Vote

Another mid-term voting season is about to come to an end. Please vote, if you haven't taken advantage of early voting, on Tuesday, November 2.

Voting insures that this remains a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Vote based on your own beliefs not those of the fear mongers of both parties. Am I happy with how the last 2 years have gone? Not entirely. I feel that opportunities were missed and others bungled. However, I voted based on my understanding of the issues and not on the photo ops and sound bites presented on the news.

However, we only have ourselves to blame for the current economic situation. We have become accustomed to instant gratification. Fast, unhealthy food, which is not cheap, instead of patronizing local farmers markets or attempting to grow our own. The latest of everything, phones, cars, computers, even though we don't understand how everything works. The latest round of auto recalls should be giving all of us concern that shoddy workmanship and lack of attention to detail has grown. Instead of wearing things out by using them, we throw them away when marketing tells us to no longer be satisfied with what we have.

The economic downturn has forced a lot of people to rethink what is really important and it is not the newest car on the block, the biggest tv or any other material item. It is having a home to live in, any home; having a car, even if it is 10 years old as long as it runs and most of all, having a job.

So vote on Tuesday. Vote as if the rest of your life depended upon it because it just might.

Abuse

Abuse is never okay. It doesn't matter if it is child, elder, spousal or animal. Any person who abuses another living being is the lowest form of scum that walks the earth. To my way of thinking that individual should be exposed at least to the same intensity of abuse that they inflicted.

Some will say that these individuals were possibly the victims of abuse themselves. Well that may be so but it still does not justify them abusing others. To me the ultimate punishment should be death, not rehabilitation not jail time but death. They are not human; they are lower than any form of life and therefore do not deserve to live.

Being Unemployed

The first time I was unemployed, I was heavily in debt and worked really really hard at looking for another job. In fact, I almost ran out of benefits before I actually found a job.

It was a humbling experience. Even though I had worked since I was 18 years old, every time I met with the people at the unemployment office, they made me feel like I was taking money from their pockets. They interviewed people at their own pace and treated you like you were scum.

The second time, I had a little notice before the axe fell. I had been mailing out resumes, talking to recruiters and had several interviews lined up by the time I was let go. I found a job within a few months and moved out of my home state of Maryland to North Carolina.

I am unemployed again in a job market high on people but low on jobs. Even in my chosen field, I may not find a job easily, let alone find one in another field. It is a totally different time to be unemployed. People are going through savings, 401k funds, employment benefits; even with extensions. This is most distressing. Am I looking for work, I have to at least try just to keep my unemployment benefits coming in. There are jobs, but they require skills I do not have or more education then I have. The fast food places aren't even hiring because they have an abundance of people waiting for even their jobs.

Being unemployed is not fun, it is not pleasant. It is stressful, humbling and scary.

Health Care

The trouble with health care is that no body cares. The insurance company doesn't care because they are in the business to make money. The doctors don't care because they want to make money and avoid being sued. No one connected with the health care system really cares about the patient any more.

I remember when doctors would come to your house, if you were too sick to come to the office. I remember when you had an appointment, that was the time you saw the doctor, not when they put you in the little exam room to wait to see the doctor. I also remember when appointments weren't necessary. You showed up during office hours and waited your turn. I also remember that the visit lasted as long as it took to determine what was wrong with you, not 10 minutes. You could also discuss everything that you had a problem with, not have to allow an extra 10 minutes for each topic.

I also remember when the doctor actually gave you the medicine you needed to take. You went home, took the medicine and it worked. If not you called the doctor, at his home,if necessary, and you could get something else or he would give you another dose.

The problem with health care, is that there is no longer any care. It is a business and everyone wants to make money and avoid being sued.

Also I remember when each doctor was his own practice. Now try to find an independent doctor. Here they are either affiliated with Forsyth Medical (Novant) or Wake Forest Baptist. This maybe good for the doctors and good for the medical group they belong to but it is crap for the patients.

Unfortunately you can't legislate caring.

Never underestimate the power of a nap. Babies and children regularly are encouraged to take naps whether they want them or not. However, when we become adults, sleeping during the day has a negative slant to it. All of a sudden we are lazy, not pulling our weight if we doze off for a few minutes during the day.

Some cultures mandate naps during the day. Some even shut down during the day for an hour or so just for this purpose. Now that I have "retired" I am rediscovering the power of closing my eyes and taking a nap during the day. Naps don't have to be very long in duration; 10 or 15 minutes. Or they can last for an hour or more. The length and timing of the nap is determined by your body.

If we listen to our bodies, they will tell us if something is wrong, if we are working too hard, if we need more exercise or if we need a nap. Naps can be used as an escape mechanism to avoid dealing with something we don't want to. After the nap, you may have a new or fresh approach to the situation that you didn't see before that is better than previous solutions.

Naps are great. Animals are great nap takers. Cats,of course, have napping down to a very fine science but dogs don't do too shabbily in that department either.

Any way, don't rule out a nap for boosting your energy, clearing the mind and just plain relaxing. Naps, truly an under appreciated way to spend time.

TIME

Have you ever thought about Time? When you are little, time is either too slow or too fast. Summers go too fast and Christmas takes forever to get here and then is gone before you really enjoy it.

As you get older, time is taken for granted. Our pet phrases are "I'll take care of that later, or That's for a special time." We procrastinate enjoying life because if I have more money it will be better. If I have a new car, I can go anywhere. Tomorrow will always be there.

But then we get a gut check. All of a sudden our parents are old and feeble, time is running out for them. We can't go back and do over all the times we weren't there for them. We can't reconnect the phone calls we didn't make.

Time may be on Mick Jagger's side but it is not on ours. Each year seems to fly by faster than the one before. All of a sudden it seems, time has run out. All of the things that seemed so important, that had to be done before we could enjoy life, are not so important.

Spent time with your family, create memories that will outlast time. Live like you are dying should be the catch phrase for everyone. Because from the day we are born, we are dying. We don't know how long our string of life is. Never miss an opportunity to hug your spouse, parents, kids. Don't worry about what other people think. Be kind to one another.