faces problems in one's own life that can, in some way, pile up on you. It's somewhat like being at the beach and the crashing waves are continually beating down on you so much that one doesn't have time to catch his or her breath. If one doesn't come up for air pretty soon that person will metaphorically drown. In some aspects of life, each of us has been somewhat through the same problems but situations may differ. It's just a matter of having your sense of humor, if you have that, then all is well.

For those that are in pursuit of high learning and wanting to attain that proverbial holy grail called a degree. Yet, there are those tiny glitches that can become overwhelmingly big problems. Problems such as school bills which a person can feel may or may not be paid. Finding the time to do homework, all the while working a job is grueling both mentally and physically. It's the tiny things in the pursuit of higher learning in one's own particular field of interest that can cause problems to the point of giving up.

Another instance is in one's own workplace and the people you work with. It can sometimes feel that when a person immediately enters his or her workplace, the problems just start to mount. It always begins with one's own boss as he or she starts to pile paperwork after paperwork one one's desk. Then there are your co-workers that can get on your nerves and just want to beat the crap out of them. If compared to, it would be somewhat like the movie Office Space, a movie I highly recommend for your viewing pleasure.

One's own love life can suffer problems as a person finds that his or her potential and/or significant other isn't on the same page as you so to speak. There is a saying that goes that the fires that two people once shared are slowly burning out and inevitably one or the other must have that "we gotta talk speech" which is never a really good thing. Every person has problems just finding that one person that he or she can click with. Each of us will meet that one person eventually, we just have to be patient.

In the end, the problems we face along the path of life that each of us are on will come and they will go. One's own family life can be added to the list as well. Let me ask you this, are you the type of person who gives up too easily once those problems pile up or do you tackle them head on? Each of us will suffer problems that will be a thorn in our side, but those thorns can be cut off. In retrospect, every person thinks that they've got problems, but there are those that have much bigger problems than we do, just turn on the news.

Worth Fighting For

Life can get pretty interesting when one gets older. It can seem that the older you get, the more complicated life can become. A person tends to stress out more as an adult than as a kid, but that is an argument saved for a later thought. The most simplest things in life can completely stress out a person, as a kid as well as an adult. One of those simple things in life is being in love or falling in love with someone. It can be confusing, it can keep you unbalanced, and most of all it's infectious.

As said before, love can be confusing because a person has no earthly idea when or why he or she has feelings for that particular person. It's somewhat like being hit from behind and it will take time for the realization to set in. No matter how many times one wants to deny the fact that he or she was hit in the heart, so to speak, that person has felt the impact. In some ways, that impact will stay with a person and the after affects will not go away. It's just a matter of not fighting the feeling and going with it.

Love is not only confusing, it can keep you unbalanced as well. Think about it, a person can be completely fine and traveling on his or her road of life, which one has traveled on smoothly so far. But once that particular guy or girl walks into one's life that is of course, he or she can throw you off balance and send you in many different directions. Directions that can frustrate a person that is now fallen head over heels. It's the unpredictability of love that can make any sane person turn insane, but with good reason.

Every person can agree that love can be infectious which is a good thing. A person that really wasn't looking for love can be bitten in an instant. If you think about it, when one person is bitten, usually there are several other "victims" that are bitten as well behind him or her. It's unavoidable, and every person has been in this situation where your heart was bitten and gradually infected. In retrospect, no amount of medical or scientific research can cure what people feel after being bitten by the proverbial love bug.

In the poem, "The Long Love That In My Thought Doth Harbor" by Sir Thomas Wyatt, he writes:

The long love that in my thoughts doth harbor,
And in mine heart doth keep his residence,
Into my face presseth with bold pretense
And therein campeth, spreading his banner.
She that me learneth to love and suffer
And will that my trust and lust's negligence
Be reined by reason, shame, and reverence,
With his hardiness taketh displeasure.
Wherewithal unto the heart's forest he fleeth,
Leaving his enterprise with pain and cry,
And there him hideth, and not appeareth.
What may I do, when my master feareth,
But in the field with him to live and die?
For good is the life ending faithfully.


I end this thought by saying, love can be like being in a battle. It can be confusing, it can keep you off balance, and the experience can leave lasting effects, BUT, if one doesn't give up on it, then it truly is worth fighting for.

