When was the last time you saw your car keys?

Jan22

I used to have two cars.
Both cars, I owned – free and clear.
One of my cars was a really “Nice” later model car that I drove almost all the time – rain or shine.

It had a lot of accessories, special features, and bells and whistles that I liked.
Actually, I really LOVED ALL the extra stuff that I’d added to my Nice car!
I special ordered that car and I liked to show it off to all my friends.
I had a special vanity plate on the back and a cute little sticker on the back bumper that set my car apart from all the others.
I always kept the gas tank full of premium gas.

Usually, when I drove my Nice car, I kept the convertible top down and played the music really loud so that everybody noticed me, heard me coming, and saw me driving.
Parking was a no-brainer…
I always used the valet service to park it and I always allowed the valet person put it right out in front of the building so EVERYBODY could see it.
I loved to watch other people’s faces as they admired how nice a car I actually owned.
I LOVED that car!

I kept my other car parked in my Garage.
My other car really was not a “Rust Bucket” – it was actually a pretty cool little car – but for the sake of THIS story, that’s what I’ll call it – “Rust Bucket”

Sometimes, I parked it in my driveway to allow the sun to shine on it.
Sometimes, I kept it wrapped in a cloth car cover to keep the dust off of it.
But usually, I just kept my Rust Bucket in my Garage.
It really was nothing special.
It didn’t have a lot of accessories, special features, or bells and whistles.
I didn’t special order it.
Actually, I really can’t even remember exactly how I acquired it.
It didn’t have a vanity plate or special bumper stickers to identify it as mine.
It didn’t have a special paint job or any special features of which I was aware.

I only kept the most minimum maintenance on it.
I rarely gave it a full tank of gas – usually I maintained only ¼ tank…
Sometimes, I didn’t wash it for months.
I don’t think I ever waxed it.
I didn’t change the oil very often and regular tune-ups non-existent.
I only drove the Rust Bucket occasionally.
Sometimes, I drove it on special occasions and holidays.
But on those days, it was only because:
A) I knew I wouldn’t be traveling far from home
B) I knew I wouldn’t to be out for a long time
C) I knew I would not be leaving the house until late at night
or
D) I knew that no one would see me

I was NOT ashamed of my Rust Bucket – I just really liked driving my Nice car and preferred to keep my Rust Bucket around for emergencies and boring rides.

Every now and then, someone would inquire about buying my Rust Bucket.
But, I didn’t want to sell it.
Sometimes, they would even ask if they could borrow it.
My answer was always: “No!”
My logic was that although I rarely drove my Rust Bucket, there may have come a day when I actually NEEDED it.
So, whenever someone would show a little interest in my Rust Bucket, I would take it out of my Garage and drive it around for a few days.
A few days was just enough to prove to myself {and everyone else} that I still NEEDED my Rust Bucket.

Once, someone came to my Garage and took my Rust Bucket for a joy ride.
They didn’t ask me if they could drive it, they just rummaged around in the drawers of my Garage, found the keys and drove it away for a few days.
The engine was very quiet.
I didn’t even notice that the Rust Bucket had been gone until it was returned.
They parked it back in my Garage seemingly unnoticeable.
Upon return, I noticed that my Rust Bucket had been washed and the oil had been changed.
It didn’t have any scratches on it, but I could tell that it had been driven by someone else.
I didn’t report it stolen. But, I did get very, very, very angry once I realized what had happened.

Yep, I had two cars…
And after many years of maintaining those two cars, I realized that it was more of a hassle than it was worth.
Why did I NEED two cars when in actuality I was only driving the NICE car on most days?
I was being Greedy.
And you know what?
I realized that my Greed not only affected me but it affected others as well.

Greed is the inordinate desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value with the intention to keep it for one’s self, far beyond the dictates of basic survival and comfort.

It’s my opinion that Greed can be applied to People, Places, or Things.
Thus, I believe that a person can be greedy in a Romantic Relationship or Friendship – an inordinate desire to possess another person and/or their feelings.

Obviously, my Tale of Two Cars is a very broad analogy.
It’s MY assessment of one type of Romantic relationship that I have been involved in over and over again.

There were times when I played the part of the Owner of the two cars and there were times when I played the part of one of those two types of cars.

Occasionally, I have been the Nice car.
But sometimes, I have have been the Rust Bucket.
Either way, whether I played the role of the Owner of the Car or The actual Car – the situation NEVER turned out nice.

Who are you?
How many cars do you own?
Or, better yet, who is holding on to your keys?

When you think about it like this, it doesn’t give you a very good feeling inside, Does it?

If you see yourself as the owner of two cars, then today is the day that you need get rid of one of those cars.
You really don’t need TWO cars.

And, what if you’re the Nice Car or the Rust Bucket?
Go find that greedy owner, reach in his/her pocket, and take back your keys!

You should do it now, while the engine is still hot.

The Girl Scout Promise

Jan18

I must apologize that this week I have been slack with posting to my new blog. It was not until yesterday that I finally tore myself away from my other busy work and realized that I was neglecting all of you. Someone on Facebook reminded me that the Girl Scout Cookie season had begun.

