What A Wonderful Day...

That's something my father used to say many mornings, but then would immediately follow that up with:
"Just wait until someone comes along and screws it up."
Yeah, that pretty much sums up a lot of what goes on today in the world...
We'll come back to that in a second, but let's see what the weather holds in store for us.
-- Temps will again reach into the LOW 70s (my favorite amount of heat), with clouds and yes, the slight chance of a brief shower.
Not going to have a great sunrise, but we can still work with that, right?
Meanwhile, back at the podium...
*** Yep, no matter how HARD we try and make each and every day a good one, there usually is something that will come along and attempt to spoil it.
That's not to say we start each day expecting it, or waiting for it, and becoming a "Danny Downer".
What we SHOULD do is acknowledge the fact that in an imperfect world full of imperfect people, some sort of sh*t will happen, and that we might be better served if we're prepared for it.
That, we keep on "the back burner", all the while going about our routine and doing whatever it is we have to get done.

Better to know that if we can see what's coming ahead, we can face it head-on, rather than be startled out of our skin over it, right?
And yes, in some ways, it is another form of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.
Just like we watch around us in parking lots for robbery attempts and the like, so we do something similar every day we wake up.
Now, you're all probably wondering WTH I'm on about with this stuff...well, it's like this:
-- Every day we hear or read or see instances where people become "diverted" from whatever it was they were doing, be it walking, driving, whatever.

And, as a result, they get their ass in a sling REAL fast, because of that diversion.
Texting is the biggest culprit these days, but far from the ONLY one.
Now who would have ever thought a decade ago, that so many vehicle accidents would be caused by such inattention with a cell phone?
Cripes, you climb into ANY new car, and you're pretty much bombarded with a plethora of "playthings" to screw with, like the "entertainment center" (we used to call that THE RADIO), or the GPS (full color graphics and voice recognition). Then there's the lazy person's way to park...let the car do it by itself.
We used to call being able to PARALLEL PARK - a study in knowing how to PRACTICE something until you become skilled at it.
In essence, we LEARNED how to do it.
These days, we place our trust in THINGS, rather than PEOPLE, and I believe that's got much to do with the path our society is on, which doesn't seem as filled with Primrose as it should be...or once was.

I mentioned yesterday about the venerable SHOE REPAIR shops we had all over...pretty much gone these days. You really have to LOOK for one. Same with the tried and true BARBER SHOPS. Now, we have all these "styling salons", as if we've somehow elevated ourselves into a loftier realm of societal evolution with a moniker such as that.
That's a false assumption.
Such venues as shoe repair shops and barber shops were once places where people CONVERSED, as in talked to each other, face-to-face, with some level of familiarity. The corner stores were places where neighbors met while shopping, and the corner "tap rooms" were THE place to be on fight nights.
(on TV that is...lol)
ALL of these places (and more) used to be hubs for conversation...for interpersonal interaction.
Men and women would chat about anything and everything. It didn't matter if the subject was politics (and a lot more people used to engage in that than we see today, although the numbers are growing once again), family matters (the bartender could be the best "shrink" you could find for the price of a beer), the jobs you worked, the schools your children attended, and so much more were discussed at length.

Today, we've all this "social media" that has usurped our ability to stand toe-to-toe and talk about such things.
Sure it's more convenient, and instantaneous in nature, but is it all REALLY BETTER?
Just HOW SKILLED are we today in the art of conversation, and why does that matter...or should it?
There are those that believe that social media is MUCH better, as is typing over the handwritten word.
When was the last time you actually WROTE a letter to someone?
(well, with the cost of stamps these days, there IS a case for THAT...lol)
DO we become, or rather SHOULD we become a society that grows ever complacent whenever some technology comes along to make our lives EASIER?
Now, think on this...would you rather have your life made EASIER...or BETTER?

Yes, there IS a difference.
Personally, I'd chase after a BETTER life than an easier one.
A better life would be one where I make my choices for myself, work with the outcomes, good OR bad, learn from those experiences, and keep moving forward. An easy life would allow me to sit back, put my feet up, and have things done FOR ME.
Is that EASY life a better one, or is that BETTER life an easy one?
That's a loaded question, isn't it?

Those that wish to do as little as possible would settle for that easy life, naturally, while those who feel the need to challenge themselves, not fret at having a bit of sweat on their brow, and like to see results of something THEY have accomplished would opt for the shot at that better life, and in all likelihood, would achieve just that.
Thing is, we used to be a people who wanted more of that better life, in the belief that it would result in life being a lot less difficult.
We were willing to work at it, to strive, to save, and yes, to sacrifice, in order to make that happen.
Today, we're not seeing all that much along those lines, are we?
-- The fact that so many people are more than willing to kick back and let "someone else drive" them through their lives (like the government) speaks volumes in that regard.

The problem with such thinking is that the passengers and that "driver" might have TWO different destinations in mind, and only one rough road to get them all there, hopefully safely.

If YOU don't know where you might be headed in life, and have no idea on how to get there, then WHY on God's green earth would you entrust something so important to total strangers with no idea where they are going themselves?

When we take away much of the personal aspects of our lives, such as conversation or debate, we diminish ourselves in ways that will have consequences...if not today or tomorrow, then perhaps a year or more down the road.
When such things as online bullying starts taking young lives, there is a problem with the way we are using the technology available to us all.

Remember, anything that can be USED...can be MISUSED...and often is, because some people live for that alone.
-- When we permit objectionable music and other material to become mainstream...we lose our morality.
-- When we can have our attention diverted too easily by whatever "key ring" is dangled before us...we lose our maturity.
-- When we remove boundaries for others, as well as ourselves...we lose our civility.
-- When we allow our civil SERVANTS (big government) to tell us how, what, where, when and why to run OUR lives...we lose our humanity.
So, the case against much of what permeates our society can be easily made.
Our lives are OUR own...not anyone else's.
And you don't have to be a Bible-toting "bitter clinger" to figure that much out.
(although placing one's faith in God DOES come in handy...lol)
All you really need is some good old common sense...and the desire to not have to "settle" for whatever pablum if trying to be forced down your throat.

You can't spend time worrying about what you didn't do yesterday...that gig is over.
What you can do is begin working today and charting that course for your next tomorrow.
And if enough people would simply try that...things could be a helluva lot better than they presently are, and that's a fact.
Okay, that's enough philosophical soapbox preaching for today...I promise...!
It's still a wonderful day out there...don't let anyone screw it up for 'ya.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

(( Editor's Note - Today marks post # 1812 for this blog. And for SOME reason, I feel the need to play a Tchaikovsky Overture...wonder WHY? ))