Perspective

When times of turmoil and devastation occur, a person has time to really think and be somewhat alone with one's thoughts under the star filled night sky. As the dust starts to settle so to speak, and a bit of normalcy starts to get back in the thick of things; you have a sense of peace and calm within yourself. If you think about it, many people will have to clean up the broken pieces of their lives and completely finish, but others the broken pieces are merely superficial. Though not shown on the outside, the wounds that a person can suffer can be mental and need time to be repaired. During these times of sadness, one can witness people coming together and helping people they hardly even know. Being a good samaritan or fellow "brother" and "sister" and yet in these tough times one can be somewhat uplifted by certain situations that can put a smile on anybody's face.

One situation is that a person can find levity in times of the aftermath of a natural disaster. I once wrote that laughter is truly the best medicine and if one has his or her sense of humor then the times of hardship will be less stressful. My brother and I walked out to minimal devastation outside my house and we turned around and looked up at the roof and our mailbox was on the roof. I actually turned to my brother and said and I kid you not, "So I guess we're getting our mail on the roof now, huh?" A person just has to turn the most serious of situations into a situation where one can actually have fun and laugh about it and that is what myself, my brother, and a mutual friend of ours did and it kept our spirits up.

Another situation can be uplifting is that a family can become even more tighter than ever before. With technology such as television and the internet not working, talking with family keeps one's own sanity in check so to speak. In a way, they are the proverbial pick me up and/ or alternative to keep one's mind busy from the proverbial cabin fever syndrome. Plus, going back to school has been somewhat of therapy as well, keeping my mind focused which hasn't been the case in the past.I had the opportunity to sleep under the stars with the weather being so cool and it has been the best experience of my life. No television, just the radio and the stars is just a calming feeling one can feel. One can sometimes take for granted family until a natural disaster brings you together and tightens that loosening bond. Thinking about it, the technologies that we use on a daily basis are somewhat of a security blanket, but in a way, a person can adapt without it and I learned that in these past 7 days.

There comes a point where one is so used to the daily grind such as working in a youth center, that one is temporarily grinded so to speak, that it will make the people around you want to strangle you. My job has been considered a distraction of what has been going on in my life in which I can focus on the kid's problems rather than my own. During these 7 days my parents have witnessed how the kids that I have helped bring up for the past 8 years have had a positive effect on me even though I come home tired and somewhat miserable some of the time. BUT to tell you the truth, I am totally miserable without them and if that is what it is like to be a parent then I have come full circle. It took a Hurricane to open my eyes to that and that revelation has given me that fire back that I once had when I first started working at the Youth Center.

For the past several days, I have really had a lot of time to think and reflect about my life up to this point. There are certain aspects of my life which fear has held me back and that is about to change. In any case, I have been everywhere and met many people all the while leaving lasting impressions on other people that I cross paths with. Whether it be good or whether or be bad, I've made somewhat of an impression on somebody. This situation has shown me how I truly miss my online family as well as my working family. In any case, over the years, I’ve come across many people during my 27 years of life . I can safely say that I am somewhat of a keen observer of people and I'm a pretty good judge of character of people. It may be dead on, dead wrong, or somewhere in the middle. But, in retrospect, these past seven days have given me a better perspective on life that you will ever know...but who knows I may feel different next week.

It's Showtime Folks!

Every person's journey of life, whether it be professional or personal will culminate at a certain point. Though one doesn't know where his or her journey will end, but in a way, a person's journey never really ends. For it has just begun and those moments in a person's life can be considered events. Events in which everything he or she has worked hard for in the past number of years will come to fruition. An event in which one will consider themselves standing on their own proverbial stage.

As I said before, every ending has another beginning. One such event is when a person graduates from high school to college. If you think about it, each one of us had to prove ourselves and find out who we are. In a way we had to perform in front of our own personal and professional critics in which they will either give us good or bad reviews. As the saying goes, the show must go on and we oftentimes have to ignore the critics and give a performance of a lifetime that hopefully will get a standing ovation in the end.

