Heart And Soul

Confucious once said, ~It's true that we shall not be able to reach perfection, but in our struggle toward it we shall strengthen our character and give stability to our ideas, so that, whilst ever advancing calming in the same direction, we shall be rendered capable of applying the faculties with which we have been gifted to the best possible account,~ There comes a point where every person goes through a journey of who they are as a person. Each of us, in some way try to perfect, but in reality we're not perfectby any means. We're only human and the mistakes we make determine the strength of our character, which in turn reveals our true selves to other people.

For those that have gotten to know me, you know that I'm a straight shooter and there is no BS about me. On a semit-daily basis I send out these Yoda-isms that reflect everyday life. Oftentimes these reflections pertain to situations going on around me while I stand back and merely observe. Other times, these situations have meaning for me and are very personal. In some ways, each time I send out these thoughts, I share bits and pieces of myself in certain aspects of my life. During these moments of vulnerability, I think to myself whether or not to send them out because it comes from a place where people and close friends rarely have ever seen or entered.

By sharing my thoughts that deal with life, love, relationships, etc. there have been times when people ask my advice on certain issues that pertain to one's love life. It's sticky situation indeed to get involved in because in one hand you want to give that person the best advice possible; but on the other hand you don't want to be responsible for a broken relationship and be blamed for it. Though my own experience, I simply suggest to that person to follow your heart and hopefully it will you in the right direction. Each time I faced disappointment, but that hasn't stopped me to keep fighting the good fight because love is truly worth fighting for.

I have been the type of person who basically sets myself for a fall when it comes to seeking a potential relationship that I think I may have a chance with. But that's the price one pays for rolling the dice with one's own heart, and if it means I travel alone on my personal journey of life I'll accept it. Potential relationships are a gamble and with every roll of the dice, one hopes it lands on seven and not on snake-eyes It's just a matter of staying the same person who I am and not try to be someone other than myself, in other words, keepin' it real. Hopefully, that one women who I have been patiently waiting, is placing all her chips on the same number as I am and letting it all ride.

In retrospect, life is all about experiencing the highs and lows that can either make you give up or make you stronger. The subject of love is a common thread that each of us are intertwined in and we've all been through the highs and lows of it, one more than the other. William Wordsworth said, ~There is comfort in the strength of love: 'Twill make a thing endurable, which else could overset the brain, or break hearts.~ Every person goes through times of heartbreak that leave deep scars within your heart and soul. Ultimately when you read what I write, you don't get "Yoda" and his Yoda-isms; what you get is my heart and soul, but most of all you get me.

The Age Old Question

A wise man once said, ~As a man you have to die once in order to live.~ Most guys never fully understand what that means until he experiences firsthand to him. You may be asking yourself what on earth am I talking about and is it relevant. Well, since the dawn of time there have been many epic battles such as Boston Red Sox vs. The New York Yankess, Army vs. Navy, Florida vs. Florida State are just a few battles that are still going on to this day. Several days ago, my best friend and I brought up an age old batle that has been brewing for a very long time and it is between BAD BOYS and NICE GUYS. It's a subject that both myself and my best friend still scratch our heads over.

The number one thing that bad boys have or pretend to have is confidence. Yet that confidence can be perceived as arrogant charm that is a defining character trait that these guys share. It's one's arrogance that produces a gigantic, egotistical, all about me attitude whose only interest is the superficiality of a lady. Think about this , that arrogance, which oftentimes brands these guys jerks, doesn't possess a high self esteem and have a mentality that all women, in their eyes, are merely conquests, These so called "players" or "ladies men" think they are God's gift to women, but that fixation doesn't usually last that long and once her eyes are open, he is kicked to the curb.

There is a saying that goes nice guys always finish last and it will always pertain to seeking a relationship with someone you truly like or love. Every man has experienced unrequited feelings of love for someone only to have it spurned or crushed. It's that experience of constant heartache that can make nice just wave the proverbial white flag and just give up on ever meeting that one women to spend the rest of his days with. In any case, it's that knight in shining armor mentality when a certain lady of interest needs a shoulder to cry on and vent about why she isn't able to find the right guy. Primarily what you get from a nice guy is respect and a solid, equal grounded relationship.

If you think about it, it's not only a guy thing it's a girl thing as well with the bad girls and the nice girls. Guys are searching for that diamond in the rough that is the perfect girl, which in reality doesn't really exist but only in mind. It's that weird irresitable attratction that both men and women sense in a proverbial bad boy or bad girl. Ultimately these bad boys/bad girls love the thrill of the chase which means one thing and that it's all about him or her. For he or she isn't the slightest bit concerned about how is is trating that person. In the end, that nice girl or nice guy will be left heartbroken and will start to wonder whether or not he or she is worthy to a boyfriend or girlfriend.

In the whole scheme of things, men and women have know idea what they want when it comes to potential relationships. Women, more so than men, act on impulse and emotion and that is why they pass up the nice guy and go after the dangerous boy thinking she can change him, a feeling I know all too well. In restrospect, nobody wants to get hurt in a potential or significant relationship. Inevitably, both men and and women need to look past the superficial and look at what truly matters most in the end and that is a person's heart. It's the age old question, who do men and women want more, a bad boy/bad girl or a nice girl/bad girl? (Feedback is welcomed on this)

Never A Dull Moment

Working in a place like the Youth Center, one can either have a positive or negative effect depending how lone that person has worked there. For a person like myself, it's more positive than negative. Some days it's like working in a nuthouse and the inmates are running the asylum. As one approaches the hallowed halls of the Youth Center, one can hear the echoes of screaming, crying, whining, and mad laughter and that is just coming from the staff. Along time ago, I one said that a person will never be the same when you first start till the time you leave and it still hold true. In some aspect, there are some similarities in working in a youth center and in an insane asylum.

For instance, every insane asylum needs to have their resident oddballs, nutcases, weirdoes, and lunatics. No it's not the kids I'm talking about; it's the staff because the kids have gotten to us mentally. In my line of work, one will get a handle of which kids are harmless and which kids have that Dr. Hannibal Lectre mentality. It's the mini-Hannibal Lectres that have current and former employees starting to hear voices. But it's those current and former employees that talk back to those voices that one was to worry about. It's just a matter of not showing any sign of weakness in front of these so called "inmates" because you, they have you in the palm of their tiny little hands.

With every insane asylum, medication is a big part of mellowing out those that may go bonkers and start a rampage of madness that one police in riot gear can stop. Working in a high pressure job involving kids, one's medication can consist of daily doses of nicotine that helps tremendously in one's stress level. Also medications such as coffee can, in some way, have a calming effect though one will be wired and somewhat act like Rain Main for a couple of hours. But the best medication that helps in times of utter chaos is listening to music because it drowns out the madness that surrounds the insane asylum within.

In an insane asylum, you will find an assortment of interesting people who don't think they belong there and believe they are in the right state of mind. In my view, we as counselors don't want to be at work half the time and we're never in the right state of mind due in part to kids constantly in our ear every day. Several months ago, I said you have to be totally insane to work in a place that will mentally eat you alive metaphorically speaking. Fortunately I am already nuts and even though it's a job that is both mentally and physically tiring, it's a job that I love to be a part of because you never know what is going to happen next.

