Time...is no friend of mine

"You may delay, but time will not"-Benjamin Franklin

Time has been on my mind a lot lately. This reeks of oddity. I am generally as unaware of its passing, as I am of the rapid oncoming of the events and appointments its passing causes to crash into me- colliding head on. Mostly I have become acutely aware of the fact that we never HAVE time.Neither do we command it, nor do we possess it. We merely choose to treasure it, or decide to reside in oblivion-land with regards to it. It has been argued in various schools of philosophy throughout the ages ,which pracice leads to a more abundantly lived life.

There are a number of things that I can say about time. Most of them have four letters and are words that I utter sparingly. I store them up for extra special occasions...so all those within hearing distance (2.37 miles) can be quite sure that I mean them sincerely with passion, rancor, heartache and fury...or any combination of the aforementioned. These are the very words I reserve for the day that is so tragically exhausting, and devastatingly exasperating, that it has voraciously sucked my will to live from my now lifeless form- one excruciatingly painful drop at a time. I am left with only its venom pumping through my veins. Yes I DO spend too much time and energy on Eclipse Blood Diaries (vamp math) thank you very much... Those days that rob me blind, leaving me bereft of two brain cells to rub together...It is on these days, that the simplest of words... the ones that function as multiple, vividly, colorful parts of speech, the ones I immediately associate with my feelings for time-come rushing like a hurricane through a weakened dam, from my defeated, defenseless lips.

Time...is a necessary evil. It is certainly no friend of mine. I have comprised a basic list of reasons why I would rather be locked in a small, door-less, white cushioned round room, with nothing to do but watch hour upon hour of Lifetime television with Nancy Grace, Rosie O'Donnell, and Nancy Pelosi- than to accept time into my inner circle.

Time, "the love I bear thee can afford no better term than this: thou art a villain."-Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

1. Time is unreliably illusive. What's the quote again? "A friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out?" Well since time goes sprinting toward the door like a receiver toward the end zone, just when you REALLY yearn for time with someone, or when you require time to complete something crucial? Like a preschooler on shot day, time is nowhere to be found. For this reason, illusive time belongs on the Deadbeat Friends List with Murphy...a healthy bounty on her head.

2. Time is cruel. So...you get used to it, you get used to the fact that when you need time to linger, she, in fickle fashion-leaves you defenseless. There you wait in futility-Emily Dickinson style, dress and all...alone at the altar of life. The one redeeming aspect, to this shady trait of time's (or so you think), is that when you have something tedious to do, something that you are dreading...then, at the very least-time will race speedily by. At least your suffering will be brief. Hold up. Not...so...flipping...fast. Here comes the cruel part. At the very moment, when beads of sweat are breaking out on your pretty little brow. When you are entering into fight or flight mode, and look to time for a reprieve...At that very instant, she alters the rules. She laughs maniacally in your sweet, panic stricken  face and takes a seat-making herself comfortable, kicking back-watching you squirm. And she sits, and she sits, savoring your misery. The flavor of it is so sweet on her arsenic-laced lips. See? I told you time is harsh.

3. Time is a schizophrenic clepto. Generally, time saunters through your life and uses her long sticky fingers to glob onto and snatch away that which you hold most dear. She sticks them treasure by treasure, surreptitiously in her bag the hue of the night sky, adorned with all the constellations in the galaxy. She has no need of the things she thieves, still she takes them because she can...and because YOU need them. She displays all of her stolen items in her vast mansion of infinite splendor, like a glass menagerie. The people and animals and friendships beloved and treasured by you and me, are all on display for her to glance at casually on her way to obtain more figures for her collection. Rarely however, a miraculous change occurs in time. Every once in a while, time's benevolent Mother Mary (full of grace)-like personality steps in and subjugates the wretched wickedly fickle clepto side. She only does this sporadically, so that you don't get too comfortable. But every so often, time gives you the bright, unexpected glimmering gift of herself. She is wrapped in gleaming unexpected hope, tied up in a bow of brilliant ruby. Selectively time allows you to drink in a moment with someone you cherish. She provides enough substance for you to inhale the moment deep into your lungs. The warm feeling of adoration seeps through your entirety. In its richness, that moment becomes more than a moment, it becomes a part of you. These gifted moments validate our daily struggles and answer all of our most troubling questions. It is this one...tiny, unpredictable aspect of time...that makes up for all of her unseemly, unbecoming ways. Makes us wish-beg even, for her to stay with us. This singular power that she possesses causes us to barter, plea...sacrifice ANYTHING in order for her to consider us worthy of such a generous gift.



