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Cruel and unusual punishment! That’s what it is. Chocolate getting more expensive. OW! Everybody knows there are essential items in life: Life (of course), liberty (hey, what’s not to like about liberty), the pursuit of happiness (here’s where chocolate comes in).

Being alive means you have good and bad around you all the time. Good–waking up in the morning and knowing you’re alive. Bad–a flat tire (need I say more?).

Having liberty is wonderful. You can go practically anywhere you want; think what you want; choose how you live, etc. The pursuit of happiness seems rather obvious until you actually think about what makes you happy. Each person has different likes and dislikes; but, very few enjoy hurting or feeling sad. Seems strange but, I know a few like that.

Have you ever eaten chocolate and the chocolate made you sad? Not me, unless I’ve run out of chocolate. I’m not saying that every meal should have chocolate in there; but, occasionally it’s very nice to have. If you’ve had a bad day and need a quick pick-me-up a savory piece of chocolate, slowly melting away on your tongue is such a help.

Have you ever noticed just how many different flavors chocolate comes in? It is such a flexible item to use that it has possibilities for every meal. (If you are so inclined) One version of BBQ Chicken has chocolate in it–Chicken Mouli! Never knew it until one day I watched it being fixed. Hot chocolate on very cold days, wow. Cold chocolate pudding after some spicy chili, yum. And, now the price of chocolate is going up? Talk about hitting below the belt. If that don’t, what do?

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Coffee! Wow, I don’t know how this was discovered. Think about it. A bushy plant, beans grow on it. Not fruit, beans. The beans are picked when ripe, not green. After being picked, they are toasted; either long or slow. Not to be confused with burnt. After they are toasted, they are cooked and later they are ground into small particles. These particles re then doused with water, heated, strained (preferably) and then poured into a cup to be drunk.

How did this possibility get discovered? It makes me wonder. Most beans when cooked in water will turn into…well, beans or bean soup. What makes the coffee bean different? It makes colored water, not soup. Why use the bean after toasting it, why not before? Would it make soup then? How come the leaves aren’t used? After all, there is tea. Tea is made from leaves. Why not coffee? How did someone learn to toast or roast the coffee bean first? Was someone hungry after some coffee bushes burned and tried to make soup? What that person ended up with is a drink that is used all over the world by many people.

Coffee is served hot, cold, frozen, with cream, with sugar, with flavorings; with cake cookies, pie, conversation, meals. It is used to wake up sleepy heads, do business, welcome guests to a home, make people feel at ease. Wow!! talk about being flexible.

PS. Did you know that if you’re having an allergic reaction, that the caffeine in coffee can help slow it down? worked for my husband until I could get him to the emergency room for treatment.

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I have favorite things like cheesecake, family, books to name a few. Everyone has favorites. I like to watch programs on TV where people are helped. Make overs are cool because they give people second or third chances. Judge Hatcher helps families in need, sometimes when you’d think that things were hopeless. Extreme Makeover, Home Edition helps to restore families and give them security, a place to live when their situation usually was at rock bottom. Dr. Phil talks to some who might have closed minds or a weird way of looking at situations. I could go on and on and continue to list things I’ve seen.

Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, local food pantries, organizations that I don’t know to list are here–they all help.

Our country was built on the idea of chances, opportunity, people helping people. We see this happening still. Telethons and other organized events, raffles and fund raisers–there are many ways to reach out. The U.S.A. is my favorite country, of course. I’m biased in its favor. I was born and raised here. It’s not perfect, of course, because it’s full of human beings. we make mistakes; but we also have chances to correct them. That’s my most favorite thing of all: A chance to live, chances to correct my own mistakes and the freedom to try.

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. It wasn’t for himself. He had a dream for everyone. I’m white, he had a dream for me. I don’t know what color your skin is; but, MLK had a dream for you also. In the ideal world everyone gets the same chance as everyone else. It ain’t happening yet. Too many people have dreams, for themselves and for their families; those dreams are being squashed flat. Has the USA forgotten what it is to dream? To at least try?

Are we sitting on our butts afraid to try because the dream killers are out there waiting to pounce? I don’t know. I’ve tried a couple of ideas, had some fun, had some failures. I had a chance. My Mom believed in giving chances. She helped my imagination to grow. I’m not saying that what went on in our family was perfect–IT DEFINITELY WASN’T. She did not try to kill my dreams though.