In life, we will encounter people that think we need to seek professional help because one thinks we're either nuts, crazy, strange, and/or weird. But think about this, there are people out there one knows or have come across that are nuttier, crazier, and/or weirder that each of us. Last night I was to be rewarded with a lap dance by several female co-workers for a job well done putting together a dance routine for "my kids" earlier in the afternoon. There's never a dull moment when a 250 pound man, my best friend, out of nowhere gives me a lap dance that will cause me to have nightmares for years to come and probably have myself committed to the nearest mental institution.

Curve Balls

Seeking a relationship with that one particular person, or any person for that matter is like playing the game of baseball. The baseball game of potential relationships, in which there is an infinte number of innings as well as outs. In amy baseball game one will encounter several situations where he or she can predict what is about to happen. On the other hand, one can also say that there will be many suprises in store either in the early, middle, and/or late innings of the game. If you think about it, each of us are somewhat like baseball players because we can go through several different phases in the game that is considered to be America's favorite pasttime to watch and/or play.

One such phase, we as ball players can go through is encountering a slump. A slump where each of us may his or her concentration and/or focus at what one's goal is. In that slump a person lose may start his or her confidence and it will make a person do things he or she would not normally do such as online dating or going on a blind date to get back into the swing of things, so to speak. Things such as on-line dating and going on a blind date, which from what I've heard from friends that it's not a good experience. In any case, it's just a matter of getting that one bloop single in a manner of speaking to start that comeback and slowly but surely one will break out of his or her funk.

Another such phase, in the course of one's season is going through a streak. A streak, in which one finds himself or herself on the lucky end of the dating scene. One's own little black book is booked solid and that person doesn't have any worries to find someone to spend their time with. By continually getting hit after hit after hit, one may feel that he or she may never go on slump ever again. Yet one's ego can get the better of him or her and it oftentimes needs to be bruised ever now in order to bring one back to reality. In some aspect, with every winning streak one must inevitably suffer a loss, but it's how one comes back from that loss that will determine if one is worthy to be named MVP.

Ultimately, baseball is all about establishing rivalries that make the game a nail biter that it is. In a way, each of us are rivals with that one known or unknown person who seeks to have a relationship with that same guy or girl you are interested in as well. It's that competitive spirit that is inside each and every one of us who don't like the thought of losing, which will leave a bitter after-taste in one's mouth. Yet, respect must be given because he or she wanted it even more and it took more than just one's abilties to get where one is today.....it took heart. In the long run, if one's heart is still in the game and doesn't quit, then the odds will most definitely alway be in your favor.

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankess, two teams that have established a bitter rivalry that has been going on for years. History has always seen the Red Sox always coming so close to beating them but fall short every time. It has been 86 years since they've won the World Series and last week they beat their rivals at Yankees Stadium. Now 86 years later, the Red Sox are just one win away in winning it all and breaking "the curse" that has been hanging over them for many years. In retrospect, life can throw each of us curve balls that will keep us off balance when seeking a relationship, but if one doesn't give up, he or she will see that one perfect pitch and hit a home run.

Cross The Line

Every person will or has at some point stood at that proverbial line that is drawn in the sand of life. That represents times in which a person walks up to it, sees whose beyond that line, and one can make that decision to either walk away or step over that line. In some cases, it can also represent a friendship taken to the level into the unknown with that one particular guy or girl one has been friends with for quite some time. In some aspects, each of us, who are primarily single, have always been standing in front of the line that leads to someone; but never really made the decision to cross over it until he or she feels right.

Have you ever been in a situation where you constantly have your foot over the line but never actually stepped over it? Of course, we all have because in some way, we are in a battle with our own mind and heart. It's like doing a proverbial dance back and forth over that potential relationship line in which he or she is so close that person; one can actually hear him or her breathing. In any case, that inner struggle between heart and mind can ultimately lead to one thing which is writing a letter. A letter in which a person spills one's guts out, in a manner of speaking, and shares all that he or she feels about that person and doesn't regret every word of it.

Let me ask you this question, once that letter is written what did you do with it? For some people they continually revise it to say the right words that are coming from one's heart. For others, they sit holding it and contemplating whether to save it or simply tear it up. But for most people, he or she decides to give it that person but not actually to that person but in a place where one can find and read it. The last option is usually what one will come to and once that letter is out our hands, then its simply a matter of time. A time, in which one bites fingernails, paces up and down, or looks up that ceiling because that person has affected they way you sleep at night.

Ultimately, when that letter is read, a sense of awkwardness comes about for either one person or both people. In the mind of the writer of that letter, one can literally be freaking out inside and have that somewhat close feeling of how a heart attack feels, or simply beating your head against the wall to the point of either being knocked out or one's head hurts. One the other side of the line, once that reader of the letter has made the decision and knows what to do next. In some aspects, the reader can be considered the judge and/or jury and the writer is the defendant. Inevitably, the verdict will come down and that person's decision will be....

In retrospect, there comes a point where every person makes the decision to step over the line from friends to more than friends. Whether its talking to that person alone or writing a letter and placing it somewhere he or she can find it, its a decisions that nobody can turn back from. We've all been there, done that and even though you received total disappointment for your efforts, as well as, a "wounded" heart you kept going. You learned from what going through that experience taught you as you move on with not only your heart, but your life as well. In the end, for me personally, I have all my life to cross the line; a line that will eventually lead me to that one special person to spend the rest of my days with, whoever she may be.

The End

The journey that each of us are travelling on can be somewhat compared to chapters in our proverbial autobiography of life. Each chapter represents our own person history of where we have been and the people we gave met along the way during our travels. Every aspect of our lives from birth to eventual death will be chronicled as one fills in the blank pages of our book. Let me ask you this question, as the editor of your living autobiography of life, what type of book are you going to produce in the end when you finally write down the last words in the last chpater of you life?

For some people, they would rather write down the darker side of life and not leave any bit of information out. For that person can have the mentality that the world is against him or her and the only person to trust is himself or herself, which can brand that person a loner. It's their own pessimistic views on life that can give that person thebest inspiration when pain, anger, suffering, death, etc. can somewhat bring a person to the edge of insanity. In a way, by lashing outas those that did him or her wrong can be considered the best form of therapy one doesn't have to pay a doctor for.

In some cases, writing about one's own adventures in life can be consdiered great reading. For the places one has been to can't be explained in just mere words, for a person has to live it personally to know whatone is reading about. It's not only the places that one has been to, it's the people that he or she meets along one's travels that can create bonds of friendships that stand the test of time. Let me ask you this question, who was the last person that greatly influenced/impacted your life and where/when did you meet that person?

Inevitably, one's own living autobiography of life will most definitly focus on one's own love life. The loves found, the loves lost, the loves found again is basically what life is about. Meeting that one person in life that you will share your hopes, dreams, fears and in turn he or she will do the same thing with you. I once said, that love is like a battle, it can be confusing, it can keep you off balance, and the expereince can leave lasting affects, BUT if one doesn't give up on it, then it truly is worth fighting for. In some ways, every person wants to be swept off their feet and have that great ending all people want.

Someone once said, ~Every person's life is like a book, though we may be the author, all the details of our lives is being written by God.~ God is the editor-in-chief and no matter how much we want to revise the past, we must accept it as it is. In retrospect, the story of our lives haven't been completed yet, for some people they are constantly focusing on the negative side of life. For others, they are embelishing what one has been though over the years. BUT, for most people love is the greatest inspiration to write about and that makes great literature. When it is said and done, all that is left to be said is.....THE END.