All this said, I might as well accept time's existence, she isn't going anywhere. I won't embrace time.

Time...is no friend of mine. And while I am subject to time's shiftiness, her ambiguity, her cruelty, and her occasional generosity... you can't make me like it...and...it doesn't matter. Ever on she rages.

Here are some things that peeps with minds far superior to mine, had to say about time:

Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.  ~William Faulkner

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.  ~Henry David Thoreau

The clock talked loud.  I threw it away, it scared me what it talked.  ~Tillie Olsen

Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.  ~Dion Boucicault

Choices 101

"We've always got choices."

Those words have been and will continue to be-REPEATED and repeated & Repeated to us from diapers to...well...let's face it... diapers. *Queue The Circle of Life*

The choices that we make will not only mold who we will become as individuals, but they will dictate the paths our lives will take

As we have discussed before, cliches did not get where they are overnight. Obviously these trite sayings (that are like somebody poking you repeatedly with the same dumb, blunt stick)have survived generations for a reason. There is some truth to them. Like the ache the stick incites, you feel the reality of the cliche. There is no denying its existence-but that doesn't make its incessant prodding any more enlightening or any less grating. Eventually you become immune to its presence-you learn to tune it out. Not to mention, that the source of our irritation with cliches,is that they are ripe with generalities-they omit the individual experience. No one feels or experiences life in precisely the same way, no matter how parallel the circumstances. Yes the big picture exists, but as "they" say "(the good)God is in the details" (Le bon Dieu est dans le detail-Flaubert). Without the detail of her knowing smile and that mischievous gaze- Mona Lisa is an unremarkable, plain woman with drab hair and a shabby dress-in desperate need of a makeover. But her individuality, her human spirit...the artist's lifes wisdom reflected in her essence...aka-the details-transform her into a masterpiece. Back to choices-and where the cliche fails us-the truth about making and living with choices...is found almost exclusively in the details,in our making of them. The why, the how, the factors, the timing, the people involved, the circumstances, the cost. Choices are like snowflakes and stars-none of them are the same-because we are not the same. And when we change, what we choose and why
we choose it changes too. So...when looking at the choices that we make-we had better dot our i's and cross our t's...because it is ALL about the details.

So let's debunk it, you and me. Let's break it down. Here is the disclaimer on choices *spoken rapidly and often incomprehensibly*

1. We have freedom of choice. Not to be at all confused with controlling the options. If life gives you lemons, you cannot opt to turn them into strawberries. What you can do...is come equipped with an arsenal of lemon recipes; lemonade, lemon cream, lemon squares, lemon cake, lemon drops. This somewhat unfortunate reality often leaves us feeling as if the "choice" is not so much a decision on our part, as it is an acceptance of our fate. However giving into that line of thought leaves us feeling like pawns-will incapacitate you if you let it, and can thus be a pitfall. There are some clear choices that are definitely ours for the making-even if it is just "regular or diet?".

2. There is no Option D. If the options are not appealing, you may not select None of the Above, nor can you choose All of the Above when all the choices are equally sublime (not a common occurrence). You just have to "make it work". Shout out to Tim Gunn (Project Runway) *Hollah*

3. Making the right choice, makes no promise to feel good. Knowing it is the right choice needs to be enough of a reason.

4. Not making a choice-is making a choice. Your indecision allows the chips to fall where they may. When that happens, you and your indecision have no choice but to take your ball and go home for some humble pie (whatever the hheeecckk that means). And the next time you can bet your decision will step mightily up to the plate.

5. As a grown up-you come to realize that what is best...and what is best for you...are many times not the same. Suck it up...you know what the kitty said...

6. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20. Has been a few seconds since I had busted out any trite phraseology...and so, the time has come. Seriously though, time lends perspective. You may think at the time that you are making the wisest decision. You may have searched yourself, weighed the pros and cons, convinced your head and your heart to FINALLY agree on something...but over time you realize that the other option would have served you better in the long run. You have to forgive yourself, we learn from our mistakes..unless we don't-then we need to give ourselves a harsh talking to. You are not a fortune teller (if you are-and you failed to see what the outcome would be-maybe you should hang up your crystal ball and start searching Monster for new career options).

