Be A Little Crazy

Being normal is overrated. What IS normal, anyway? Is it a standard definition of acceptable traits that are within certain parameters? Does venturing outside of those parameters violate normalcy? Who created those parameters in the first place? Who gets to decide if someone is

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abnormal or not? Is being normal like being in a club, where one has to be accepted before being included? Well I say......

Phooey on normalcy! I think it's perfectly fine to be crazy sometimes. Some of the coolest people in history were a little crazy. There's 3 kinds of crazy, 2 of which are acceptable in my opinion, the 3rd of which is not. People have often treated those who have a mental illness or a disability as if they have the plague. It isn't contagious, folks. That kind of crazy can't be helped. We are all still human beings & we all have SOME sort of "stuff" that makes us a bit crazy. As long as we are either keeping our "crazy" under control with therapy, medication or whatever floats our boat, & we aren't hurting anyone, including ourselves, then that's okay. Live & let live!

How about those who are covered in tattoos or dress in ways that garner them lots of attention? If such people are indeed normal, why is it that we still judge them & find them lacking somehow? And before anyone says "but I don't ever do that because I judge someone

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on how they behave, not on how they look", I cry fowl on that one. Don't think you've never judged someone. We ALL have done so at least once. How many of us have judged an old person to be stupid & deaf, as we speak loudly to them in a deliberate & slow manner because we assume they have lost all understanding & hearing & we have to speak to them like a child? We have all judged someone. What about those who are "eccentric" & "odd" & act just outside "societal/acceptable norms"? Hey, as long as nobody is hurting anyone, who cares?! Live & let live!

Then there are those who do all the "normal" things such as going to work, paying their bills & doing what "normal" people do, except their personalities are so off-putting that they come across to others as the opposite of normal. They can be rude, obnoxious, self-entitled, self-absorbed (narcissistic) & act as if the world not only revolves around them, but that the world owes them whatever they want or what they feel they deserve. They don't care if they hurt others, so long as the end result serves their purpose or fulfills their wishes. This kind of "crazy" is unacceptable because it harms others.

There. Those are the 3 kinds of "crazy" as described by moi! So live a little. Don't take life so seriously. We're not going to get out of it alive anyway, so we might as well make it count. Be kind, don't hurt others, be smart in your choices, and HAVE FUN!! And most importantly, be weird, be silly, don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself for the sake of fun now & then. Make that silly sound with your tongue or dance like John Travolta in the grocery store. Rock out to music in the car & laugh when others stare at you as you drive down the road. Just BE A LITTLE CRAZY!! Live & let live...& have fun doing so!!

Photo: Cari Kissel

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Times Have Changed

How I miss my parents. If they were alive today, they would both be in their 90's. They brought about a certain comfort that always made me feel "safe", even as an adult with children of my own. They represented security, balance, family, ethics, goodness, stability & love, all rolled into one package that they created together when they married while still in their teens in the 1940's. My father was drafted during World War II & he & my mom moved from Indiana to California when the Marines sent my dad to San Diego & he was assigned to the USS Panamint & later saw battle in the Pacific Theater. Together, they raised their family: 2 sons & 4 daughters. I was the youngest.

Sweet Maggie's Cloud

My family's Maggie girl died 2 years ago & when she died, a part of my soul died with her...such was our bond. I don't mean this as judgment, but as being sincerely baffled when I say that I have never understood people who view animals not as living beings, but as "just a dog/cat etc". Animals are not here on earth to serve us. Although we can surely have a symbiotic relationship with them where they help us & we help them, they have the right to exist & enjoy the life they were given just as much as we do. Lesser intelligence does not equate to lesser right to life. This isn't a "don't eat meat" post. I respect people's rights to choose their food.

Finding Legos

Yellow ones, red ones, blue and green…

No matter what room I go to, those little blocks are seen.

Tucked underneath the couch, & near our cat’s litter box,

Hiding between the covers & near where my husband throws his socks!

As I crouch down on the floor, retrieving cat toys under the TV,

Pet hair, cords & cat toys & Legos are what I see!

As I tidy up the living room, moving papers here & there,

I find blocks that snap together, spreading colors everywhere.

There are guns to shoot the zombies & rifles 2 feet long.

The builder of these masterpieces, makes them very strong.

Oh the robots & the weapons, made for battles of that day,

Are the evidence of a happy child, who came to see us & to play.

As I pick up all the Legos, that have somehow missed their box,

I’m reminded of a sweet little boy & the way he plays & talks.

“Get the zombies, Grandpa! Run! We have to hide!”

“Oh no, they just got Grandma! Now she’s a zombie & she died!”

There’s an awesome little boy, 4 years old with an infectious grin.

Each time I’m finding Legos, I’m reminded he was here again!

(Dedicated to my awesome, Lego-loving grandson)

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The Good and Not So Good Human Traits

I don't make resolutions when a new year arrives. I instead, set goals for my life & I set such goals throughout the year. In my experiences during the past couple of years, I have encountered people with personality & character traits so ugly that they have brought out the worst of mankind. I have also observed & been exposed to traits so awesome that they help people to forget that ugliness in this world even exists when we can see the goodness in others. I want to strive to exhibit the positive traits below, to the best of my ability. They are shown first on this list. This post isn't pretty or poetic, nor is the layout fancy. Heck, I'm not even going to make the format perfectly consistent & uniform. I don't feel like it. But I do believe the point I'm trying to make can still be made here:

Sisters

She was the 3rd daughter for my parents. They already had one son at that time & I'm quite certain my brother had hoped for a baby brother instead of yet another girl, but that was not to be. I'm hypothesizing here. I haven't actually asked my brother how he felt about having yet another sister in the family, but c'mon...what boy actually looks forward to being outnumbered 3 to 1 by sisters?

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To make matters worse for my poor brother, he had to wait an extra month to find out if he was going to have a little brother or not, because this little baby was born a month late...at least according to legend (every family has them). At last the day arrived & the doctor announced "it's a girl". I can imagine the dismay my brother must have felt on that day, although he likely was used to it by now.