Mirage

Sir Walter Scott once said, ~A thousand fearful images and dire suggestsions glance along the mind when it's moody and discontented with itself. Command them to stand and show themselves, and you presently assert the power of reason over imagination.~ Each of us, who are traveling down our own road of life, in which we have experienced scary situations. Those scary situations, if one looks back on it, gave each of us strength, courage, and confidence that one has always had deep inside one's heart, mind body, and soul. For that person, it's just a matter of breaking through the facade that he or has imagined and/or built up and simply moved foward in one's own particular venture.

As little kids, what each of us feared the most as were the supposed scary monsters that either lived in our closets or under our beds. For our eyes and ears can literally play tricks on us as we are trying embrace the darkness which will help us head off into that proverbial utopia called slumberland. It's at that point one will start to see dark shapes and hear certain noises in which our minds want go into maximum overdrive in a manner of speaking. In a way, it the things we think we see and hear, as a little kid, are in reality simple made up illusions created by our own imagination. It then basically manifests into something much bigger, but yet it is actually smaller than it appears.

In some cases, a person puts up illusions after illusion pertaining to one work ethic as he or she is talking the talk, but not walking the walk. It's a false perception where a person is not scared to be who they really are, but sometimes who they really are can be a real disappointment. It can be a sad situation indeed when a person claims to have the qualifications to be a potential leader in the making, but yet is still consider a follower that has still so much to learn. What truly make a potental leader is one that works hard, is able to handle crisis situations under pressure, who is able to delegate authority as well as be a team player, and yet is not afraid to fail and learn from that failure.

Saying "I Love You" can be considered the most easiest and/or hardest thing to say to a person. Yet, one has that innate fear that the person he or she is saying to might not say those words back. It can be a scary situation as one awaits those three simple words and have it replaced by a long, drawn out, awkward silence in which it is actually said back or not at all. Let me ask you this question, who was the last person you said I love you to and was it reciprocated back? Thinking about it, when it comes to saying those three words, don't be scared to look that person in the eyes because those two eyes are considered windows to the soul that are a doorway to that person's heart.

Someone once said, ~I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life, especially thefear of change, the fear of the unknown, and I have gone ahead despite the pounding in my heart that says turn back, turn back, you'll die if venture too far.~ Each of us can conquer almost any fear that is placed before out path, it just a matter of putting your mind and heart into it because one's fear doesn't really exist except in our head. In retrospect, the fears each of us have is merely mirage after mirage trying to stop us from moving foward, and it's the things that scare us the most that actually save us in the end.

Blind

If you think about it, a person can walk through his or her own life and not see the opportunities that are set before him or her and just pass it plainly by. A person can completely get caught up in the hussle and bussle of our own lives simplistic, hectic, and oftentimes complicated lives. In a way it's like walking past something or someone so many times and not realize that certain person or thing was there. Every person has been in this particular situation when it pertains to either one's personal and/or professional life. There are certain situations where a person can become "blind", so blind in fact that he or she is never be able to see what's is in front of him or her for quite some time.

In some ways, one can be "blind" when it comes to situations in the workplace. We've all turned our heads to certain indiscretions, that in our own thinking would consider it none of our business. In a way, we choses to be blind for the simple fact that we don't want to be involved in the drama that might ensue afterwards if found out. Yet, those indiscretions that one didn't want to see may or may not have dire consequences but it will eat away at you in your heart and one's own conscience, until one can no longer take it and will have to fess up. One just has to step up and be a man, in a manner of speaking, and come clean at what one saw or heard, if that is done, one's vision will become clearer.

Thinking about it, one can become "blind" to the truth that one either doesn't want to hear or reveal. Each one of us at some point closed our eyes and ears to the cold hard truth that life tends to put in front of us so to speak. One will simply choose to either deny all that he or she hears and sess before that person as fact or just completely ignore it if it never was heard or seen. It can be a sad situation indeed when a person can't see that one's relationship is in trouble, and that person simply turns a blind eye, knowing that one's relationship is going to go down in flames. It's a disappointing sight when people around that person can absoultey see it with their own eyes, but he or she can't.

In most cases one can become "blind" when someone is interested in you. For that person can send signal after signal, but for some unknown reason he or she can't seem to see those signals. It's kind of life trying to talk to a person who can't hear or waving to some that can't see; but no matter how hard one tries that person is totally oblivious as to what is going on in from of him or her. Sometimes, it takes a best friend or group of friends who can see it clear as day, to walk up tight behind that person and simply slap one upside the back of his or her head. Once one has gotten that person attention, they will in some way enlighten you on what you have been truly missing out on.

Personally speaking, I can truly say that I fall into that "blind" category myself. You see, I have been blinded by this deluded perception that I may be out a my league when it comes to a woman that I'm interested in and I lose focus. It has been a thorn in my side which has held me back for a very long time when I want to ask someone out. My best friend simply walked up behind me and simply slapped me upside the head and told me to take that leap of faith. A leap, in which I would either fall hard to the ground below or land safely on the other side. In the end, I took that leap of faith and unfortunately I fell hard and still unable to see who is standing in front of me.

Perfect Harmony

In some aspects, a person's life can be compared to writing and playing a song on the piano. Let me ask you this question, do you know how to play the paino or at least know somebody that does? If you do, you know it takes skill, patience, proper position of one's body and fingers, plus a total of 100% concentration. In a way, we are the composers of our own piano of life and each key represents something significant in his or her life. Since the time we were born, each of us began writing and putting together a composition that ultimately will be heard by those around us in a manner of speaking. Every person has their own blank piece of sheet music, it's just a matter of filling in the blank spaces.

With all compositions, a "composer" like ourselves needs some inspiration to create the music he or she is writing in one's life. Some examples that can bring about inspiration are tragedies such as death, but then there is anger, the creation of life, laughter, family, friends, special events such as a graduation or a wedding, kids, but the best inspiration comes from being in love or being loved by someone such as one's boyfriend/girlfriend and/or husband/wife. It's that specific inspiration that can actually bring the words he or she writes on paper come to life on one's blank piece of sheet music. Sheet music that at some point in one's life didn't have any kind of inspiration to write about.

With any composition, a person has to find the words/meldoy to convey one's message or meaning to the audience or to that one particular person. Oftentimes, the words come instantly and it flows from one's mind to his or her hands and it basically writes itself, in a manner of speaking. But sometimes, the words are hard to find or write, and it takes something either big or something small to stir the creative juices and let what one wants to sat flow from within one's own heart and soul. It's that proverbial writer's block that ever every person, including myself, has gone through. Though I don't necessarily create songs but rather random thoughts that can make people really think.

In any case, with any composition, it will sometimes need a particular sound. Every person has a favorite sound in music such as jazz, funk, pop, R&B, hip hop, rap, country, rock, alternative, the list goes on and on. One just has to find that specific sound one wants to play in order for the words/notes to match our own proverbial keys of life. For some people who are musically talented, it's seraching for that particular rate, pitch, and tone of the words that one is either playing or singing can determine a grammy award winning song or a song that will never be performed by that particular person. It's just a matter of feeling the music within yourself and simply expressing it outwardly.

Ray Charles once said, ~Reading in braille and playing by ear helped me develop a good memory. I know what the chords are going to be. I know what the structure and sound will be and all that can be heard in my head. So it's up to me to make the decision how I want the arrangement to sound. There's no reason for it to come out any different than the way it sounded in my head.~ Every person will hit a wrong note from time to time, it's simply unavoidable. One just has to continue practicing on one's own piano of life in order to learn from one's mistakes. When we are truly inspired, the melody and sound will come together and it will create music that is absolutely in perfect harmony.

