Life Altering Changes

It is almost 1:30 a.m. and I have failed to adhere to a promise I made to myself to go to bed closer to midnight or earlier. For months I have sworn a blood oath to myself, hollered, begged, badgered and practically buggered all in the hope that I would do the right thing and go to bed at a normal time.

Yes, I just wrote buggered about myself in my own blog. Give me a break, it is well past the witching hour and I am too freaking tired to care. Ok, I care enough to write about it but so what. The rules of the blog are simple, be real, be honest and be authentic.

So in the interest of authenticity I am on the verge of making major changes in my life. A different man who looked an awful lot like me but had a little bit more hair would have been a bit nervous about these. He would have been more cautious and concerned about these things. He would have plotted out a course that provided more opportunities because he didn't want to paint himself into a corner.

Well in the parlance of my youth we took that motherfucker out back and gave him an attitude adjustment. We threw his lazy ass against the wall, screamed in his face and said get your shit together or get out. More on this in a moment.

Leaves were falling, just like embers,
In colors red and gold, they set us on fire
Burning just like moonbeams in our eyes.

[Chorus:]
Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues.

Now I'm guilty of something...
I hope you never do
Because there is nothing
Sadder than losing yourself in love.

[Chorus]

Now you've ask me... just to leave you
To go out on my own
And get what I need to.
You want me to find what I've already had.

[Chorus 2x]
Killing The Blues- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
That is one of my favorite songs. I have been listening to the album quite a bit thinking about "swinging the world by the tail. You know, I have been thinking a lot about The Dark Knight. It is a movie that I really like for a host of reasons, one of which is Michael Caine. He does a very fine job of playing Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred.

He tells this great story that I'll quote here:

Alfred Pennyworth: A long time ago, I was in Burma, my friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never found anyone who traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing them away.
Bruce Wayne: Then why steal them?
Alfred Pennyworth: Because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

I like this story because it is a reminder that even though we try to apply logic, reason and rational thought to the world it doesn't always work. It is a reminder that no matter how strong we are our ability to influence the world that we live in is limited because there are things that we cannot control.

It is a discussion that I have had more than once with the children. A discussion in which we talk about strength and how that doesn't have to refer to physical strength. For those who know me well it sometimes sounds kind of silly, because I am like a little boy when it comes to physical strength. I am always curious how much I can lift. I love watching The World's Strongest Man contests. They are kind of silly, but fun.

But physical strength can only take you so far. It is cerebral strength that is most important. It is emotional strength that you need. Those last two plus the former are how it should be. Anyway, I have made some significant changes in several areas, one of which is blogging. I expect to show you the blogging stuff in the not so distant future.

I need to take care of a few things, but I expect to let you know pretty soon. In the interim keep checking in here and I'll keep you posted as things develop. Time for bed for this old man, see you later.

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