It's been a while...

Gusby, buddy, pal,

It's been a long time since I've felt like I had something worthwhile to say; something that you, and the friends and family who read this blog, would find interesting.

Then it dawned on me, I actually have quite a bit to say, and it doesn't matter who finds it valuable... if I want to say it, I should!

But in the interest of friends and family, I thought I'd put it to a vote. I have a few topics that I have more than a few words on, and I'd like to see who wants to read what first.

In no particular order, the topics of choice are:

Reiki and Me, A Study in Energy

Matters of the Heart, to Help by Being Absent (a story about Jasmine)

Happiness and the Pursuit Thereof (what defines my life?)

Introducing an Impressionable Soul to Alternative Spirituality, Do I or Don't I?

These are just a few of the issues which you, Gusby, can help me understand better through my own writing. And these are just a few of the issues which you, friends and family, can use to better understand me through my own writing.

So how about it, folks, any preferences as to what you'd like to read about first?

What does it mean to be happy?

Yo Gusby!

I was just outside, enjoying the brisk fall evening, watching the stars and thinking about my life. I thought to myself, "If someone asked me, right now, to describe my life in a single word, what would that word be?"

I replied, "Happy."

Which got me thinking... What does it mean to be happy?

For some, it's driving an expensive automobile. Others, living in a big house. Or making lots of money. That fancy new cell phone everyone either has or wants. But that's not what makes me happy.

I think that being happy means wearing rose-colored glasses. Now, I don't mean wearing blinders, to hide everything you don't want to see, but seeing things differently than you have in the past.

Life isn't just a series of upgrades and purchases... it's about achievements and accomplishments... those things in your life that you've done that you can take some pride in, because they were wholesome and valuable. Like watching your child playing with friends, then resolving the conflict of who gets to go across the monkey bars without yelling or pushing. Like knowing, really knowing deep down inside, that your mere existence brings joy to another.

Being happy isn't about things, it's about people... and staying happy means you need to learn to see things differently than our consumer culture programs us to see. You have to put on the rose-colored glasses.

That stressful situation that keeps you up at night; it's not a failure, it's an opportunity to learn another method of overcoming an obstacle.

Your partner has an annoying habit; it's not something to fight about, it's a part of the entirety that makes up the whole of the person you're choosing to be with.

When you walk the path of personal growth, there comes a point where you just accept. People are who they are. The bad people are building up karma, and the good people will walk with you. The trick is surrounding yourself with the good ones, the people who will stand by your side, regardless of the obstacles facing you, the ones who support you no matter what.

You know as well as I do that I'm thankful daily for the woman I've chosen to marry, that she above all others is by my side, walking and supporting. But there are many people in my life, and I can honestly say that the people that I've chosen to let in are good people.

So Gusby, let us turn for a minute, and address the people in my life.

If you are in my life, then know that I have seen you. I do not know everything there is to know about you, but I have looked into the core of your being, and I love it. For all of your faults, for all of your quirks, the crazy, the literal, the loving, the humor, the everything... I accept. And I am grateful that you have chosen to have me in your life.

That is what it means to be happy.

November 10th

Yo Gusby,

I think I'm done with the angry rants for a while. Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations, though. It's nice to have someone to talk to when I feel like people are out of control.

Today, I'd like to talk to you about November 10th.

When I graduated from Dunwoody in June, I spent some time sending out resumes left and right, 5-10 per day, for an entire month. It was nearly a full-time job, hunting for work, and I didn't get a single call or email about any applications. When I realized that no one wanted me as a welder, I gave up. I stopped hunting. I stopped applying. I fell into a trench of depression, complete with nearly overwhelming feelings of self-worth, and my lack thereof. I mean, here I was, another $24,000 in debt, with a professional talent that no one wanted.

Early October turned things around for me. I re-read some books I'd forgotten about, and I decided to open myself to change. I threw wide the doors of spiritual reception and listened carefully for the response. What I heard was astounding and astonishing.

I am not your typical American worker-bee. The 9-5 cube-monkey crunch that most Americans toil through, suffering daily for something as minor as a paycheck that isn't enough... that wasn't for me. I was told, and I'm still being told, that I need to follow a different path to financial security and contentment. I was also told that I needed to stop measuring my personal value with a paycheck. It doesn't matter if I make $15,000 a year or $1,500,000 a year, so long as I treat my loved ones with kindness, respect, and fairness. Our happiness is NOT dictated by how much money we make! I am not valued only for my financial contribution to my family, but also for my love, commitment, and all of my other contributions.

I can't buy my wife fancy new shoes, or a Coach purse, but I sure as hell can put a smile on her face when she comes home from a long day. And you know what? That's actually enough for me. The term "house husband" has been thrown around a bit, and rather than be put off by it, I feel it's a compliment. I met some housewives a few weeks ago, and they were strong women, who provided a true value to their families, who deserve respect for the effort they put into their lives.