Here we are at the time of year when we will get bombarded by giggling young girls who will block the entrances of banks and grocery stores in last stitch effort to hu$tle our dollars and “force” us to buy box after box of tasty treats.

I remembered that I was once one of those Girl Scouts who sold many, many boxes of cookies. Back then, we did it different. With my fellow Girl Scout troop members we proposed to “divide and conquer!”. We paired up with a partner and split the neighborhood, walking door-or-door selling the old-fashioned way.

I was involved in Girl Scouting in some form or another until well after I graduated from Senior High School.

Yesterday, as the memory of Cookie Sales entered my mind, a smile came to my face as I thought about my some of my experiences as a Girl Scout. Some experiences were good and some were bad, but ALL of the experiences taught me lessons that I have carried throughout my adult life.

Through scouting, I have met many friends – many whom I still remain in very close contact.

I value all the friends I have. Mainly because I’ve always felt that true friends are like irreplaceable gifts. Our friends come into our lives for reasons unknown. Some are there for short times – some are there for a life time. Some we talk to every day – others we may go weeks, even years without hearing from them or contacting them. Some friends are our crutches whom we lean on to make it through life’s journeys – Others depend on our strength and lean solely on us.

I have one friend in particular, whose friendship I have valued for many, many years. And probably unless she reads this, she may never really know how much.

We met over 40 years ago. She – a blonde haired 10-year-old girl, with a personality much like mine. I would probably describe us, as “cute” little girls with a tomboyish edge. Both of us were as crabby, cynical, bossy, and loud mouth as Lucy Van Pelt from the Peanuts comic strip.

And though we did not attend the same Elementary School, we became fast friends and confidants during our 5th grade school year in 1972.

A strange dynamic – our only interaction occurred during our weekly Girl Scout Troop meetings with 30 other very impressionable little girls. Needless to say, the other girls were probably not as “bold” or as “alive” with personality as she and I.

The Girl Scout Law (Circa 1972)
I will do my best:
to be honest
to be fair
to help where I am needed
to be cheerful
to be friendly and considerate
to be a sister to every Girl Scout
to respect authority
to use resources wisely
to protect and improve the world around me
to show respect for myself and others through my words and actions

Ah, yes, Girl Scouts.

And now, this year – some 40 years later, as she and I each will turn 51 years old, we can sit back and laugh about our experiences.

I can only image that enrolling us in a Girl Scout Troop must have been some last stitch effort by our Mothers to salvage some of the “little girl” personality they had hoped we would develop before we stepped into Junior High School. Maybe we would act more like “little ladies”.

And summer came quickly that year. Girls like us needed to be kept busy or take a chance at an opportunity {Yes – any opportunity} to get into trouble and undo the good that our Mother’s had cultivated while forcing us to live the Girl Scout life.

So, AWAY we went! We were sent to away to Girl Scout summer camp! Yippee! ~ SIGH.
Two weeks of living in cabin huts in the woods of Lizella, Georgia. Summer life among the fire ants and garden snakes, brown bats, and wood rats.

Unbeknownst to each of us – out of an 8-week summer, luck had it that she and I were enrolled in the same summer session, for the same two weeks, and once there, we were assigned to bunk in the same cabin with 8 other girls.
Was that Fate, Fortune, or Coincidence?

And oh… the stories we now tell about our adventures in the “wild” during that notorious summer! I think we kept the “trouble” kettle brewing for most of those 14 days… What a joyous summer we had!

I am not sure, but for whatever reason, I don’t think our paths came close again until 2 years later when we began Junior High School.

I would never describe us as having been “Best Friends”, but we have continued to maintain a very unique friendship for many years.

As the years progressed, we attended many of the same social events and were members of the same clubs and activities. Our Junior High and Senior High School years, were spent attending the same schools.

Often times, we sat in the same classroom. It was not unusual that we may not have said more than a few words to each other during any given school year, yet we remained friends.

Our lives were very similar – almost parallel, yet never not quite the same. We maintained our friendship from afar, but continued to travel along different paths.

We have not lived in the same city since we graduated from High School.
We have never shared ALL of our life experiences with each other and to this day there is much that we still don’t know about each other.

Yet, at various times during the past many years, we have discussed our experiences with the single life, married life, the birth of children, and the loss loved ones.
Through it all, we’ve managed to maintain some semblance of our friendship.

At any given time – for any reason – if we needed to reach out to one another, we have always been able to do so.

To each other, we have been the epitome of the unknown accomplice often described in many a well written best-selling novel.

How odd a Friendship is this?

Last week, I managed to “pocket dial” her… long distance. Once I realized what I had done, BUT before she had a chance to answer – I hung up and ended the call.
Within 10 minutes, my cell phone rang.

It was her:
“Hey, Girl Scout! I just saw that you called. Is everything all right? Are you OK?”

I laughed hysterically as I told her what happened and so did she.