7. Being Happy is Your Choice Too Perhaps it is your most important choice because it is the one that will never fail you. Like almost everything-there is nothing simple about it. It is a tough decision to make because it is one that we must make again and again...and more times than not? You probably don't feel like it. But life is so incredibly much what we make of it, how we choose to view it, how much influence we allow our feelings to have, how much credit we give our brain, how much our conscience weighs that week. We can and should decide regardless what the circumstance, that we WILL be happy. That is one of a handful of choices that you will never regret. Even if you cannot muster a giddy happy? A refusal to be defeated still equals success in some situations.

Oh! Before I forget, the choice is yours. The consequences of your choices definitely are not up to your discretion, nor are they consistent. Just in case you haven't learned that lesson of eternal ambiguity just yet...

Slippery little buggers-those choices...

That concludes our dissertation on choices. I don't know about you, but perhaps we should choose to take this show on the road...Seriously though, it is a delicate balance, whether we make strong choices, whether we allow our failings to destroy us, or our great choices to blind us with misplaced arrogance. That too...is a choice we make.

Here is what some more credible peeps have to say about choices and decisions...

"I know who I am and who I may be, it I choose."-Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."-Kahlil Gibran

"Some choices we live not only once, but a thousand times over, remembering them the rest of our lives."-Richard Bach

"Man had no choice but to love. For when he does not, he finds his alternatives lie in loneliness, destruction and despair."-Unknown

You Give Change A Bad Name

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.
~Author Unknown

Here we are...two and a half weeks into the New Year. 20-10...WHERE oh where is my AMAZING Get Ready Machine as promised in the Jetsons??? Sigh...Can you imagine??? I actually CANNOT conceptualize what I would do with the endless hours that I spend getting myself, or someone else ready to go someplace. With ALL that time why,I could...I could...solve the energy crisis (laughably not likely) or...take up marathon running (prominently preposterous)...um...keep up with the Kardashians....hmm...yeah...just-no thank you. Regardless, I would figure SOMETHING out...something delicious. It is a VERY good thing both Hanna AND Barbera are gone. Otherwise, they would SO be getting sued by some crazy cake munching American tizzied over the delayed delivery of pretend said wonder machine-right...about...NOW! What?!? I didn't MEAN me...Anyway, I prefer taking my crazy juiced-not caked. So aside from feeling obliged to snag a pair of metallic go-go boots and act as a stand in Bond Girl(007-20-10)-um...cause THAT girl fantasy knocks Barbie out cold...and heeled knee high boots in a garden full of glorious shades? Kick plastic stiletto's lil glossy pink toosh...). What else can we do while waiting for our space cars to arrive? (I'll take mine in gun metal gray with a sparkly finish please.) You know the answer to that question as well as I do. We can toast the bubbly to a new year. We can resolve in this new year with its new chances to make promises to ourselves that we have no true intention of keeping. Like when we set our clocks ahead in the mad hope that we will miraculously shave eight minutes off our best time. Imagining that we will leap out of bed promptly and gracefully. That our coffee will perk three minutes and twenty six seconds quicker and somehow taste richer, and our right shoe won't hide out under the darkest corner of the bed on the day that our hair took extra time to not turn out exactly the way we'd hoped. Then and only then will we magically be prompt-early even because we have "tricked ourselves" into it. It doesn't work that way though, does it? Because even in our usual flurry of activity we are smarter than we give ourselves credit for. In that panicked moment, when we glance frantically at the clock-we breathe a mammoth sigh of relief because we know that we have twelve minutes to race to said undisclosed location...and we also know we STILL won't make it-that STILL won't be enough-because we have an internal aversion to precise promptness. Time is many things:sneaky, shifty, evil... A friend? It is not. Yet still, like the clock "trick",we resolve. Every year, we resolve. We maintain our relentless, often foolish optimism and when the clock strikes twelve on the new year-we vow to ourselves that we will tame our cravings, minimize our faults, fade our idiosyncrasies, be more patient,more productive, shop less, be less impulsive, less sensitive, more brave, and less well...you.