Another event in a person's life is marriage or getting married. For it's every guy's defining moment where the butterflies in the stomach start to stir. In a way, time will stand still as the question he asks will hopefully have the answer he wants. In any case, once the bonds of matrimony are said, both husband and wife will continue to perform for each other. Working hard and giving their all in marriage. Hopefully, in this particular case, both won't end up having any encore performances if you know what I mean.

The biggest event in two people's lives is when one's child or children are born. For it can be a momentous occasion as a man gets to perform two roles, a father and a husband. It's scary fro any guy to know that life that he helped create is now being held in one's own arms. It can be somewhat compared to getting stage fright as one knows that a specific event, such as the birth of a child, is close at hand. It's just a matter of breathing slow deep breaths and hopefully he won't pass out in the end.

Professionally speaking, an event such as getting that dream job one has been waiting for will become or already has become a reality. For each one of us is climbing our own personal Mt. Everest, in which we hold on to the proverbial lifeline. In retrospect, our whole life is considered center stage. Though marriage isn't written in my program yet, an event somewhat similar is. When I do finally get called up to the big leagues so to speak, I will simply say this with a smile on my face, "It's showtime folks!”

Moral of the Story

If you think about it, two people that are in a committed relationship can be somewhat compared to the relationship between a quarterback and a coach of a football team. In a way, the man is considered the quarterback and the woman is the head coach calling all the key plays. Every person is considered a free agent waiting to be signed or picked up by that key team that will accept him. But the quarterback has to prove to the coach that he will not crack under the pressure when the game is on the line so to speak.

As the season is starting out, mistakes on the field can be made which will hopefully be taken care of as the season progresses. Mistakes such as fumbling the ball which will happen from time to time. Being in a committed relationship for the first time can be scary because the quarterback will sometimes say and do things that the head coach may not approve of like calling plays that are not in the playbook. Initially, the head coach will sum it up to mental mistakes for that QB, in a way, has to work out the kinks in the system.

As the season reaches the halfway point, the quarterback may start to lose his edge and reach a stage where he is continually throwing interception after interception. The head coach sees these mistakes and her faith in her star player is slowly beginning to fade. It's the disappointment in her face that will usually make the quarterback check out other teams and talk with other head coaches without her knowledge. Inevitably, the backup quarterback will start to loosen up which is a bad sign indeed.

The head coach will always know where her quarterback is at when her QB is being rushed by the defensive line. For she has the headset on at all times and is always connected to her people giving her the right information to pass on to the head coach. Ultimately, the quarterback will be traded to another team and the backup quarterback has taken over your spot. As the former QB of the team, one watches the new guy make all the right decisions and moves wherein touchdown after touchdown is made.

Every head coach has confidence in her new star quarterback to eventually lead the team and her to the Superbowl to win the proverbial ring. The QB, who is now traded to another team and is now playing for a coach much different than the one he had before. He has to live with the consequences that he put himself in because he got too cocky. So basically the moral of the story is: Guys and women too, appreciate who you have in front of you, if you don't you lose that person and every relationship afterwards is just not quite the same.

Fade To Black

If you think about it, it's easy to fall in love with someone without being committed to that person. Every person has done it in his or her own lifetime with a person one oftentimes can't be with such as a celebrity in sports and/ or entertainment. It's somewhat of a fantasy for each of us to meet a certain singer, actor, sports star and marry him or her. One just has to wake up from dreaming and realize that each of us will eventually settle down with that one person who we consider bigger than any celebrity you meet.

It's all about commitment and that promise to keep the fires of love continually burning for his or her true love. It's sometimes not easy for a man or a woman because it means closing one's heart to the possibility of falling in love with someone else more attractive and loveable. As cruel as that sounds, that’s how the cookie crumbles so to speak. Love is not easy, it just gets more complicated as time goes by. It's been said, love will make you do crazy things and when you're totally committed, two become one.

Oftentimes, one person is more committed than the other and it can be seen in many relationships. One person gives more of himself/herself than the other person and that love isn't being reciprocated. I once wrote that life can be considered a one way street, if you're not paying attention you can be hit head on. A person can never really tell how much a man loves a woman and vice versa. Love isn't an object that can be measured which causes problems. How can a person know if he or she is telling the truth....you can't.