The Right Decisions

It's a funny thing how certain people make certain kinds of decisions in one's own life. Let me ask you this question, what was the most important decision that you ever had to make in your life and once you made it, did you have any regrets or was it the best one you ever made? In some aspects, we've all come to that proverbial crossroads where each of us stand in front of two paths, but in some cases there is more that two paths to choose from. One can sometimes feel like standing in the middle of of a balance weighing his or her options of the best decision to make. If you think about it, there are several ways a person makes that particular decision in one's own journey through life.

One such way in one's decision making process is the going by his or her gut, in which a person basically has a particular feeling and either goes with it or doesn't go with it. Every person has been in a situation where you have this funny feeling in the pit of your stomach that something might happen. It's one's own instincts on high alert so to speak and the decision one makes next determines an outcome that may or may not happen. Each one of us at some point, based a decision on a gut reaction whether or not it was the right one to make, it was your call. It's just a matter of listening to yourself and it also helps to have a close friend that you truly trust by your side.

The spontaneous decision, is one that a person goes on by a mere whim. There are certain people that will leave everything at a drop of a hat to do things or go places just because one felt like it. In a way, one is a free spirit, for the ties that bind that person are practically loose and one is free to roam around and spread his or her wings so to speak. Every person knows at least one guy or girl who will basically just spontaneously make a decision out of the blue and go somewhere and not take anything with him or her except the clothes on one's back or a friend/boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife. A person can admire that person's boldness and it's a trait some people would like to have.

Then there are the decisions making skills in which one just has fun with. Non-important decisions that can be decided either a flip of the coin, eenie-mennie-mynie-moe or the ever popular rock-paper-scissors. Let me tell you something, some of the decisions that are made where I work at basically come from the rock-paper-scissors method. Such decisions as where to eat, whose going to drive the van, whose going to ride shotgun in the van, and whose going under the bleachers to retrieve a child that doesn't want to come out which has happend trust me. It's just some of the semi-important decisions that my fellow co-workers and I deal with in a fun and playful way to keep moral up.

In all seriousness, there will be situations in a person's life where prayer is needed to come to an all important decision. It's that particular all important decision that one must leave in God's capable hands, for he will give you the answers you need. In Psalms 66:19-29, it says, ~19): But verily God hath heard me: he hath attended in the voice of my prayer. 20): Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.~ When all else fails, and the advice you are getting doesn't help, turn to God. In the end, God will help you make the most important decisions in your life; all you have to do is bow your head, close your eyes and pray to Him in making the right decisions.

The Code

One of the defintions for the word chivalry is the qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and galantry towards women. It was and still is a basic code of ethics that would bring love, glory, and respect to any lady or one particular lady. In the times of kings and knights, women were treated with honor, respect, and absolute reverence. If you think abou it, it's somewhat rare these day for the code of chivalry to be seen and used in the presence of a lady. But the question can be asked, is chivalry dead or is it merely in hibernation waiting for that proverbial wake up call to sound?

In my own thinking, chivalry among certain men is not dead, nor has lost its meaning for guys that believe that being a gentlemen is still the way to go. One aspect of the code is holding the door open for a lady, regardless if she doesn't have any boxes, bags, and/or packages that she is carrying. Did you know, that in some cultures a guy enters the door first rather than the laddy, for the simple reasonthat if something were to happen when entering into or out of the building, he would be the first to get struck. It's all about honor as the "knight" protects his lady fair which also includes opening the car door as well.

The second aspect of the code of chivalry is giving absolute respect to a lady even though there are time when she may not deserve it. Working with mostly women for the the past 8 years and being only 1 of 2 guys, has given me appreciation of how important women are. Think about this, if there weren't woman around, there would be millions of lost guys driving around who wouldn't stop and ask for directions, I know I would be one of them. In any case, a man should never hit a lady as well which shows complete disrespect and uncalled for. For if a man does continually hitz a lady, every women in the world has the obligation to kick the crap out of him, the line starts behind me.

The third and final code is showing reverance to a woman. It's the little things in life and love that a guy notices that women remember for years to come. Women have a memory like an elephant, they never forget, unlike guys who can't remember what they just did an hour ago. Little things such as noticing a hair cut or hair style that she spent hours having done. Another little this is complimenting her on how beautiful she looks. It will not only bring a smile to her face, it will bring a smile to a guy's face as well. It's the insignificant little things that man notices that can make a potential and/or significant relationship grow.

In the whole scheme of things it's the lessons, values, morals, and ethics, that my father taught me about honor, respect, and showing reverence to a women that will be taught to my son one day. It's the basic priniciples that has been instilled in me and it helps to have a father that I still can go to and ask for advice from time to time. For if I ever break that code, I would not see the light of day, plus he's was in the military and trained with the Navy Seals, so he knows things. In the end, if guy keeps the code close and use it then life, love, and relationships would be a whole lot simpler and less complicated.

Live In The Moment

Have you ever been in a situation where a certain moment in your life somewhat overwhelmed you? Of course everybody has and it will sometimes cause a person to either freak out, hyperventilate, or babble uncontrollably. For the only way to stop him or her was to either throw water on that person or slap him or her in the face to bring that person back to their sanity. If you think about it, each and every person has a difference reaction when a particular moment in one's life stands out than the rest. It's that particular moment that can have a person feel absolutely at ease, all the while, doing the proverbial dance of joy on the inside.

One such particular moment is giving or receiving a kiss that one has been wanting to give to or receive from that one particular person. In some aspects, he or she can have a cool, calm demeanor, but on the inside that person is doing gymnastic type flips. As I once said, in a past thought, a kiss the most personal form of affection that one person can give another. For when one shares a piece of himself or herself with that person, there is a sense of vulnerability where both people let their gaurd down. However, once that brief moment of bliss, which seems to last a lifetime, is over he or she can continually repeat it over and over in one's own mind.

A simple embrace that from a child, friend, girlfriend/boyfriend. wife, and/or husband can make a person feel well protected especially for a women. For in that instance, when she is embraced with open arms all her problems can seem insignificant. For when she is in that embrace, she can feel that particular person's warm touch as he hold that women tightly but gently in his arms. Each and every woman wants a guy that is able to hold her attention and if he does, then she will never let him go and vice versa. Let me ask you this question, who was the last person that embraced you and is that person an important part of your life and in your own heart?

There is something to be said when two people share a precious moment while dancing cheek to cheek on the dance floor. For both the man and woman, when hand in hand can feel each other's touch as well as each other's heartbeats and both can oftentimes lose themselves in the moment. In some ways, both people can feel like they have reached the highest peack of the mountain when two people have each other's arms around one another. Ultimately, one can have that mentality that the happiness that a person seeks can be found in his or her dancing partner and it can absolutely feel like Heaven.

Think about this, we all will encounter moments in our lives that will truly be memorable. It's those potential memorable moments that will ive on in one's own heart, mind and soul which when he or she looks back will put a smile on one's face. It's a moment that a person can't be able to shake and it will never be forgotten. If it were a possiblity, those special moments in one's life that he or she will go through, would be placed in a time capsule and stored aways for years to come. In the end, when it comes to precious moments such as a kiss, an embrace, or a dance between two people, a person simply has to close his or her eyes, and just live in the moment.