So why do resolutions generally fall flat on their ray of sunshine faces before we witness the passing of January 23rd? It's not because we all couldn't use a little touching up or a tweak here and there. Nor is it because we should in any way refrain from bettering ourselves-expanding our often limited horizons.If we stop learning, cease to experience, retreat from challenges-we grow stale. We stop living, and just exist.Blah! Who wants that? If your life role could be played adequately by an extra? You're doing it wrong-and we all slack periodically-but there is a difference between a phase and a practice...although the one, effortlessly grows into the other. There are a few sabotaging factors when it comes to setting resolutions and seeing them through.

1. First, we make unreasonable requests of ourselves. In order for a resolution to be do-able by you, it has to ACTUALLY be-well, do-able. You cannot lose twenty three pounds in a week, quash seventeen years of bad habits in a day, or fix your faulty relationships with a crinkle of your nose. Unless you have a super turbo, tres magnifique wand? If you do- can I borrow it?? Set fair expectations for yourself.

2. The second fail factor is that we often set not one resolution, but multiple resolutions. Rome wasn't built in a day...and your massive reconstruction could take years and will likely overwhelm you at times. It took you a llloooonnnggg time to take on the unsightly traits, habits, pounds, dead weight in the form of sketchy time, energy and emotion-suck...it will likely take a lllooonnnggg time to unload them. Give yourself sufficient time...and take your resolutions like you take your days-one at a time. P.S.- if you drop your cute resolution ball one day? Pick it up and try again the next, don't be in a rush to retire it.

3. The third reason resolutions are well, often less than resolute? We don't accent the positive. As creatures that often view change as a negative, we inexplicably tend to focus on the "don't", rather than the "do". Okay so maybe this is another Jedi Mind trick (Geek-Chic)-but this one may actually work. Instead of "don't drink soda" try "drink more water"...Focusing on the things you want to do-could prove to be the missing piece to the positive alteration puzzle. Maybe you were just waiting for you to ask yourself nicely.

4. Finally, not to get all Shrink-y on you- but seemingly the changes we often want to make are symptomatic of deeper issues. If the deeper issue is not addressed, the symptom will continue. Perhaps an uglier, far less pleasant one will take its place-while the real cause grows and festers...(gross word-fester).Would be a bit like having stomach cancer and rather than investigating that further, od-ing on Pepto and Prevacid in an attempt to alleviate your discomfort. May make you feel better, but the thing you aren't looking at could wrap around you, poisoning you and possibly lead to your emotional, mental or physical demise...dun-dun-dun...I apologize for the dark turn. Aka- Get to the root so you don't get weedy.

Whoop-there it is...Heading into this new year of 20-10 clad in mini-dress or tux take your pick (Bond-ref again)let's by all means, get a little shinier, smarter, smilier and wiser. But unless we want our resolutions to turn out like another sad lil season of the Bachelor (they're not finding happily ever after THAT way, any more than MAC is having a Free Fab Eye Shadow Day...not gonna'happen-never,EVER,never)let's just not get crazy-er with our hope for change. Hope and change-both noble endeavors the one aiding and abetting the other. But? we already possess the shiny, smart, smiley, wise...they were gifted, some earned through blood loss, sleep loss, tear loss. It is the "er" we are seeking. So toss, delete, burn your list of how not to be yous...and pull a redo. Try making a list of the things you want to see in yourself, those qualities that you see if you squint, and make a plan of how to do it better...hence the "er" list...Ready? let's get "er" done.

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice."-T.S. Eliot

Just Because You Can...

"Nothing in life is free"...is a statement that we hear frequently. Perhaps it should be revised to state that "Nothing of true, deep, substantial, lasting value comes without a price"...Such is the case with freedom.

Freedom is this unblemished, indescribable,ungraspable,incomprehensible gift...it is vast,intangible and without boundaries. Contrary to the accepted meaning of "free" however, freedom is ANYTHING but. It has been and continues to be paid for with precious life, valiant sacrifice and truer honor than most of us have been in the presence of or could possibly appreciate in full. For Americans,our freedom is a birthright. Like most things that we don't personally have to toil to get, or strive to keep, or give of ourselves to earn-freedom is a "right" that most of us take for granted. Primarily because we don't know any different.Freedom surrounds us like the air that we breathe. Constant and unfailing as the sun that brightens our sky, smiling down on us as it drenches our skin and whose setting marks the passing of our days.The United States has come to represent and occasionally to be resented for our freedom(or at least for the perceived recklessness with which we utilize that freedom). The symbolic soar of the majestic eagle's wings spread wide,the right to vote for the man (and hopefully one day soon,the woman) who will have the final say on the all important decisions that eventually effect us all. The freedom to DO,and to SAY,and to BE as we please. How we adore ranting about the freedom we have to say this, or to do that! Free to read a controversial book, to burn our Country's flag in protest,the liberty to worship (or not) at the altar of our own choosing. Our freedom has been paid for and continues to be preserved...and to us it IS free for the experiencing and all too often, for abusing.