But I digress (again), 17 days ago, I was reading a book on Mayan prophecy and their Tzolkin calendar, when I was struck (and struck hard) by a feeling, a sensation that November 10th was going to be the beginning of the end of my financial worries.

This feeling has stayed with me over the past two and a half weeks, and grown in strength. The more I thought about it, the more it just felt right. Conversations with my spiritual advisory team all seemed to support and confirm my feeling. In fact, my one of my spiritual advisers talked to one of her spiritual advisers, and he talked about me! This feeling, this energy surrounding me, is large enough to impact near-strangers... which only lends more credence to it!

When I realized that today, November 10th, was going to be such a big day for my financial trouble, I stopped even the half-hearted job-hunting that I had been doing. I've spent the last few weeks preparing and getting ready, and opening myself to whatever opportunity you decide to send my way, Gusby.

This morning, I awoke to a message that said, "I saw this position and thought of you. You're quite qualified for it, and it's at a company that you trust, morally and ethically." It's not the perfect position for me, but the feeling I've been having has never seemed like it was going to be a permanent (5+ years) solution for me. It has always come across as a temporary solution. And since I now know what I need to do, and how I can earn money while I work on what I need to do, I'm positive that things are turning around.

It's a good time in my life, Gusby, and I have you (and me) to thank for it.

Ignorance

Gusby,

I've had enough. I can't take it anymore.

The Christian Zealots (CZs) have gotten to me. They preach from 2,000 year old words that not only have been inaccurately translated, but have been redacted, edited, and otherwise twisted by power-hungry tyrants.

They claim that their bible dictates that marriage can only exist for a male/female joining. As if their version of God has a copyright on marriage? Did He patent it nearly, what, 10,000 years ago when societies started recognizing the permanent joining of two people?

A man and a woman, joined legally by the State, without a single word or piece of rhetoric about God or Christ, are married. A judge performs the "ceremony", which can be as simple as asking each in turn, "Do you enter into this union willingly?" Two questions, two answers, two minutes, marriage.

Do the CZs claim that this marriage should be called a civil union? No, because it's a man and a woman. The hypocrisy is baffling! That anyone can be so small-minded and ignorant, especially in this day and age, is truly astounding!

And yet, when two men or two women want to legally recognize their love for one another, they are met with open hatred and disgust! By people who supposedly espouse the teachings of a man famed for his compassion, understanding, and acceptance of all creatures on this planet! Were there no gays 2,000 years ago? Of course there were! Homosexuality has been present in homo erectus for over 20,000 years!

The old clichè, "Money is the root of all evil," has it's basis in truth, but I would dare to take it one step further: "Christianity is the root of all evil."

Until Christians came onto the scene, nearly every last civilization on this planet had a very limited concept of money. The vast majority of cultures operated on a trade and barter system. You bring me some wheat, I'll bake you some bread for it. But there's enough bread from the wheat that I can also trade it for that new spoon, or some yards of cloth.

Hell, even the original Church was based on trade and barter. You give me food, build me a castle, dress me up in fancy robes, and I'll save your soul. It may not have been the original con (I think that was the whole, "Which of these three coconut shells has the rock underneath?" thing), but it was certainly the greatest.

"Listen up, folks... make me rich, and suffer through this life, and I promise you eternal salvation." Tons of gold, given away by idiots who didn't want to think for themselves for fear they'd be prosecuted as witches and blasphemers, for a couple words. The best paying con in the world.

But I digress. The CZs need to be ignored. We all need to teach our children to love and accept. Black, white, yellow, brown, gay, straight, male, female, tall, short, fat, skinny, blonde, brunette... none of those classifications and labels truly gets to the meat of the matter: We. Are. All. People.

Christ's Golden Rule wasn't "Treat other CZs the way you want to be treated, and enslave the rest."

Give up your tyrannical hatred of Others. Seek the light, love and harmony that your savior promised you... not through blind obedience, but because treating everyone fairly is the most honest and "good" way to live.

If a person treats you well, return the favor... regardless of any visual labels.

I need help!

Gusby,

I am seeking, desperately, a career that I can be happy with... for more than six months.

In classic Western astrology, I am a Virgo. Analytical, observant, helpful, reliable, precise, skeptical, inflexible, cold, interfering, independent, highly intelligent, dwelling too much on the past, straight thinker, truthful, loyal, determined, emotionally detached, living in my mind, retreat rather than discuss personal issues, excellent memory. I need to be organized internally, which often leaves me frozen by indecision, since internally there is too much going on to achieve perfect organization.