We ended the call with both of us saying: “I love you, Girl!” and with the joint knowledge that she and I will always be those goofy 10-year-old little Girl Scouts from Robins Air Force Base Troop #197.

Who knows when we will chat again? But, no matter – I know that she is always there for me and vice versa.

Who is YOUR Girl Scout?
EVERYBODY has one.
Give her a call – TODAY.

The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To do my duty to God and My Country
To help other people at all times.
And live by the Girl Scout Law.

I Killed A Corporate Zombie!

Jan2

This past summer I allowed myself to get close to someone who, for lack of a better phrase, didn’t understand my “life attitude”.

Our time together was limited – only about 2 months. Some might have labeled what we had as a “dating relationship”, but nothing was ever formally established between the two of us.

It was a very weird period of time. I was making weekly road trips up and down I-75 to care for my Mother and my Brother who were BOTH in and out of the hospital in South Georgia.

From the beginning, things were never quite right with him and me. And though, we had an attraction for one another, our likes, interests, and commonalities rated around a 3 on a scale of 1 – 10; with 10 being Perfect Match.

As I see it, I think my involvement with this guy may have merely been a distraction for all the craziness and chaos that was going on in my life.

His uneasiness with my “life attitude” and carefree lifestyle was a key topic of our discussions on most days.

Let me explain:

From the time I graduated from college, I had been working a career in which I had been successful for close to 30 years.

During those years, I had worked for only 3 companies and all were BIG named companies. I was “vested” in all 3 companies – meaning my retirement was already established.

I had no children, no husband, and I was earning a pretty decent salary. I had concluded that my only reason for working like a Corporate Slave was to Buy “Stuff”, Pay for “Stuff”, and Accumulate more “Stuff”.

After all those years of working for “Charlie”, I had come to the conclusion that Corporate America pretty much sucked!

So, In January of 2011, I woke up from what seemed to be a nightmare and got off of the Corporate merry-go-round.

I began dabbling in a couple of business ventures with two other partners and started working for a small family owned business.

In addition, I allowed myself to make more time for my personal journaling and writing and started doing some business consulting on the side.

I figured out a way to reduce my work hours to part-time! I finally started enjoying my life by doing all the things that I wanted to do.

My “friend’s” life journey has been so much different from mine. The extenuating circumstances in his life kept him constantly “riding” on the merry-go-round. He did not understand and probably won’t be able to identify with my plight for a very long time.

Thus, he scorned me for being 50 years old, carefree, and for not being “serious” about the direction of my life. Some days, he harped on it so much that I actually questioned my own ability to “maintain”.

I suspect that his displeasure with where he was in his own life, combined with his inability to understand how I could constantly be so blithe, made him believe that it was ok for him to act haughty and treat me with contempt.

I was disturbed by his behavior and whether he knew it or not, the way he constantly acted toward my life’s direction hurt my feelings.

Even through the darkest hours of my Mother’s extended illness, I remember him looking at me with what I felt was disdain and saying: “If you had a ‘real job’ with solid benefits, vacation hours, and such – you would not feel such a struggle… a higher salary would do you good right now. One day you will wake up and realize you’ve made a mistake.”

Not long after that, my Mother passed away.

My “friend” and I parted ways. It was mutual. We had no hard feelings.

I had NEVER asked him for anything – monetarily or otherwise. The funny thing was that from the tone of his financial complaints, I often believed that I had more money in my pockets and in the bank than he did.

He complained a lot. I think he believed that his job was “solid and stable”. He would spout beliefs of Corporate Stability all whilst pining about being over worked, under paid, and rarely, if ever, appreciated. I didn’t understand THAT.

Today, I learned that my “friend” has now been laid off by that so called “real job”. Ironically, he was laid off from the same company that I resigned from 2 years ago.

After my 12 year run with that company, I concluded that those Corporate Yahoos had no regard for my personal well being. I felt that Corporate Management no longer cared about their hardest working employees. I had basically become a Corporate Zombie.

Times had changed. I was looking at my life differently. I felt it was time for me to get out and take a chance.

Not everyone can do what I did.

Everyone’s circumstance is different.

In business life and in choosing what to do to make a living you must do what you love and never surrender.

I truly believe that if you do THAT you will always be happy.

Subsequently, no matter where you work or how you choose to make a living – you must do what YOU FEEL IS RIGHT TO PROVIDE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY.

I don’t know the story of my “friend’s” departure from that company. I don’t expect that I ever will.

I wish him only the best in life and I trust that he will recover quickly so that he can continue to provide for himself and his children.

My hope, though, is that in the future he will be more careful with how he looks upon the choices that other people make with their lives – especially with regard to how they provide for themselves and make a living. Albeit, Big Corporation or Small Mom & Pop, Full-time or Part-time employment.

Understand THIS: The Corporate Castle may look “solid and stable” but it could crumble on you at any moment.

No one is EVER safe.

Keep THAT in mind.

The next time you bust your ass for 70 hours in a work week with no overtime pay, you should think: Is this really worth it?