Wild Horses

Wild Horses

One of my favorite songs - oh that's right I have many favorite songs. That's because I listen to a lot of music. My rules are the song must have a beat. The blues has a beat, country music has a beat, rock and roll music always has a great beat, Black Eyed Peas Rap music has a beat, James Brown and Rick James Funky music has the best beat. Boy Band music not so much beat, Classical Jazz music some beat, Jimmy Hendrix music - just noise.

Ok, since I have a lot of music with a great beat to choose from what makes the song my favorite - rule number two - the lyrics. There are lines in songs that just hit home for me. Some are visual like the line in the song One Of A Kind by The Temptations that goes "she makes a blind man talk about seeing again." I can visualize how beautiful that woman must be just from that line.

Sooo, let's get to my today's favorite song "While Horses"

"Wild Horses" was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. While officially credited to the duo, Richards created the main melody and chorus in 1969, and Jagger wrote the verses, often noted as being influenced by his relationship with Marianne Faithfull. The song was famously recorded first by The Flying Burrito Brothers in 1970 before the Stones released their version on Sticky Fingers in 1971. 

Anyone who listened to that song knows It's a love song about a woman. The line that hits me the most is "

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day

That line reminds me about love of life not just a woman. Look at me, Last year Wild Horses did everything they could to drag me away. Triple By-pass Heart surgery in September followed by Blood Cancer in October. 

Well here I am today. Joyce and I are on those Wild Horses and not just riding them some day, we're riding them today. 

If Wild Horses are dragging your love of life away. I suggest you ride them out to a better conclusion, or you say: "I'm mad as hell and I going to change what's taking that love of life from me." If you do one of those things, I promise you will ride those Wild Horse Some Day.

Days Like This

 Days Like This

One of my favorite songs by Van Morrison: Days Like This

When it's not always raining there'll be days like this
When there's no one complaining there'll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this

When you don't need to worry there'll be days like this
When no one's in a hurry there'll be days like this
When you don't get betrayed by that old Judas kiss
Oh my mama told me there'll be days like this

When you don't need an answer there'll be days like this
When you don't meet a chancer there'll be days like this
When all the parts of the puzzle start to look like they fit
Then I must remember there'll be days like this

When everyone is up front and they're not playing tricks
When you don't have no freeloaders out to get their kicks
When it's nobody's business the way that you wanna live
I just have to remember there'll be days like this

When no one steps on my dreams there'll be days like this
When people understand what I mean there'll be days like this
When you ring out the changes of how everything is
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this

Oh my mama told me

hay, anybody reading this blog have Days Like This? Maybe just a few times in my life. It sure feels good just to think about it. We came from primates. For self preservation, primates always looked over their shoulder. They always expected something to go wrong in a day.

We're not that different. We look for something to go wrong. We have trouble accepting and feeling happy when nothing goes wrong. They call it "human Nature." If nothing is going wrong with us, we have plenty of bad news news to take away from our Days Like This day.

That's why I play Morrison's song over and over again. Here's a suggestion, when you have a Days Like This day write it down and put it in a special place. Sooo, whenever you don't have a Days Like This day, go to your special place and remember the feeling. Of course, if your having a really bad day you can always play Morrison's song.

Passion

 Passion

One of my favorite songs, Passion, sung by Rod Stuart, reminds me of a need to never lose. Here are a just few bars:

[Pre-Chorus]
New York, Moscow (Passion)
Hong Kong, Tokyo (Passion)
Paris and Bangkok (Passion)
A lotta people ain't got (Passion)
Hear it in the radio (Passion)
Read it in the papers (Passion)
Hear it in the churches (Passion)
See it in the schoolyards (Passion)

[Bridge]
Alone in your bed at night (Passion)
It's half past midnight (Passion)
As you turn out your sidelight (Passion)
Something ain't right (Passion)
There's no passion, there's no passion
There's no passion, I need passion
You need passion, we need passion
Can't live without passion
Won't live without passion
Can't live without passion

[Outro]
Even the president needs passion
Everybody I know needs some passion
Some people die and kill for passion
Nobody admits they need passion
Some people are scared of passion
Yeah, passion

Those last few lines really hit home with me. "Even the President needs passion." Oh, how I wish he had some. "Everybody I know needs passion." A lot of people love things, but do they have a passion for anything? "Some people die and kill for passion." Although everybody needs passion, it's sad to note that a terrorist has passion.

"Nobody admits they need passion." Too many people go through life without being passionate about anything. I say, "life without passion is half a life. "Some people are scared of passion." I never knew my dad to be passionate about anything - on the other hand he had a lot of barriers. I believe being passionate about anything was too scary for him because when growing up everything was always taken from him (including his parents).

I have many passions. Everything from life itself to football. I love it when I see the passion in others. Watching my cousin Steve's love for his music, puts a smile on my face. Joyce and I love each other, but we are also passionate about the health and happiness of each other.

What about you? What are your passions? Do you have many or any? Do you believe it's important to be passionate? Let me repeat, Life Without Passion Is Half A Life!!!

Rags To Riches

 Rags To Riches

Poor people are happier than rich people. This is a myth I grew up with. I guess that myth was stated because poor people wanted to feel better about themselves. I never heard rich people say that, but I didn't know any rich people. 

Many movies have a rags to riches theme. The usual plot is that after becoming rich the poor person does not become happier. In some movies just the opposite becomes true. In the movie "Trading Places" the rich guy loses everything, becomes miserable and then get it all back and becomes even happier than he was when he was rich - only in the movies!

Of course, all of this is just fantasy. Given the choice, who would vote to be poor over being rich? It sucks to be poor. Life is much harder when you're poor. Life choices are much more difficult when you're poor. Rich people have a lot more going for them than poor people. Financial security is important to everyone. Living a life without financial security is scary.

Sooo, are rich people happier than poor people? The answer to that question is - it depends. If you've never been poor, how would you know the answer. How a poor person describes happiness is probably different than how a rich person describes happiness. Going from rags to riches depends on what a person decides to do with their new found wealth. Also, how a poor person describes rich might be different than how a rich person describes rich.

I believe there is something to be said for growing up poor and deciding what to do when you wind up with more money you thought you would ever have. Me personally, if I hit the lottery for many, many millions, my first thought would not be what new car I would buy, but what family/friend I would help out. 

However, that being said, I have financial security in my life and only make decisions with my money that makes me happy. Who knows what I would spend my money on if I was dirt poor. In my first book, I wrote a line that stated, "at ten I was poor, but I was having fun." Today, reading about the struggles of really poor people, I realize I was never poor. 

Yes, we didn't have much money, but we did have food to eat, air to breathe and shelter. Now I realize, there are many people who don't have enough food to eat and shelter. Rich to them is more about security than happiness. I can't even imagine what those people would do if they went from rags to riches. I can't even imagine what they would consider happiness.

As I always ask, "what about you?" Are you poor or rich? How do you define poor vs. rich? Are you happy with what you have? Would you be happier if you had more? What would you do if you had more? 

Money is not the root of all evil. Money is all about choices. Nobody reading my blogs are really poor so It's important to think about if you are making the right choices. If your choices are making yourself and or others happier, those are the right choices. 

Pain

Pain

When we think about pain we usually refer to physical pain. However, there are other kinds of pain. Emotional, mental, psychological just to name three. I have run the gambit on all kinds of pain.

I've had a bad back since my early twenties. This year alone, I've had three procedures to help with the toothache that goes down my left leg. I've had emotional pain losing my dad to Parkinson's disease and losing My Ellen unexpectedly. The worst pain I've ever had was the mental and phycological pain from my second divorce.

Each and every time I've gotten on the right side of my pain. Want to know how? Well, A  little help from my friends, loved ones, Bob. and a strong desire to love life. 

The toothache in my left leg gets a little better after each procedure. However, I've accepted that pain is my way of life. I'm in a positive emotional groove because of My Joyce. My mental and phycological well being is great because of my family and friends. Nobody is pressing my buttons because I got rid of all my buttons. BTW, I'm doing all this without the help of drugs.

My pain doctor always asks me, " from a scale of one to ten, what is your pain level." Sooo, I'm asking you the same question. Is physical pain, emotional pain mental pain and/or phycological pain getting you down? Is any kind of pain you have impacting your happiness? 

If the answer is no, you are one of the very few. If the answer is yes, I can only give you my suggestion;

Love Life So Much That You Are Willing To Say To Yourself - Fu.k That Pain.

All You Need Is Love

All You Need Is Love

Everybody knows the song, All You Need Is Love by the Beatles.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy

Nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

Love, love, love
Love, love, love
Love, love, love

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

Nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love

I am someone who has lots of love in my life. Wife, family and friends have love for me. The most important part is that I have love for myself. Having all that love makes it easy for me to love back. 

I was brought up with love. Mom, Dad and friends all loved me and I loved them back. I had a few bumpy years where I felt unloved by others, but loving myself got me through the worst of times.

Some people love themselves, but don't love others the way they love themselves. Some people don't have love for anybody. I can only assume that those people don't love life. Some people show their love in different ways. Those people are sometimes misunderstood.

I feel bad for some who have not grown up with love. I can understand why they have many barriers. My dad didn't grow up with love in his life and therefore had lots of barriers. It was hard for him to give physical love (like a hug), but I could see his love for me in his eyes.

I believe the more you love, the more love you'll get back. It's hard, but letting down your barriers, will allow others to love you even more. I believe in loving people even though you might not get the love you hope for and deserve, back.

These are hard times. Hard times are when you need to put as much love you can into your heart. Hard times are when you need to love others as much as you can. I promise if you do as I suggest, you will have lots of love in your life.

Remember, to be a happy person All You Need Is Love.

Don't Let This War Get You Down

 Don't Let This War Get You Down

I know a few people who are really happy we've gone to war with Iran. I also know many people who are upset we've gone to war with Iran. Personally, I'm confused.

Iran's leadership (not the majority of it's people), are radical people. They are a threat to not only Israel, but the United States and any other country that supports Israel. The world should never let them have nuclear weapons.

Our current administration got out of the nuclear treaty with Iran. I believe they did so because Israel was concerned Iran would cheat and find a way to make nuclear weapons even though the treaty required inspections.

Maybe Israel is right. And if so, they have a legitimate reason to do what ever it takes to prevent Iran from getting those weapons. This administration stated America got into this war because Israel was going to war with Iran. That does not make sense to me.

Sooo, to be clear, in my opinion this is Israel's war not America's war. Sooo, even though I agree Iran are bad guys, why not let Israel take out their nuclear threat. I would love Israel to win, but what's it my business? That's why I'm confused.

For those people who are unhappy we are in this war (including me), Don't Let This War Get You Down. Don't try to persuade the war happy people we should end this war. It will only make you more frustrated. 

Stop talking with like minded people about this war because negative energy will only bring more negative energy. Stop listening to war reports, because none of it will be good news. I always keep my focus on the wonderful life I have. With the years I have left, I'm not going to let bad news take away my happiness.

This war WILL end!! Soooo, Don't Let it Get You Down.