Keep The Faith

Percy Bysshe Shelly once said, ~If we reason, we would be understood; if we imagine, we would that the airy children of our brain were born anew within another's, if we feel, we would that another's nerves should vibrate to our own, that the beams of their eyes should kindle at once and mix and melt into our own, that lips of motionless ice should not reply to lips quivering and burning with the heart's bent blood. This is Love~ Every person has been or is in love with someone and there is one day out of the year that he or she can express one's love for that particular person and it is Valentine's Day.

In some aspects, it's a "holiday" that can either bring a good day or a bad day. Think about it, it's only one day out of the year a person, who is single, can get very depressed and somewhat bitter. Thoughts of wonder begin to creep into one's mind as he or she contimplates whether "the one" will step into our lives. For most people, they have already found the man or woman of their dreams. But for some, guys are trying to find the foot that fits the proverbial glass slipper and ladies are still waiting for their prince charming to sweep them off their feet and ride off into the sunset.

As with Valentine's Day, gifts are always going to be a factor, because the gifts one chooses can be a struggle to either find or make. It can get to the point where one gives up and simply goes with the proverbial standy which is usually flowers and chocolate. BUT if one is creative, he or she can express appreciation in a totally inventive, meaningful and thoughtful way like writing this thought for instance. I'm not the type of person who rarely ever reveals his sentimental side, but when occasions such as Valentine's Day rolls around, I can make an exception.

John Alexander Thom said, ~Human affection is like an island of warmth in a sea of indifference, like a campfire in a wintering wilderness. Valentine's Day is simply an occasion set aside for the celebration of that precious affection. We who feel the affection make a move in midwinter to convey some of that warmth; we send a card, write a note, telegraph some flowers, or make a long distance phone call. It takes off the chill; it gives us a stepping stone to spring.~ A person just has to keep one's heart open and focus on the positive, because one day Cupid will be on target for each of us.

In retrospect, a person doesn't have to spend a lot of money on gifts, cards, stuffed bears, or flowers. If a person creates something that comes straight from the heart it truly is the most special gift one can receive. Thinking about it a simple smile is considered the greatest gift a person can be given back for giving appreciation to those that are in one's life professionally and personally as well. In the end, I say this to each of you may the love you have already found last forever; but the love that is so elusive to you, will be found one day, just keep the faith.

To Whom It May Concern

Every person at some point in his or her life has had a secret admirer or was the secret admirer, who stood back in the shadows leaving a letter or letters that came straight from one own heart. About 2 months ago, a friend of mine came over to my house and asked me to help him write a letter to a girl that he had feelings for, but here's the kicker we were friends with her. In some way, I felt like Steve Martin in the movie Roxanne, helping the guy get the girl. In some aspect, I put myself in his shoes and basically wrote what I would say if it were me and this is what I basically wrote for him.

~It's not often that a woman like you can make me absolutely speechless everytime I see you. My heart is heavy for the simple reason that you touched it and brought it to life beating harder and much more faster. You simply take my breath away and it's not because of your physical beauty but rather the beauty that you don't show that you have inside of you. For those unknown qualities that you may not see in yourself can be seen in my eyes, which puts a smile on my face. There are times where I just wanted to walk up to you and tell you how feel but I felt it wasn't the right time.

For the light in your eyes shine brightly whenever I look at you and wonder if they will ever burn and shine brightly for me? If you, at some point, ever to look into my eyes, you will see all the feelings and emotions that I carry for you without even saying a single word. What I feel for you can't be expressed in mere words and if given the chance I hope to prove my worth to you. You have been a person that I consider a friend but right now, I am taking this leap of faith that I hopefully won't fall hard from. It's basically the risks one takes with one's own heart that makes great story book endings.

I am considered a gambler of sorts but I'm not gambling with money. You see I'm gambling with something that means more than any amount of money placed in front of me and that is my own heart. It is my heart that I am metaphorically placing on the table and win or lose I not only took a chance, but I have risked everything to tell you how I feel. For I have already shown my hand to you and all there is for me to do is wait to see on how you will respond. In the back of my mind I know you may not feel the same way I do and that is understandable, but at least you know how I feel and I have meant every word that I said to you in this letter.

I may or may not be the guy that you want in the end but what matters to me is you being happy. I have always been up front with you in every aspect except when it comes to you. I'm a guy that is truthful and honest when it come to the heart and have come to a crossroad in my life where I stood in front of two paths. I chose the path that leads to you and not the path that leads away from you. In the end, I don't regret what I said to you because they come from deep within my heart and soul.~ When I gave him the letter he put it in an envelope and simply wrote these 5 words on it: To Whom It May Concern.

The Greatest Days

Throughout a person's life, he or she has been told what to do on semi-daily basis as kids, as adults, and even as one reaches the latter days of one's existance. One has to the accept the fact that he or she will encounter people who have either complete or slight authority over each of us. Though we may not like it, one just has to grin and bear it, knowing that on the inside we're holding back what we really want to say to that person. At that point, one's proverbial fuse will be lit, but it's just a matter of cutting off that fuse before it ignites one's internal explosive mechanism that no one wants to set off.

As kids, the two most important people that have complete authority over you, well until you reach the age of 18 or 21, are one's parents. For they have devoted their lives to conitnually preaching to us, but sometimes we tend to not listen or choose not to listen to what they have to say, a tatic that has been done and absolutely perfected by most of us back in the day. In some aspect, each of us were mini-James Deans and considered ourselves rebels but with cause. Let me ask you this question, how far did you stretch the limits of your parent's authority back then and was it well worth in the end?

The adult years will reveal that authority figures such as professors and bosses will be constantly critiquing one's work and how he or she should be doing his or her job. Every college student has been in a situation where you worked hard on a research paper only to get it back and receiving a grade that he or she though it deserved to be higher. It's that way with one's working relationship with one's boss as he or she deserves compensation for the work that his or her boss takes credit for. It's that particular power of authority that can make a person increasingly bitter and not fun to be around.

In the latter days of a person's life he or she obtains wisdom and knowledge in which they are considered authority figures. As it has been said, one should always repsect one's elders because they have the right to say they've been there and done that. It's really amazing what stories one's own grandparents will share if you spending quality time with them. They can create mental picture in one's own mind that is throught provoking and mesmerizing. Undoubtedly, the respect given to one's elder who have gone through tough situations can be taught and passed to the younger generation.

In retrospect, there will always be authority figures looking over our shoulders and telling us what to do and not to do. But it all comes down to a person's attitude and how one carries himself or herself when confronted with authority. Each of us have pushed the limits of authority as a kid, stepping up to authority as an adult, and are or will become an authority figure through life experience as one reaches or has reached his or her latter years. In the end, the greatest days of a person's life is when he or she doesn't focus on authority, but focuses on living each day to the fullest and simply having fun doing it.

Layers

In some aspects, we all have layers which show sides of us which people either see or don't see. These layers each of us have can be compared to an onion. For if a person starts to peel away each layer, one will discover sides of him or her that one never new existed. We've all had at one point a pre-conceived notion about a person, but once you peel away the superficial covering, one can get a better understanding of who that person is on a deep, personal and emotional level. A level where one can either be friends, despise him or her even more, or completely fall in love with that person.