In actuality however, the freedom we relish-came at great cost. Seemingly,out of respect,out of appreciation and gratitude to those that paid the price of our freedom. Isn't there an unspoken meager price tag dangling from the torch of Liberty that reads simply, "Responsibility"? Is respect-in the form of tact and general taste too much to ask for in return for human sacrifice? Seemingly, it should go without saying that as American citizens each of us has a responsibility to conduct ourselves with some fragment of dignity. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the issues and to vote knowledgeably-to do what we can to make America a place worth fighting and all too often...worth dying for. Doesn't each of us bare an obligatory moral burden to not exploit the freedoms that others have won for us-to see to it that the blood of so many courageous men and women was not shed in vain? In the name of our FREEDOM-there are Mothers without Sons,Husbands without Wives, Children growing up without their Mommys and/or Daddys. I believe a treasure so precious and a sacrifice so profound is not to be accepted carelessly,or handled thoughtlessly. What little is asked from us in return for our lives as we know them. The lives that other people in distant places can only covet out of their starvation, deprivation and oppression.

Taking freedom for granted is not only relevant with regards to patriotism, but it seeps into our personal lives as well. There is a world of things that we CAN do-things that we have the ability and the resolve and the permission to do, but does having the right, make it RIGHT? In life, when we abuse our freedoms-allow them to run rampant and without discretion or regard for others...we typically have those freedoms revoked. Whether it be trust, or love, or the right to drive a car that is stripped from us...If we fail to regard the freedoms we have been given, there are always consequences- often life altering consequences.Though seemingly contradictory, having FREEDOM to do as we will...is a weighty thing. Just because you CAN (are free to) do something...doesn't mean that you SHOULD do it. I said it...I am AWARE than I am implying a degree of accountability here. If that is too much for you-this would be a perfect point for you to stop reading.I (of course) say that in the greatest love...just slip out the back.I will pretend not to notice...

Just because you have the liberty to say or to do something-doesn't make it worth voicing, or desirable or worthy for others to hear,to see,or to experience. Just because you have the ability and the "right" to insult your boss's poorly selected toupee, doesn't make it a sound choice for you to do so. As a grown up(hopefully) you know better. I assume that you have not arrived at this point in life without obtaining SOME sense of judgment. Not only would mocking his Trump-like coif dent his ego and possibly hurt his feelings, but he in turn, has the "right" to immediately dis-employ and kill the professional reputation of you and your unfiltered, now unemployed mouth.Similarly,when our Founding Fathers established that we should all have "freedom of speech,"I somehow don't think they had t-shirts with profanity and President bashing bumper stickers in mind. OKAY-so those things didn't exist then, but the point is there and somewhat valid, buried someplace underneath my poorly executed example. Furthermore, on a global,national and personal level-at what point does exploiting our freedoms infringe on the liberties of others? Of course, we are free to wear these things and plaster them on the back of our vehicles,to speak out against what we believe to be injustice. But for those that drive behind us or pass us on the street-reading said shirts/stickers is an involuntary act-it just happens. If that person is offended by explatives or harsh language, aren't their rights then, being disregarded? Naturally, we all have opinions on almost everything, well founded or not.Thankfully, we have the ability to voice those opinions in practically any manner that we see fit. Do we HAVE to be told as grownups that if you can't say, do, wear, apply something "nice"-worthwhile, or edifying...that it is often best not to say anything at all? If faced with the hesitant eyes of a young soldier headed to war, or the grief stricken face of a child from a third world country who is raising her siblings because her parents were ripped from her by disease...would our priorities be altered? Would our harsh manner soften, would the worthiness of our statements be reevaluated? I would like to think so...I know mine would.

