More ramblings...

‘If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.’ - A. A. Milne This post is dedicated to the ‘Special Friends’, the ones that never judge, that always listen and give us courage (whether they be by our side or not). -Travis, your points trophy is currently being engraved! This one is a bit of an odd one I must say… I’m going to speak out on ‘Listening’… and ‘Gratitude’… among other things… gee I hope I don’t ramble on too much. Actually, I have not a clue about where this is going but I hope you can follow me. ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ – Stephen Covey As I have said in the past, I listen. At least, I try. Of course sometimes that means that in order to listen I must ask a great many questions.It’s a daily struggle. It is far easier to talk (although oft times we talk and say nothing… man I sure hope I’m not doing that now…), but by listening I have learned the most valuable lessons. This morning, I read and ‘listened’ to what my friend Turn (link to her blog in my links section) had to say in her blog, and took something away from it… All too often I have belittled the importance of a simple act of kindness (or more importantly what I perceive as a simple act) that I have shown someone. I am guilty of saying ‘no problem, no biggie..’ when someone thanks me for listening, being there, posting a comment, lending an ear, handing them a tissue or kicking their arse (no, actually they don’t really thank me for that part but hey.. sometimes it must be done). By doing so I forget and dismiss the importance of gratitude, of expressing gratitude, of how hard it can be to do and it’s value. I apologize for that and promise to try and do better. When someone takes the time to express gratitude, for it does not always come easily, it should be received graciously. Got it… ‘The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.’ - William James. I’ve witnessed a great deal of self denial lately, and have been guilty of it myself. Yes, I have MANY failings; at least I’m aware of them. But I’ve come to know that I also have strengths. People thinking they’re nothing special, weak or even that they couldn’t possibly be someone’s hero… Well.. I say have faith in your own intrinsic worth. You just might, by being yourself, mean the world to someone. ‘If something comes to life in others because of you, then you have made an approach to immortality.’ -Norman Cousins Well, I’ve rambled on enough for today… thanks for reading what was on my mind. Please know that I am, in my writing, inspired by this quote: ‘The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings.’ –Buddha As you have discovered over the last two days, I enjoy quotes… so here are a few famous and not-so-famous but damn funny ones: ‘Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they pissed me off.’ – prefers to remain anonymous (right Bond?) ‘You couldn't get a clue during the clue mating season in a field full of horny clues if you smeared your body with clue musk and did the clue mating dance.’ – Edward Flaherty (well that's because they forgot to do the knee thingy, right Travis?!) "There's no such thing as a tough child -- if you parboil them first for seven hours, they always come out tender." - W. C. Fields ‘Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.’ – Yogi Berra (happy now Bond?) ''I used to have Mad Cow's disease, but I'm alright Nooooooooow.'' – Billy Connolly (I love you Dana) ''Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he THINK he was doing at the time?'' - Billy Connolly (I also love you Dixie..) "Some people say that I must be a terrible person, but it’s not true. I have the heart of a young boy… in a jar on my desk" -Stephen King "Every relationship I've been in, I've overwhelmed the girl. They just can't handle all the love." -Justin Timberlake (come on Soul Patrol... I know you want to snicker…) Here’s a little story with a moral… Rooster in His Declining Years An old farmer decided it was time to get a new rooster for his hens. The current rooster was still doing an okay job, but he was getting on in years and the farmer figured getting a new rooster couldn't hurt. So he buys a new cock from the local rooster emporium, and turns him loose in the barnyard. Well, the old rooster sees the young one strutting around and he's a little worried about being replaced. He walks up to the new bird. ‘’So you're the new stud in town? I bet you really think you're hot stuff don't you? Well I'm not ready for the chopping block yet. I'll bet I'm still the better bird. And to prove it, I challenge you to a race around that hen house over there. We'll run around it ten times and whoever finishes first gets to have all the hens for himself." Well, the young rooster was a proud sort, and he definitely thought he was more than a match for the old guy. "You're on," he said, "and since I'm so great, I'll even give you a head start of half a lap. I'll still win easy!" So the two roosters go over to the henhouse to start the race with all the hens gathering to watch. The race begins and all the hens start cheering the old rooster on. After the first lap, the old rooster is still maintaining his lead. After the second lap, the old guy's lead has slipped a little -- but he's still hanging in there. Unfortunately, the old rooster's lead continues to slip each time around, and by the fifth lap he's just barely in front of the young fella. By now the farmer has heard the commotion. He runs into the house, gets his shotgun and runs into the barnyard figuring a fox or something is after his chickens. When he gets there, he sees the two roosters running around the henhouse, with the old rooster still slightly in the lead. He immediately takes his shotgun, aims, fires, and blows the young rooster away. "Damn. That's the third gay rooster I've bought this month." I love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes.