Living Proof

Just get rid of it! Sometimes I wonder how my dad did it. He would hold a grudge for a very long time for a very old offense. I never quite understood it, as I sat there watching his jaw clench , then release, clench , and then release. Any time he would do this, we knew he was deep in thought about something he didn't want to talk about. 'Just get rid of it' or "them" would solve the problem. (Little joke there.) When his thoughts would slow down, he would chime into our 'already in session' conversation and blurt out something strange. "Wha? Ginger Rogers? Why you tawkin' bout' her?"  "WHAT?" We'd all scream out laughing over his selective hearing.  There are things that must be 'worked out' and there are some things that need to be let go of completely. For instance, unresolved issues that are still on the brain and heart should be worked out, talked about and even shared with a trusted friend ...

Richard Sherman said it right: "There's no need to be a barbaric human being, but on the field, we're playing a very barbaric sport, you can do what you please." I've had my fill of all the haters bashing Richard Sherman left and right, when in fact, most of these people ranting about how "classless" Sherman was, have all had their share of outbursts one time or another. Emotions are a funny thing. Once you've already established tension with someone, and that opportunity arises where you can just release all that anger and hopefully, in a healthy way --- that's what makes us human. Of course, our actions speak volumes about our character, however I don't believe what Richard Sherman did was such an abomination. He managed to make a touchdown right over his enemy. The emotion that came over him was more excitement, satisfaction and a final outlet for all of his pent up emotions. Even the reporter who was taken aback wasn't frightened in...

There is nothing you can do to control any situation. I'm learning this more and more as I move closer and 'season' into my fourth decade. Did you know that in Judaism, it's believed that we're at our highest level of understanding at the age of forty? Also, they prefer to teach their students about the Torah at that age as well. I've always wondered why, but now that I am moving closer, I'm beginning to open up my eyes to a whole lotta' things around me. For instance, I remember about eight or nine years ago, a friend told me to pray for understanding of people's motives and to not react once I encountered an "offense". Pray for understanding. Of course, I reacted, blew things out of proportion and found myself all 'emotional' over every. single. thing. that had transpired in my life. Then one day, I sat down and prayed for the understanding of people's motives. More than 80% of the time, I figured it out before I reacted. Bu...