Necessity is The Mother Of Invention

Necessity is the mother of invention and that bitch has made a point of making sure that I can't forget it. Life here at the fabulous shack has been less than fabulous as of late. There is a laundry list of reasons why that is so.

If I was truly superstitious I would attribute this to some cosmic plan. I'd say that somewhere in the heavens some being is trying to catch my eye, someone or something needs my attention. And because I am an ornery old cuss who doesn't always respond to subtle hints they have gone from tapping on my shoulder to kicking me in the ass.

But that is a problem. Kick me in the ass and you will receive my attention. I will lavish it upon you in a way that is less than tender and loving. You can motivate some people by fear and bullying. Not me. All that does is piss me off.

Thankfully life experience, age and maturity have taught me to not make decisions when I am angry. They have also given me my perspective on superstition, things like astrology. Here is my position. If I like my horoscope than I absolutely believe that it is true, because it just has to be.

However if I read my horoscope and find it to be distasteful I don't worry about it because clearly it is fiction.

When I look at the things that have happened in my life I have to ask myself a few questions. What can I do to make it better and how fast can I make that happen. I may bitch about things that bother me, but I rarely ask "why me?"

I hate that because it doesn't change the situation. Life is not fair. It never has been and it never will be. Some people receive a double dose of luck and some get kicked. Some people never struggle for anything and others never find life to be easy.

There is nothing profound about any of that. It is common sense.

In spite of all that there are times when it is very hard to maintain perspective. When I learned of the death of my friend this past week I had to shake my head. Cancer strikes again. Three kids lost their mother and for what.

I haven't any answer and I don't expect to receive one. It is one of those things that happen. Does it make it easier for me to deal with my challenges? Yes and no, but mostly no.

A broken air conditioner, water heater issues and car repairs all add up to stress, lost sleep and a thinner bank account. They are not equivalent to the loss of a person. But, that doesn't take away the reality that I have to deal with these things.

The problems may not be as serious. I have time to recover the funds and try to do things that put me in a better position financially. I have time to make changes in my life and do more things that fulfill me.

At least I think that I do. The laws of average combined with genetics and some effort on my part lend credence to that supposition about having time to change. But then again stories like this remind me that things can change overnight.

So I might not have as much time as I think or hope to. The window of opportunity to do some things can shut rather quickly. So I find myself staring at the window and wondering if there is another way into the building or do I need to throw a rock through the window.

It might not be ideal, but I am not against getting creative. What I know for certain is that I am going to be active in trying to affect change. I am going to be active because regardless of what happens I'll feel better.

Regardless of what happens I'll know that I didn't just let life pass me by.