Wild and Crazy!

slumdogWhat a great day! The sun shined brightly when  finally I got out of bed. The day before I had worn myself out by working on my new bathroom. The physicality’s of the job took it’s toll on my body, and I slept long.

“We have to do something wild and crazy today,” I said to Peggy. “Why not go to the movies in the middle of the day?” To my surprise she agreed.

We arrived at Show Place 14 in time for the 2:10 p.m. showing of “Slumdog Millionaire.” A synopsis of the movie peaked my curiosity. I love to travel, and this film promised to take me to India. The story takes place in Mumbai (Bombay).

The film didn’t disappoint us. The plot has the principal characters choosing between good and evil, overcoming adversity, and searching for love. All of the actors gave superb performances and made the story believable. The editing kept the story moving along without leaving questions unanswered. It also teaches the kind of life lessons that can only be learned by growing up as an orphan  in the slums of Mumbai. Some of it is downright sad, and most of it is hilarious.

Go see this picture to make up  your own mind. For each negative there is an equal or greater positive. The challenge is to find the good that comes out of the bad. This film clearly shows goodness evolving from the badness of growing up in adversity.

Peggy and I give it five stars *****

“I AM A HYPOCRITE!”

I haven’t posted for a while because I had more important things to do. One of them was to take baby steps toward the “Monet Vision” in my garden. Another was to sell Sweepstakes tickets for the Lions Club, and a third was to develop material for the legacy book I want to give my kids. What is very interesting to me is the amount of interest the last post generated. “I AM A RACIST,” has been viewed four times more than any of my previous posts. I guess I could call the post an experiment, but I would be lying because I meant most of the things I wrote. It should have been titled, “I AM A HYPOCRITE.” Reason being that several days before generating my hatred article, I spoke out against hatred that occurs on the BLOGS in my post titled “Stinkin Thinkin.” The two posts are opposite each other. In one, I spoke out against hatred, in the other I espoused my own hatred. What purpose did my words serve, except to make a fool of myself before the world? I let my true feelings vent in a way that was hurtful to the people I targeted. They did nothing to me to deserve those words. Everyone has the right to like the kind of music and lyrics that they think is meaningful. Everyone has a right to dress the way they think is fashionable. Who am I to throw a public fit, just because the lyrics, the beat, and the fashion is not my thing?  I apologize to all who read the post and were offended.

What I learned from this is that “hatred” sells, just like negative news outdoes positive news. Even though I did spill my guts on the racist article, it is so not me. I tend to advocate brotherly love over prejudous and hatred.

My goal is to make this a very positive BLOG, teaching the principles of motivation, positive thinking, goal setting, and achievement.  I will not post negative hate stuff again except to condemn it..

The Funk Rules Negative People

Grumpa Joe Looks at FlowerWow! It seems like forever since I last posted. So much has transpired. The baby steps have been ticking off faster and faster. In spite of all the positive activity toward my goals I have been stricken with a slight case of depression. My self-esteem is low, and that always is the result of depression. Some little thing triggered me into a funk. The funk is over, I’ve survived and now it’s time to BLOG again. How did I get myself out of the funk? Well first there is work. Good hard physical work. Thank God, I can still do physical work. That meant taking many baby steps in the garden. In the past week I planted about forty perennials around the pond. I added annuals, and planted seed too. All of it is doing fine except for the few plants that the rabbits are bothering. Two of my most expensive perennials being native hibiscus are being munched on by the rabbits. They gave up on the rose of sharon, and are now on tastier plants. If you are old enough to remember Elmer Fudd, and his ongoing battle with Bugs Bunny, you will understand how I must proceed with the critters. Unfortunately, my dear Peggy is an animal lover, and she will prevent me from openly taking a shot at the furry creatures. I’m a poor shot anyway.

A friend stopped by last week and deposited ten good size goldfish into the pond. We can now see fish from our kitchen window, whereas before, the little guys were invisible. Everyday, Peggy and I throw a handful of fish pellets into the water to feed them. I want to train the fish to come to us when we approach the edge of the water.

Another powerful tool for getting ot of the funk is to pray. I pray every night before retiring. I coax my sub-conscious into bringing me only good health, great stories, and abundance. Included is a request to help a bunch of people who need it. In the morning, when I walk, it is  another opportunity to pray and speak to God. I can’t walk without praying. It’s a habit I developed over the last seven years.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the endorphins begin to kick in and the funk begins to disappear.

Today, I wrote a letter of introduction to my new writing instructor. Yes, I signed up for writing school. Hopefully, my style will improve and I will get as good as the really fluid writers on the blogs I visit. Man are they good. I admire people who can write their thoughts clearly, concisely, and in a completely understandable way . They amaze me. How can some writers be so descriptive with their words and others like me are complete klutzes. Do you believe this, I’m writing myself into a funk just by giving someone unknown to anyone an “atta boy.”

I am not a klutzy writer, I do well. Even though others can write rings around me, I must concentrate on the positive in my life and not dwell on the negative. The negative, “or dark side,” can quickly envelop the id and predominate. We have to learn and practice being positive every moment of our lives. Being positive is much more fun than being negative. Funk rules the negative person.