Personally speaking, the 3 layers which if you peel away little by little, you can get a better understanding of who I am as a person. If you ever meet me in person, you will be introduced to the first layer which will show my quiet, serious, artistic, and somewhat shy side. It takes a while for me to warm up and get to know people, for the simple reason that I am a cautious person. I have that mentality if I don't know you I don't trust you and you have to earn my trust. But once he or she peels away that somewhat rough covering, you will find a layer that people will enjoy and grow fond of.

My second layer, my laid back side, is what people start to see as I gradually feel comfortable around people that I get to know, plus more of my personality starts to show. One will get to see my goofy side in which my more sarcastic and cynical side, add that with my corny sense of humor plus my deep philosophical way of thinking, you got a guy who you can call a friend. A friend that will be there for you to listen, give advice, and talk to when you need some help. But be fair warned, I am somwhat of a practical joker and even though you are my friend you won't be safe, so watch your back.

My third and last layer is a layer that I rarely ever show or share with people that have gotten to know me and that is my emotional/sentimental side. I'm the type of person that has no problem saying how I feel in writing, but when it comes to trying to say it to a girl that I'm interested the words can't seem to come out. To be perfectly honest, it's somewhat of a rarity for me to share my feelings with someone that I like and have those feelings returned back, which has happened to me on several different occasions. Hey, I'm just a regular guy living a simplistic but yet complicated life, which is what everybody else is probably living as well.

Let me ask you this question, have you ever tried to figure someone out only to give up on that particular venture because you got nowhere or simply were frustrated trying? In any case, I don't claim to know everything about love, life, relationships and women, but I basically am a person who listens, learns, steps back to get/see the bigger picture and initially come up with these Yoda-isms that I send/write on a semi-daily basis. In retrospect, if you continually peel away layer after layer of a person, one will find his or her heart. A heart that has loved, that has hurt, and has never quit when faced with problems and obstacles that he or she has overcome. In the end, I ask you this question, what are your 3 layers?

Speechless

We all will meet or already have met that one person in each of our lives that will absolutely made us nervous and tongue-tied. It's like having your barin going on temporary vacation and the captain isn't manning the proverbial command center that is our head. On will just stand there absolutely dumb-founded trying to think of what to say, all the while hoping you don't act like a complete moron. Every person has been in this situation including myself when you are interested in a particular person who just abosolutely takes your breathe away every time you see or around him or her for any given time.

Let me ask you this question, have you ever been standing or sitting next to the person you are truly interested in and wanted to say to that person how you really feel but something stopped you or decided not to? We can soetimes second guess ourselves because one never knows how he or she may react or may not react at all. One has to take into consideration that person may not feel the same as your or preferably see you as just a friend. One can also have that brother/sister label placed on you which can really sting. It can really play with a person's mind so much that one can start to talk to himself or herself out loud, which can be somewhat embaressing.

There will be times where one can get bits and pieces to figure out if there is any interest at all from that particular person. It can sometimes be frustrating to destinguish interest because one can receive mixed signals that can totally confuse a person to the point of mouthing words, saying absolutely nothing at all, and throwing one's hands in the air. I've coe to the point where I stopped trying to figure women, it's absolutely pointless. One can continue to try to find those answers to the point where he or she completely takes over one's mindset. A mindset that was completely within all its faculties until he or she showed up unexpectedly and without warning.

For a person like myself, it's hard for me to express vocally how I truly feel about that girl I'm interested in. It's hard for me to go up to her and actually tell her that she is the most beautiful person I have ever come across. Each time I see you, there is always a smile on my face and when I have the opportunity to tell you how I feel, I stop and walk away. I am not the proverbial player or ladies man that will give you lines to get your interest and/or attention. In any case, I just bare my hear and soul in how I feelin writing and It's part of who I am. I can't change that and that is why I have been truly in love once in my life, and had that love reciprocated back 100%

In life we can regret the words that are said, as well as, the words not said from our own mouth. Each of us are capable of hiding our feelings for that particular person, but for how long? Someone once said, a person that can touch your soul can, in some way, look past the superficial, a person who is able to tickle your funny bone, and a person who is able to render you not able to form words just because of his or her mere presence, beauty, and overall character as an individual. In the end, each of us will come to a point where we can't even form words and will leave you absolutely speechless.

Stylin' and Profylin'

It's been said that one of the keys for being a success in life and/or business is how one dresses. Let me ask you this question, do the clothes that a person wears define him or her or is it the other way around? A man that is wearing an expensive suit, tie, and shoes will undoubtedly look much better than a man that is merely wearing normal everyday clothing such as a shirt, hat, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. This can also also to females as well. But there is a saying that goes that the clothes don't necessarilly make a person, it's the person wearing it who brings confidence and a little ego as well.

I know I'm getting old when I start off a sentence with kids today and I'm only 27. Well, kids today are more fashion conscious and want to pay more for the expensive name brands than the generic brands. Such name brands are Sean John, Tommy Hilfiger, Fubu, Rocawear, and the list goes on and on. My generation wasn't really concerned with fashion, we wore what we felt was comfortable and the only name brands that had our attention were the type of shoes such as Nike, Reebok, Addidas, Converse, and the list goes on and on. The 80's, the era of simplicity and I lived through it back in the day.

In my era of simplicity, ripped jeans, pegged pants, no fear t-shirts, and fanny packs were all the rage. It wasn't so much the name brand but how one looked in the clothes that he or she wore in the 80's and spilling over into the early 90's. Let me tellyou something, there are basically two reasons why I stopped pegging my pants in the early 90's because #1 it was to much of a hassle to continually fold them and #2 it started to cut off blood flow to my feet. When I look back at my middle school days, I actually look like a complete dork and ask myself this one simple question....WHY?

In some aspects, it's the trends that seem hip and trendy back then that make people cringe when looking at old pictures of themselves and ask why didn't someone stop us. As I'm getting older, I have to realize that I'm becoming an old fogey seraching for comfortabilty and dependabilty in pants and in shoes rather than style and flash. I used to buy shoes for the expressed purpose of looking good in them, now I buy shoes for the expressed purpose of finding those gel souls just to be comfortable. One just has to choose either being comfortable or uncomfortable just for the sake of looking good.

In retrospect, a person can be judged by how one dresses, but sometimes the way one dresses can mislead others into thinking who he or she really is. It's been said that you should never judge a book by it's cover, because what is shown on the outside is quite different when one opens the book and finds much more than he or she bargained for. If you think about it, clothing can show how confident you are, how trustworthy you are, how much potential you have, and how much respect should be given to you. In the end, if you are stylin' and profilin' you will be able to go places in life you never expected to go.

The Secret

Oftentimes a person can become jaded in his or her profession and/or trade as time goes by. One will tend to lose the desire and focus at one's particular job due to small or big things in his or her workplace. For a person cynical side will gradually emerge and take one's personality in a totally different direction. In a way, that particular person will slowly go "blind" as one's cynical side takes over and completely covers up his or her vision. If you think about it, every person has traveled down that path before but never really stayed that long enough to become that person you never wanted to be.

When it comes to one's profession, there will be politics involved that will, in some way, rear it's ugly head. One such aspect is in the working relationship between employees and/or bosses/supervisors. Over a period of time, one can witness the politics of start to develop as certain cliques or groups form which can divide a so called cohesive unit. These factions can have an all out battle of words John McEnroe style, in which people start to talk behind each other's back. Inevitably, it can get to the point of becoming a proverbial tennis match of he said, she said, trading shot after shot.