A person can say that he or she is in love with him or her but how far is that person will to go to prove it? Courting, which in my opinion is a lost artform and marriage, a sign of full commitment. A person says all the right words and does all the right things in a potential or significant relationship and pledges his or her love forever, but only leaves that person high and dry later down the road, so to speak. The question can be asked: were they in love? Yes, but not enough to hold it together and then the pain of heartache begins.

In retrospect, when two people are in a totally committed and loving relationship, things seem brighter and more colorful. In a way, it's like being on a proverbial high without taking any actual drugs. But one will always get that sinking feeling that something is not right in the relationship. A sixth sense, if you will, that mostly women have and that strong commitment is loosening up and doubt creeps into his or her head. In the end, the once bright and colorful relationship will ultimately fade to black.

100% Guaranteed

On a day to day basis, a person can have one of those days where life can just literally beat you down mentally and physically. Oftentimes one can ask himself or herself why it's happening to them and will it ever end? In a way, one can feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day, where he wakes up and relives the same day over and over again. If you think about it, there are certain ways one can work out his or her aggressions without resorting to mass homicides running rampant.

One such way to work out one's aggressions is through exercise. Exercise such as martial arts, running, boxing, lifting weights, etc. can, in a way, strip away the frustrations of daily life like tearing a piece of paper in half. For if a person could put a face on life itself, one would put it on a punching bag and continually beat the living crap out of it till his or her hands started bleeding. In some ways, sweating out one's own problems can make you feel better, but they are still with you like a shadow.

A person can also take out his or her frustrations of daily life through art. Art is basically self expression, a person basically creates something by how he or she feels at the particular time. If you look at certain people's works of art, you can get somewhat of an idea how that person felt creating it. Emotions such as anger, depression, happiness, love, sadness, etc. can be seen in many pictures. Once a person has a pencil, paintbrush, or hammer and chisel in his or her hand, the party is about to begin so to speak.

Music can have a calming effect on a person that was beaten down by life itself. In a way, one can be in the zone as he or she writes and performs songs or listens to them. It evokes emotions that in some way gradually release the tensions that one is feeling. Think about this, once one finishes performing a song that he or she has written or listened to, that person is relaxed and ready to take on the word yet again. In the immortal words of WWE superstar The Rock, one can say to life itself, "JUST BRING IT!"

In retrospect, there are many different ways for a person to release one's aggressions of daily life. Every person wants that sense of peace when life can just get out of hand. For a person like myself, drawing, listening to music, and writing my thoughts down can put me in a state of calm that only certain people understand. In the end, ways of releasing tension can be like therapy, it's 100% guaranteed that you will feel better than you have ever felt before in mind, body, and soul.

Once In A Lifetime

A person can sometimes sense that something is in the air and for whatever reason it may or may not involve you. For there are certain situations or people who will cross one's own path and somehow affect his or her journey down the proverbial road of life. In a way, it's like having an opportunity knocking and all that person has to do is open the door and either let'em in or you have to walk through it. In any case, the opportunities that are presented to a person can be considered that chance to be happy personally as well as professionally.

One opportunity that can present itself to a person is being offered a job of a lifetime that one feels will help in his or her financial stability. Yet, a person can oftentimes be overly excited and forget to read the proverbial fine print so to speak. For if one does take that job he or she has to relocate to either another state or country and that will mean leaving friends and family behind. A person can be afraid to continue on the next step in one's journey, but yet, he or she feels it's the right time to move on.

Another opportunity that a person can face is owning a business. It's a risky venture when one puts his or her hard earned dollar into something that he or she believes in 100%. Yet, one has to learn from the failed businesses that preceded yours and turn that failure into a success. It's just a matter of thinking outside the box and having that fire within yourself to compete with the "big boys" so to speak. If you lose it, then one's business venture will go up in flames and all that will be left are ashes.

One of the biggest opportunities in a person's life is marriage. Every person will or has already found that special someone to settle down with and eventually start a family. Sacrifices will be made as husband and wife struggle up the proverbial ladder to keep their heads above water so to speak. Someone once said, marriage is somewhat like a math problem, if you keep communicating with each other plus continually supporting each other through the ups and downs, it equals up to a beautiful and strong partnership.