Dream killers come in all shapes and sizes. A dram killer can be the person who puts you down because you’re short. A dream killer can also be the person who calls you: stupid, skinny, chink, nigger, red skin, wet back. DID I LEAVE SOME OUT? Yup. The list goes on. Killing a dream is easy. Helping a dream actually takes some effort. I can understand concern that someone might over-reach on a dream. That doesn’t excuse keeping someone from dreaming by making them feel small. If we make someone feel small just because we feel small ourselves, we have just become a dream killer.

Kill someone’s dreams often enough; and, you kill that person a little bit more inside until they no longer dream. Being a dream killer isn’t something to brag about.

Our country grew big because people dreamed and then tried to make the dream a reality. Other countries are growing and dreaming. When did we stop? Why stop? Why not help the dreams and stop making people feel small? Please don’t be a dream killer! Our country needs the dreamers to help it stay strong. Becoming weak or feeling small saps the survival of a society, a country, a world. True, not all dreams are good. Not all dreams are bad either.

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I went to school in the 1960s and the 1970s. I remember seeing peace symbols, marches, protesters, flowers, news clips, upset people. I wonder how the veterans from those years feel now? These days we try to appreciate our veterans. We should not forget all the older veterans and their families.

I am female and have never been in the military; but I appreciate that I am not enslaved or treated like trash because I’m not the same as everyone else. Our veterans, all veterans, are the ones who’ve made it possible. I can’t forget my freedom. I’m not always able to show my thanks to any vet I see. Not all vets are plainly marked to be recognized. Thousands of people, men and women, don’t advertise the fact of being a vet. It’s like being an officer of the law in at least two ways. Well, definitely more in fact:

1) It’s dangerous
2) Not everybody is willing to do the job.
3) It is a necessary job.
4) Many have families.
5) Some die or are hurt irreparably.
6) They are all human beings.

9-11 made us aware that we are not alone on the planet. We need to be aware that others do not agree with our beliefs. Criminals and terrorists are not compassionate, they don’t care or forget. They don’t care if others get hurt; nor do they forget what they want to do. We can’t afford to forget either.

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I like to smile. It gives my face something to do besides just sit there. A face that isn’t exercised gets bored. It might frown. That’s bad, it makes people think something is wrong. There are things that are going wrong in the world; and frowning won’t make them better. I have noticed, however, that a smile is something good. Did you know that if you smile, you use less of the muscles in your face than if you frown? I know exercise is good and all that but which would you rather show to the people around you?

A frown on your face will create a space around you that people give those who look angry. I guess the people don’t want the anger to rub off on them. Well, I don’t blame them. Too many people are angry these days.

At the same time, try walking in a crowd and smile! Sometimes people will smile back. I have seen times where a tired, sad looking person will see a smile and smile back. They will lift up their head and straighten their shoulders and it seems to help. Smiles usually don’t hurt you or others. It’s even an easy exercise. Remember a smile is easy on the face–less wrinkles. People don’t seem to be wary of smilers, just the frowners. So exercise your face a little–SMILE.

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Have you ever seen or heard something that got your dander up? It gets you upset and you wonder what to do to get the upset gone. Sometimes you have a chance to speak out about what upsets you. Sometimes speaking out makes you feel better; but there are times that speaking out will leave you frustrated beyond belief. It might depend on how those people who are around you react or if they don’t react.

Just because you feel a point of view is important does not mean that others will agree. They might agree that it’s important but not believe the same way that you do. Believe it or not, THAT’S LIFE. It sounds unfair; however, it’s not. Different people are raised in different ways. Even if they’re in the family, each person will have a different point of view just because each person is an individual.

In our country, we have the First Amendment–freedom of speech. This allows us to talk, write or, in general, rant and rave if something bothers us. The Constitution has made this a RIGHT; but, we should also realize that it is a privilege that comes with responsibilities. We can’t use it recklessly. It’s been explained that freedom of speech does NOT include shouting fire in a crowded theater. There are other examples I can use but I don’t want to get wordy. We should all use the freedom of speech; if nothing else, just to make sure we don’t lose it.

Many of us have heard of use it or lose it. Well, speak out when you can. There are a lot of ways to do this–however, speak out responsibly. Being responsible means being concerned if people get hurt. People can get hurt physically, emotionally, mentally. This could be temporary or permanent. Expressing your thoughts can help others. or even hurt others. Be careful but please speak out. the silent majority aren’t doing good by being silent. There are old sayings that say a lot with ony a few words:

1) The squeaky wheel gets greased.
2) All it takes for evil to win is for good men to do NOTHING.

Please think about this. Thank you for your time.

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Some people go into service in the military, some don’t. I know a man who tried to go into the military at the age of 17. He wanted to serve his country. He wanted to make the military a career. It didn’t work. He was classified 1Y. At first, they wouldn’t tell him why. He tried again at the age of 18. He got classified 4F that time. Recently a former military man put him down because he hadn’t been in the military. I don’t know why the man had an attitude about this. There are many reasons for joining, not joining, and being refused. Being rejected does hurt.

Being in service can be done in many ways. The man who was rejected has many friends who have been in the military. Some have been to Viet Nam, some to Korea, some to Desert Storm, some to Iraq. The all have memories and different reasons for having been in the military. The one thing they have in common is friendship. This friendship between these people allows them to see different sides of each situation. Through the friendship of these men, memories are shared. They weren’t all raised in the same city or state, just the same country.

Being in service does not necessarily mean wearing a uniform. Listening to others, letting them share their thoughts and feelings is also a service. Things like flashbacks, P.T.S.D. and a feeling of being alone are real. They are shared by many. Sometimes talking about these things can help. At least it’s better than keeping it all bottled up where it can hurt. Listening to others is a service.

Believing in the U.S.A. (the red, white and blue) is something to be proud of. Being in service means to serve others. The man who did not go into the military loves his country and tries to show it in other ways.

Are you in service? Not necessarily in uniform, but do you serve others? If they need to talk, do you listen? If they just need company, do you hang around? Don’t ignore your fellow Americans. You never know if they need to talk, smile or just have someone call.

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Just watched a movie called “Meet John Doe”. About an ordinary man in an extraordinary situation. A world exists out there we don’t know. It is filled with people like us–just surviving.

There are things happening that we never hear about. The news programs don’t look for this because it isn’t sensational. I believe that ordinary people living is a sensation. We’re not fat cats living off of other people and what other people do. We are ordinary people living each day.

The news media treats us like we are invisible, like we don’t exist. If we truly didn’t exist, the media wouldn’t have jobs because we pay them; because they wouldn’t have jobs without us. Why should we be ignored? It is like we’re treated as if we are mushrooms. You know, kept in the dark and fed bu**s**t. Please fill in the blanks where the stars are. Why shouldn’t we count? Why should we be ignored? Why should only the oddballs, the weirdos, criminals, powerful, famous and rich count? When did being ordinary all of a sudden mean we should be ignored? Open your eyes and look around. We are being passed by because we aren’t sensational. That doesn’t mean we are unimportant! We count too.

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How do you express your opinion? Smile, laugh, frown, growl, hiss or maybe you might turn and walk away.

Okay, yes I did say hiss and I did say growl. I’ve heard some people hiss and growl; but, this time I’m not talking two legged people, just four footed fur people. We have two cats in our home, both adult. One grew up in our home, the other is fairly new. The older one has not been spayed and occasionally will go into heat. Well, guess. She got friendly and new cat decided to ignore her. Heat cat was rubbing, purring and being ignored. The next thing I saw, she backed up and sat on the other cat’s rump. The look on the cat’s face was hilarious. I never knew a cat’s eyes could almost bug out!

Okay, heat cat left; next day, my husband is sleeping. Of course, this means that heat cat is being ignored again. He woke me up and told me she was sitting on the side of his face. We both laughed and shooed her off. Thought nothing more about it.

Today, being ignored again, heat cat sat on the head of new cat. Well, there are many ways to express opinions; and, claws in the other person’s rump do express a lack of appreciation very well. Heat cat left the scene grumbling and not quite growling. Kitty cat cussing! It seems that human beings aren’t the only ones who grumble, gripe and cuss. Who knew?!!

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