"Virgo exists in the mind, everything is inside. To the world, Virgo presents a calm and collected exterior but on the inside, nervous uncontrolled intensity in the mind, trying to figure things out, how to improve everything, analyzing and thinking. Virgo can tire itself out without even moving! Virgo has a constant drive to improve and perfect."

After quoting this paragraph, my first response was to apologize for the lack of sentence structure and proper grammar. In fact, it was extremely difficult for me to type the quote exactly as written, rather than to edit it for perfection.

All of this is true about me, and it's frightening in its accuracy.

The two major career paths that most astrologists agree upon for Virgos are teachers, and anything dealing with numbers (mathematician, accountant, etc.). I agree with this completely, as I am at my most serene when I am dealing with things that have static, irrefutable meaning... or showing someone how to do something they couldn't previously do. You can't argue when 2 = 2, and the look that people get when they finally understand something new is incredibly rewarding.

Other common careers, though not quite as widely accepted, are writers, and customer service. An innate talent for words and communication, as well as the ability to read people's needs and desires lend very favorably to these choices. Let it never be said of me that I lack the ability to communicate effectively.

In Chinese astrology, I am the Rooster. Quick thinker, practical, resourceful, keenly observant with a fine eye for detail, straightforward, places high value on honesty, perfectionist, controlling, excellent people skills, logical.

Again, all of this is true and frightening.

This zodiacal sign also promotes numbers and teaching as career paths.

According to the Mayan Tzolkin calendar, I was born under the energy of N'oj, the symbol of learning.

Intellect, knowledge, wisdom, spiritual learning, education, humanities and psychology are all governed by this energy. "It is the power of thoughts and ideas, the brain, development and earthquakes." This energy champions nobility, patience, prudence, love, clarity, communication and extreme trust. They are faithful by nature, enjoy calm relationships, and give their partner room to develop. [Perhaps by being so trusting and independent?] They are idealists and dreamers, students, whose greatest challenge is to come down to reality. Visionaries and initiators of change, unhappy with the status quo, marked by the search for the profound. Tireless investigators and avid readers, eventually coming to art to communicate and express. Extremely honest, conceited and proud, arrogant, verbose and inflexible.

They are primarily known for becoming healers, defenders of justice (Roosters and Virgos are also well-known for becoming lawyers and judges), artists, a deep-seated desire to perform services for others and having a deep concern for children and the elderly.

Once again, truthful and frightening.

All of this, every last bit of self-enlightenment, leads to one solid conclusion. I should be a math teacher, and I should teach it to K-12 students.

But I don't feel it, not entirely. I feel that I would be happy teaching, and not just K-12... I would enjoy teaching anyone who wanted to learn (which means I should focus on either the very young, or the old-enough-to-want-more-education... teenagers are out.).

There are multiple problems associated with pursuing this path for my life.

First, teaching requires education... and in our society, that means formal education from an accredited higher learning organization.

Second, acquiring that education takes time. While I am certainly not afraid of taking the time to become educated (3.95 GPA and >99% attendance in all of my post-secondary education), I am unsure where I will find that time, because of...

Third, education is expensive. Extremely expensive. In addition to the requirement of earning enough money to pay for the education, I also need to earn enough money on top of that to support my family. Boiled down to hard numbers (which I like), I would need to bring home $3,500-$4,000 per month, after taxes, to support my family and continue my formal education.

Fourth, earning $5,500-$7,000 per month would require having a full-time job that pays $66,000-$91,000 per year. Of course, if I also wanted to attend school, I would instead need a part time job that paid $64-$89 per hour, for 20 hours a week. Do you, dear Gusby, think it's possible for me to get a legal job that pays me $75/hour, would work with my flexible school and home-life schedule, without the benefit of even an Associates Degree? Doing something that I could, at the very least, tolerate for more than half a year?

That sort of pay is entirely possible for me, once I have an advanced education... but in this case, the egg definitely came first, and it has yet to be determined whether or not it's fertilized. Do I get to eat once, or do I get to eat for life?

I am relying on you Gusby. I am relying on you to provide me with the opportunity that will help me get my life moving again, down a path that I can feel pride in walking. I promise I'll try very hard to step outside of my own brain long enough to notice it.

-A

P.S. Having a boat-load of cash from the lottery would make all of those problems disappear... just so you know.

Oh @#$%, I didn't see you there...

This is Part Two of an ongoing How-To series that started with apologizing successfully.

Today's topic: How To Merge Into Traffic.

We all know someone, or have seen someone, who completely and utterly fails at merging into highway traffic. Whether it's as simple as not looking to see who might be in the target lane, or entering the highway at a mere 20 mph, millions of people fail on a daily basis. Sometimes the cost of this failure is getting honked at or flipped off. Sometimes, it is much, much higher.