In retrospect, a person will face countless opportunities in life that will change his or her life, plus the people around that person. One of those opportunities in life that can be considered a defining moment, is telling someone you know how you truly feel about them. For each of us will have to make that personal decision whether to reveal our true feelings on our own. If you think about it, telling that one particular person how you truly feel is a once in a lifetime opportunity that should never be wasted.

Sky Is The Limit

Falling in love can somewhat be compared to flying an airplane like in the movie Top Gun. In a way, a person can enter the dangerzone as one locks his or heart to one's intended target. It can be sort of a dog fight as so called enemy aircraft are in pursuit of that same person. Though each of us may not look like or have the fancial stability of Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer, or Kelly McGillis, one must be comfortable just being yourself and hope things go in your favor.

If you think about it, one can be on his or her preverbial runway so to speak waiting for a potential relationship to take flight. For any number of things can prevent a person from spreading one's wings and flying up into the wild blue yonder in a manner of speaking. Problems that occurs may be that particular person isn't ready for a relationship or that person is just too immature. Nobody wants a "co-pilot" that doesn't take what one has in front of them seriously. If not taken seriously, then one's plane is grounded permanently.

One will always encounter turbulance when matters of the heart are involved. A person will in a situation where his or her heart is being played with like a violin. For emotions that one feels for that person isn't being reciprocated. It's a sad situation indeed when one can't see what is happening to them but others around you can see clearly on their own radar screens. In a way, one simply has to realize that he or she isn't going up but down. May day will be sounded and assistance will truely be needed.

For some people that loving relationship can ultimately crash and burn. One can sometimes be cocky as he or she thinks that one's relationship, based on love, will last forever. Want proof, go back and look at your high school year books. Statement after statement can be read of forever with a person they are now longer with in the end. Life just gets more complicated and dramatic when one gets older. It's just a matter of knowing when to pull the preverbial ejector seat when things go from bad to worse.

Love is quite frankly unpredictable, for one never know who will be showing up at your radar screen. In a way, it's like being shot at, but you have no idea who is shooting at you. If you think about it, a person doesn't find true love, true love will find you and every person will have to learn that. It's just a matter of not continually thinking about when one's Cinderella or Prince Charming will show up. In the end, love is like flying without wings and when you are truely in love, the sky is the limit.

Just Friends

Falling in love can somewhat be compared to flying an airplane like in the movie Top Gun. In a way, a person can enter the danger zone as one locks his or heart to one's intended target. It can be sort of a dog fight as so called enemy aircraft are in pursuit of that same person. Though each of us may not look like or have the financial stability of Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Val Kilmer, or Kelly McGillis, one must be comfortable just being yourself and hope things go in your favor.

If you think about it, one can be on his or her proverbial runway so to speak waiting for a potential relationship to take flight. For any number of things can prevent a person from spreading one's wings and flying up into the wild blue yonder in a manner of speaking. Problems that occur may be that particular person isn't ready for a relationship or that person is just too immature. Nobody wants a "co-pilot" that doesn't take what one has in front of them seriously. If not taken seriously, then one's plane is grounded permanently.

One will always encounter turbulence when matters of the heart are involved. A person will be in a situation where his or her heart is being played like a violin. For emotions that one feels for that person isn't being reciprocated. It's a sad situation indeed when one can't see what is happening to them but others around you can see clearly on their own radar screens. In a way, one simply has to realize that he or she isn't going up but down. May day will be sounded and assistance will truly be needed.

For some people that loving relationship can ultimately crash and burn. One can sometimes be cocky as he or she thinks that one's relationship, based on love, will last forever. Want proof, go back and look at your high school yearbooks. Statement after statement can be read of forever with a person they are now longer with in the end. Life just gets more complicated and dramatic when one gets older. It's just a matter of knowing when to pull the proverbial ejector seat when things go from bad to worse.

Love is quite frankly unpredictable, for one never knows who will be showing up at your radar screen. In a way, it's like being shot at, but you have no idea who is shooting at you. If you think about it, a person doesn't find true love, true love will find you and every person will have to learn that. It's just a matter of not continually thinking about when one's Cinderella or Prince Charming will show up. In the end, love is like flying without wings and when you are truly in love, the sky's the limit.