There will always be promises made concerning changes made in different areas in one's job. But as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. For the veterans, that have been there the longest constantly hear time and time again that things will change but they never do. For those that are rookies, they hold on to that sense of hope but for those that have been there before know only to believe when he or she see it. In any case, a person can be a witness to so many broken promises that anything that seems too good to be true is often considered an April Fools joke.

The basis of a strong cohesive workplace is measure but it's strong leadership. If you have strong leadership plus plus strong employee committment it equals out ot a better working atmosphere. Let me ask you this question, have you ever worked or been in a placethat defined both strong leadership and employee committment? One can sometimes feel like Indiana Jones as he or she is looking for the proverbial holy grail. One just has to have hope because even though it is hard to find, one's holy grail is out there, you just have to look hard.

In retrospect, in life there are times where each of us are fed up and had enough. About two weeks before Hurricane Ivan was going to hit the Panhandle, I seriously contimplated quitting the Youth Center because of the politics and basically just feeling burned out. It took a Hurricane to open my eyes and it gave me three reason to not quit. Reason one is I wanted to see my friends again and reason two is personal and basically coincides with reason three which I missed "my kids." In the end, the secret for longevity in any profession is that you got to love what you do, if you don't then you have to move on.

Time

You have to admit, we as human beings are always watching the clock eagerly awaiting time to either begin or end. One can't really help it because the fact is our lives are based on a planned schedule that can oftentimes not go the way we want. In a way, each of us want every second that passes by to count, because a person doesn't want to miss anything going on in his or her life. Inevitably, it's a little thing such as time that is considered to be the most precious commodity one never wants to waste when it pertains to a potential and/or significant relationship.

Let me ask you this question, have you ever been in a situation where time just stood still, in a manner of speaking, when that certain guy or girl indirectly entered one's life? It can be somewhat compared to a Hollywood movie where the "scenes" in one's life can play out in slow motion. It's a moment where he or she can literally hear the proverbial ticking of one's own heart as it beats away. In a way, those beats can represent a countdown in which one's heart may burst, not in a heart attack/cardiac arrest sort of way, but in a love at first sight way.

When one does finally establish a relationship of some kind with that particular person, each no longer considers time as a factor. Think about it, when you are with someone you truly care about or love, time can just literally fly by. The moments one spends with that particular person can seem like the eternity and the hands of time have just stopped for you two. Every person has been in this situation where it seems there will always be a proverbial time limit set, and if one doesn't use the time he or she has to one's advantage, then one will hear those two dreaded words, "Times Up!

It has been said that getting together is the hard part, but breaking up is the easiest thing to do. Sometimes in life, we simply don't understand why particular situations happen such as breaking up with someone. In any case, both the guy and girl have all the time in the world to figure out what went wrong in a seemingly tight relationship only to crumble right in front of them. Countless tears will eventually be shed and it's at that point one will hear ticking. Not the ticking of one's own heartbeat, but the ticking of the clock as it metaphorically slaps you in the face as time passes slowly by.

Someone once said, ~Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as much as how we lived.~ In a way, that is true, but when you truly care about or love someone, time is inconsequential and every moment can feel like an eternity, a feeling that one doesn't want to go away. I end this thought by saying, it takes seconds to spot someone, minutes to have a crush on someone, hours to like someone, days to love someone, but in the end, it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Promises

Think about this, throughout a person's lifetime, each of us have made promises to a certain person or a group of people. It's those promises that can be considered somewhat of an oral contract that may or may not be fulfilled. For we often say, "I promise to do this if you will do that for me," a statement that can oftentimes bite a person in the but so to speak. In any case, there are certain kinds of promises that person makes to another that can either involve one's own life or career.

As kids we've made countless promises to either our parents and/or teachers. It can be somewhat negotiated as both parties sit and discuss the particular subject at hand that is seemingly is important to them. Usually we want something in return, but sometimes those promises aren't met and it can leave somewhat of a bitter after-taste in their mouths. If you think about it, it's a constant cycle, for the countless promises made by us as kids will be potentially made by our kids one day.

Promises are considered sacred for it expresses commitment to be the person that one strives to be. Certain careers exemplify the promise a person makes in which one takes an oath such as doctor, lawyer, police officer, and the list goes on and on. For our own military took an oath to protect and preserve the rights of the people they serve under. Yet, it can be disconcerting when those promises are betrayed, which is why their is a universal belief that there is something powerful and sacred in a promise.

Marriage is a promise that a man makes to a woman and is expressed in these words: "I promise to be true to you. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." Eric From once said, ~To love means to commit one's self without guarantee. For me personally, when I eventually meet that woman that I will spend my life with, I will promise her this: Whether I'm in her life or not, I promise to always be there for her whenever she needs someone to talk to or just a shoulder to cry on. A promise that I truly intend to keep.

Let me ask you this question, have you fulfilled or kept the promises you have made in your life and/or career?~ I end this thought with a poem by Cas entitled The Promise:

I've heard many lovers promises
From a mountain to a sea
I won't do either of those
But here's your promise from me:
I promise not to leave you
And hurt you I never will
And if you ever have a doubt
That doubt I will kill.
I'll hold you for a lifetime
If you just let me in
I'll play the game of love with you
And we both will win.
I promise to be honest
And tell you how I feel
I think that together
We can make our love real.
So the next time you hear a promise
Of two lovers hearts
Remember my true promise
And I've loved you from the start.(/br)

The Biggest Impression

As it has been said so many times before, life can be considered a beach, for the footprints left behind can leave either temporary or lasting impressions. If you think about it, potential and/or significant relationships can fit into this particular subject. Let me ask you this question, how you ever met anyone that totally made, if any, an impression on you? If he or she did, how long did it last? In a way, it's the things that a person doesn't do that can leave an impression on a person and can bring two people together.

One of those things that a person doesn't do that can make an impression is not forgetting to notice the little things that can sometimes seem insignificant. Such little things as a noticing a hair cut, mainly for a women, and giving a compliment that brings a smile to her face that is considered best payment a guy can receive. It can also be extends to trying to make her laugh when she feels that like has kicked her to the curb. Leaving that seemingly small impressions of kindness that will never be forgetten as time goes by.

In some aspects what one doesn't do is in the quality of one's character that makes an impression on a person. One such character quality is never treating a women with disrespect, for they should be treated with the respect and dignity that they deserve. It's been said, that chivalry is dead, which in my opinion, it's just hibernating and waiting for that proverbial wake up call to be sounded. Though rarely seen, but still being practiced it's another seemingly small impression that is left will be remembered as well.

Taking someone for granted is the one thing that a person doesn't do, whether it be a man or a women. There have been many failed relationships where a guy or girl couldn't hold on to that person because one can become literally stupid for not cherishing what he or she has in front of him or her. Did you are have you known anyone in this particular situation or you yourself have been in this situation? It's just a matter of paying attention on a semi-constant basis which will leave a lasting impression on that guy or girl.

If you think about it, a person can make so many impressions on the sandy beaches of our life, that he or she doesn't realize how significant those impression are. Each of us met strangers that later down the road became friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and/or wives and it's one's first impressions that made all the difference. In retrospect, each of us will meet that one person who will ultimately will leave the biggest impression in our lives and that big impression will be made and felt in one's own heart.

Like Riding A Bike

William Golding once said, The journey of life is like a man riding a bicycle. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. We know that if he stops moving and does not get off, he will fall off. If you think about it, what he said can parallel the growth of a person from adolescence to one's latter years of life. In a way, when each of us are born into the world, immediately the training wheels are put on to protect us from the scrapes and bruises we will suffer.