As an reminder of Freedom's richness and our role in celebrating it,let us use Presidential elections as another example because it is still somewhat relevant.This past election and the two proceeding it, were fairly heated ones. Granted,if your candidate didn't win-you are entitled to disappointment-perhaps a week or two of verbal griping and possibly even pouting. You are free to voice that opinion however you choose.But when the campaign hangover comes to an end,let us not lose sight of the fact that even in our personal defeat-we are still victorious. There is some dignity maintained by the Presidential office. Shouldn't we support the Individual occupying that office because they were elected by our fellow Americans,in this Country where we are so blessed/lucky(depending on your perspective)to have been born.A place where every vote counts.Whether we agree or disagree,shouldn't we be happy to have choices when so many others do not? Even if OUR personal voice is not the one that rings loudest in this round, are we not still fathomless bounds ahead of numerous countries worldwide...to be able to speak at all? We speak loudly and often without fear of our safety, or the safety of our loved ones being placed in jeopardy...we have been granted a voice.


Certainly, we will not be pleased with every move an Elected Official makes and we have the liberty to say as much. Still, it seems that with regard to our political views,perspective often goes flying out the window at Andretti-speed.Every Flesh and Bone Individual is bound to do something we do not approve of, and yes...to make mistakes. Each of us fails habitually, sometimes miserably. Why should a Politician be any different? Does the title of "President" somehow render the Possessor infallible? Obviously,the accountability of our Elected Officials is much greater on a national level, than our own because of the deep ramifications their actions and behavior hold for so many. There are no small errors when one achieves that level of power. But before we don that uncouth shirt, or mount that hate inspired sticker...perhaps we should stop and think for a millisecond. Are we ranting and lashing out simply because we can? What is the PURPOSE of placing that sticker, or wearing that shirt? Are we truly hoping to enlighten someone? It has been my experience, that offending others and putting them on the defensive, is not conducive to opening their minds to a new perspective,or their hearts to possibilities. We are each free to say anything that we please, yes...but at what point does it become the din of the spoiled and the rantings of the ungrateful? How far do we go, before we are insulting those who paid our debt? Have we become so jaded, childlike and arrogant that we can no longer feel the need to act as adults and be accountable for our actions and our words? Think of all the wasted, empty, hurtful words we banter in the name of entitlement. By no means, am I suggesting that we keep silent...just that we practice tact and exercise maturity when using the voice that most of us have not earned for ourselves.

Yes, freedom is ours for the taking. But if a Stranger knowingly throws himself in front of a bus to save our lives- do we not then OWE it to our Benefactor to not only be responsible with our own life, but to live it in gratitude and with inspiration. It would be careless and insulting for us to achieve anything less than greatness with our new lease on life-purchased at the greatest cost for us(although unsolicited)by another.

I realize this one is a bit soap boxy, it is not my intention to preach, lecture or chastise. It is merely that daily I encounter situations and individuals (including myself) doing and saying things JUST because they can...and it makes me wonder if this behavior is not only frivolous but irresponsible. I am uncertain when qualities such as purpose,forethought,and accountability went out of fashion. I don't know when the tantrums of the few, began overshadowing the ambitions and principles of the many. I am at a loss as to why in order to be considered progressive and forward thinking, one has to have extremist positions and possess a touch of ex-patriotism. I somehow missed when screaming, red-faced and venomously...became an effective method of communicating anything. Truly neither left, right or in between is innocent of behaving a bit like a petulant three your old...screaming shrilly, fists flailing...JUST because you have a voice. Yelling is rarely the best way to be heard. None of us gravitates toward the obnoxiously loud person in life...the one constantly ranting and raving because s/he seemingly loves the sound of her or his own voice. Instead we are moved by the calm melodic tones of wisdom and of assurance. How much more receptive is each of us to truth no matter how harsh, when it is spoken to us in kindness, in whispers, in song, with respect...?

What this looks like to me personally? I am not exactly sure.I desire and aspire to live a gracious, intentional life. A life that brings joy and fulfillment,empathy, richness and assistance...laughter and love to those around me. If for no other reason, than because countless sacrifices have been made in the name of my freedom to do, say, and be the person-live the life that I choose. It is my wish that when life's-door is closed upon me-that I have celebrated, appreciated and put my liberty to good use...Not just because I can- but because I believe it to by my obligation and I accept it gratefully.

*To clarify these are often nothing more than lofty ambitions of mine. I am not in any way claiming to possess any, nevertheless all of these noble characteristics.*