Let's start with some common mis-perceptions:

1. They'll see me coming and get out of the way.
2. My phone call is too important to pay attention to anything else.
3. I'll save gas by accelerating very slowly.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that a good majority of the people on the highway will see you failing at merging. They know you're coming down the ramp, and chances are, they will get out of your way. Very few people honestly believe that they are the most important thing in the universe and so they freely give up their personal space to anyone who acts like they just might be more important. The problem with relying on this approach is that, eventually, you'll meet someone who is more important than you, who will be counting on the fact that YOU will see THEM coming, and will make way appropriately. When the two of you interact on the highway, only bad things can happen.

Now for Mr.-(Or Mrs.-)Very-Important-Phone-Meeting. Your call may very well be important to you. It could be the meeting that reveals a legal detail that allows you to put the law-breaker in jail for half a century, stopping the serial killings that have been plaguing the country for months... Or, more likely, it's you just asking your significant other if they want you to stop at Wendy's or Taco Bell for dinner tonight. I have a surprise for you... Your call is less important than your life, and the lives of everyone that you're going to blithely plow into on the highway. Hang up the phone and focus on not killing yourself and everyone around you. At the very least, get a hands-free set and pay attention to the road.

Ah, the environmentalist in the hybrid. You know, you're doing your part for the planet, and that's awesome. Good for you. But you're dead wrong. Accelerating slowly on the highway actually burns quite a bit of extra gas/diesel/biofuel. I'll show you how: Everyone on the highway is going 60 mph. If you accelerate enough to be going 40 mph when you enter the highway, you'll save (yay for made up numbers) 0.05 gallons of extra fuel. When you calculate that you enter highways about 40 times per week, that adds up to a pretty significant amount of saved fuel. Unfortunately, you failed to take into account the gas mileage of every single person who you just forced to slam on their brakes. See, you forced 5 (yay for more fake numbers) people to decelerate to 40 mph to avoid hitting you and each other. Now you have a total of 6 cars who need to accelerate from 40 to 60 mph. If they were all hybrids like yours, that's a total of 0.30 gallons of fuel that didn't need to be wasted. But let's be honest... they're not all hybrids. They're SUVs, Hummers, luxury vehicles. Which means that in the process of adding 120 mph worth of acceleration into those 6 vehicles combined, you actually just wasted nearly 4 gallons of fuel. Mr. Environmentalist... you, by yourself, just killed three acres of rain forest. Bet you feel like a chump now, eh?

But I digress, this is a How To, rather than a How Not To, so I'll get to it.

1. Begin accelerating from the top of the ramp. Quickly. You need to hit at least 55 mph by the end of the ramp; faster if traffic is speeding.
2. When you're halfway down the ramp, check the lane that you will be merging into. See the spacing of the vehicles and their relative speeds. Pick a spot. Continue accelerating.
3. At the bottom of the ramp, you should be in line with the spot that you picked for your merge. You should also being going EXACTLY as fast as the cars in front of and behind your chosen spot. Your goal is to slide seamlessly into traffic, without causing any brake lights to light up.
4. Congratulations, you're on the highway and everyone is still alive and happy.

Destiny, Fate, Determinism... I'm not buying it.

Gusby, as you're aware, there are two schools of thought on the focus of this blog: Destiny, Fate and Determinism.

The first school is that these things exist in a daily capacity in our lives. That everyone we meet, we were destined to meet them... fated to be friends or lovers or whatever, it was determined for us by previous events on this planet that we should interact in some meaningful way, or not. That everything that happens to us, happens because it was determined that it should.

The flip side is that things do not exist. There is no reason for anything that happens; the world is just a giant Random Number Generator.

I don't buy into either one of those mindsets. In fact, I think I fall squarely into the middle of the road on this one.

Perhaps it was Destiny, Fate or Determinism that led me to send the chat message that started the longest, most meaningful relationship of my life. It's entirely possible that it was... But it was by my choice that I have continued to work so hard to maintain that relationship.

Perhaps karma has a say what external influences are placed upon us. Karma throws us into situations that we need to learn to handle with grace, love and forgiveness. We both know that I've certainly been thrown into a situation.

For the last six or seven years, I've been railing against Destiny, Fate, Determinism. It wasn't until this morning that I realized that not only have I believed in free will and the power of human choice (and have been spouting off about it to those inclined to listen)... but I can apply this simple fact of existence to any situation that I find myself in.

I can choose to do nothing, and whine... or I can choose to do something, and succeed.

So, I am choosing to set aside the "woe is me" mentality that I've felt stuck in. I am choosing to give up the whole, "I just need someone to throw me a bone." excuse that I've been hiding behind. It's especially flimsy when I honestly admit to myself that people HAVE thrown me bones (even people whom I hardly know), and I've ignored or dodged them.

I am choosing to give up fear.

And like everything else in my life, it's my choice... and nothing can make it for, or take it from, me.