Inevitably, those training will come off as the adolescent becomes a teenager and comes into his or her own way of dealing with the pressures of life. As teenagers, it can be a little scary as oneis somwhat set free of the rescritions that hold on back from taking all out risks. Speed is oftentimes a common denominator as one wants feel the rush of adrenaline as he or she experiences life, but under the watchful eye of one's parents. It's at a matter of patience as one's inner daredevil wants to emerge so badly.

As we reach adulthood one starts to learn the tricks of the trades and begins to ride the road of life as if he or she were inthe X-games. As said before, one's inner daredevil will begin to emerge and try stunts that no normal person would dare try, just say been there, done that. A person's ego can sometimes get the better of him or her as he or she tries to impress or show off to one's peers or that guy or girl. One will suffer broken bones that will leaves scars but that's the price one pays for the thrills of excitement.

For each of us will reach or already have reached the latter days of life; one's ability to stay balanced on the bike of life is becoming harder as time goes by. Each of us know that if we stop, we will fall and like it has been said so many times before, we've fallen and we can't get up. One will have the mindset that we're not young as we used to be, for the broken bones don't heal as quickly and we can't keep pace with the younger generation. For one day, we're going to get off that bike and not be able to get back on ever again.

Lance Armstrong spent much of his life on a bike and made a successful career out of it winning the Tour De France 6 times. Through those grueling trials he never gave up the up-hill battle, for he kept pedaling to the finish line. In retrospect, for me personally, it's gonna be an adjustment getting back into the groove of working at the Youth Center after being out of the game for about a month due to Hurricane Ivan. BUT as the saying goes, it's like riding a bike, one's own instincts will kick back in as you get on that proverbial saddle again.

More Than Just Words

In some way, our lives can be somewhat compared to a Hollywood movie that is in post production. If you think about it, each of us is a writer, director, and lead actor/actress of our proverbial script of life. No matter how embarrassing, corny, frustrating, weird, strange, and/or stupid one's own life can be, we live it day by day. One must accept the responsibility given to us because as the head writer, we are in control of what is written or not being written in the movie that we call our life.

We've all at some point wanted to rewrite certain situations or aspects of our life that were considered unmemorable and never wanted to be relived again. If each of us had the ability to go back in time, we simply would yell "CUT" and talk with ourselves on what we should do differently in that particular situation. One could only dream of that happening, but one just has to realize that the past pages of one's script has already been written and there is no point in trying to rewrite it over again.

Let me ask you this question, if you had the choice to pick a celebrity to play you who would be that one person? For we want that one person who is believable and convincing enough that he or she is each of us and conveys the words written on each page. In some ways, each of us wants to choose that particular actor or actress that best suits our own personality. In some aspects, the decision you make as a director/writer can determine if you have an academy award winning script or one that never sees the light of day.

As each of our scripts are still being written, a person will meet one's potential leading man or leading lady to fill that all important starring role opposite ourselves. If you think about it, each of us are still waiting for that position to be filled. Yet, as each of us meet potential leads to co-star will us, chemistry can oftentimes play a big part. It's that chemistry that can determine whether or not one wants to continue a partnership of sorts, which in the long run, may become permanent as time goes by.

In the whole scheme of things, our lives would be a whole lot simpler if we could continually yell, cut at any time and fix problems with just a simple stroke of a keyboard, pen, or pencil. For good memories would be kept in and out with the bad memories. In one's own mind it would work, but in reality, we have to look forward and keep writing our own personal story. In the end, what's written down on the pages of life are more than just words, they're our past, present, and future that each of us personally lived through or will through.

Windows To The Soul

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ~A person's eyes can threaten like a loaded and leveled gun. or can insult like hisses or kicking; or it's altered mood, by beams of kindness. It can make the heart dance for joy. One of the most wonderful things in nature is glancing into someone's eyes, it transcends speech, it is the bodily symbol of identity.~ If you think about it, Emerson describes the eyes of a woman and how exotic and powerful they are, but yet it can burn a hole in any person without warning.

In any case, have you ever noticed or at least walked by two people sitting across from each other and they are not saying a word. All those two are doing is basically looking into each other's eyes and letting their facial expressions do the talking. It's somewhat comical just observing that form of affection because one can't help but look. Let me ask you this question and to be honest, have you ever been in that particular situation where it can oftentimes be seen during precious moments such as Valentine's Day.

Someone once said, Look into my eyes and hear what I am saying, for my eyes speak louder than my voice ever will. Looking into someone's eyes, all forms of emotion can be expressed without even saying anything such as love, longing, anger, fear, confusion, deep thought, and a plethora of other emotions that reveal things about a person just by his or her eyes. A person can be "blind" when the eyes of interest are focused on him or her and it can simply take a slap in the back of the head to open them up and see clearly.

The question can be asked when you look into the eyes of someone you just met, can you instantly see a future with that person? It's really an unknown, but every situation is different for every person. It may take several gazes to get a better focus of who one is interested in. In some cases, one can look into the eyes of that particular person and see that missing piece of one's puzzle. For nobody wants to close their eyes for fear that he or she will vanish away and that particular person was merely a mirage.

In retrospect, the true beauty of a woman is not in the clothes that she wears, in the body that she tries to build, or the way she tries to fix her hair. Inevitably, a woman's beauty can be seen from within her eyes because it can be considered a doorway to her heart, a place where love resides. It's not the superficial beauty but rather beauty reflected in her soul. In the end, the passion she shows will keep growing as time goes by and is shown with her eyes which are considered to be windows to the soul.

Just An Observation

Have you ever just sat back and observed people, not in a creepy, stalking sort of way, but in a sort of way where one tries to figure out the type of person certain people are? It can be somewhat interesting just sitting back and learning the different sides and personalities of people that one knows or even doesn't know. In a way, a person can unofficially become a profiler and try to figure out what makes people tick by certain aspects of their life and the way one carries himself or herself.

It has been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. A person can definitely tell if the person one is talking to is telling the truth, lying, or whether or not he or she really has feelings for that particular person. One who is actively thinking about certain things tends to look to the right. One that is actively looking to the left is basically creating or inventing. Consciously or Subconsciously, every person does it and a keen observer can pick up on these things.

A person's body language can also tell a lot about a person as well. THe way a person walks can oftentimes tell if one is either laid back or uptight...most of the time. My own brother is a combination of both but leans more towards being uptight. If you ever see him walking, he walks like he is getting ready for a fight. Just preparing for any possibility of a throw down that might or might not happen. It's somewhat hilarious when it is pointed out to friends that haven't noticed and they get a kick out of it.

One could also get a feel, so to speak, about a person simply by talking with people. In a sub-conscious or even conscious level, one can get bits and pieces of information about a person that can describe a person without even knowing it. It's just a matter of picking up certain details and REALLY listening to his or her conversation. By doing that, one can be somewhat surprised of either how little or how much one knows about a particular person or person's just by a simple conversation.

In retrospect, every person has the innate ability to somewhat describe the people around him or her. One can meet so many people that oftentimes it can be hard to really figure them out. Yet, every person has made a lasting impression on people that has absolutely intrigued them. For that innate curiosity will make one want to find out more about him or her. In the end, when it is all said and done, all that I have said to you all today in this thought, is merely just an observation.