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Do I Have To Tell You,”You’re Fired”

Late again. I watch the clock, I check my phone for messages..Nothing that gives the most remote indication you deserve a second chance. You are an adult, an adult who is conducting business. Why do I have to call you and verify you are going to come as scheduled. I have tried to give you an opportunity, I have given you a pass… a break on more occasions than one, BUT you are a liar and you ARE unreliable. You clearly do not care about the business you have, the job you do, or me the client/patron.

When you hire an individual to do a job you expect that party to know the job, be capable of doing it, and taking care in providing all that is entailed. From customr service to the performance of said job. You don’t want to be hard, you don’t want to be a cynic, you want to give folks a chance, even when your gut feeling is to go with someone else. After each disappointment you still find yourself justifying the poor technique or performance… after all the end result is satisfactory. Yet you have to admit with each so-called pass the next time seems to be worse rather than better. Your benevolence is truly being taken advantage of. We are,by choice, beyond the babysitting/ child rearing stage of life. We are looking for things to fall into place and be easier. Therefore individuals we HIRE to perform whatever job are expected to be reliable and self-sustaining. We are NOT looking for another responsibility. If I have to help you do the job, I may as well do it myself OR find another who is actually wiulling and capable of doing that job. So when you show up late and the door is locked, the office looks abandoned.. take note and reflect. When you ask yourself what is going on, look at YOURSELF and realize YOU hold the key, YOU are the answer. While it is too late for this opportunity, take heed and avoid the mistakes made here in order NOT to repeat them.

Vintage VeeJay

This piece is rated___, well the subject matter is for the mature, and mature is subjective. Therefore if you are not chronologically or mentally of age, stop reading now, cause you aren’t gonna understand.

Not worn out but experienced. There are things that the years have taught. The numbers are not nearly as important as the variety of characters. She does not “kiss and tell” only the next one that comes along will be privy to the secrets and talents she has acquired.

The “boy” was 55 to her 61, seemingly it was working. Amidst a pandemic they figured out a way to connect. He was a liar and she knew it. She did not care because all she wanted was a simple connection, anything more would have to be determined at a later date.

It is a challenge to be in the world of the singles when your classification contains a word that defines you as senior… when you are a woman the smiles and smirks are everywhere. It was almost comical as the scores of “suitors” proclaimed “age aint nuthin but a number”. However what made these “junior flips” think they could say, do or even be something she had not seen before.

The boy was fun and entertaining at first. As time went on, he seemingly had read a book or two. He even seemed to be on-top-of current events. This was becoming a distinct possibility. Then he began sharing secrets, saying things he did not intend on, he was becoming anxious. Was it the intoxicating effects of alcohol or was it her? Still for the purposes intended, he would do.

Clearly he was out of his league. She was experienced, he thought he liked that. Then the question of how many partners she had came up. This from a man who said/felt society placing unheard of requirements on a woman to be a lady was ridiculous. He was pursuing this relationship, this lady, this sexual encounter full-force. He tried to act like the double digit number did not bother him, but it did. He thought even though he did not say, ” some lady“. However, it did come out of his mouth. He was intimidated. He did not know how to view or accept a seemingly sexually free woman. Yet he longed for this woman who came off as intelligent, informed, and classy. He liked her look.

Truth be known she was really not that sexually liberated. By society’s standard, women are NOT to be free sexually. They must save themselves for marriage, and if not virgins have limited encounters. Double digit lovers, that is unheard of. Even though the barometers say it is NOT unheard of to have 1 lover per year after the initial encounter, until something serious occurs( committed relationship). No different than the woman who gets pregnant the first time she has sex, the result of the act was all that was clear, at least in visual terms. Her past had a variety of relationships, there were serious relationships, there were casual ones, then there was marriage and after the marriage the number stayed the same for decades, “till death did they part”.

After the boy blew it, he still could not stay away. He tried to recover from his ill-fated remarks. He did know the minute the comments left his very lips, it was over. Oh how he wanted to experience her and the vintage veejay that intoxicated his mind, body, and soul. Too bad, it WAS now too late. He would forever be left wondering what experiencing HER might have been like.

A Temporary Shelter

It was a calm day, taking on typical characteristics of summertime. A warm early morning with a clear sunny sky. Round about 11 it started happening, the temperature began dropping and that clear, sunny sky grew dark rapidly with it’s menacing clouds. Soon the rain began to fall, the wind started whipping and whirling, thunder claps, lightening flashes and we must not forget the hail…

The gazebo had barely been erected, the furniture was in place, final touches were all that remained. This entire space had been planned. The instructions claimed it was an “all weather” structure, it would be tested very soon. It provided a cover. The rain did not fall directly on the furniture, but as it fell more rapidly the water pooled. The weight of the water soon proved to much for the small hollow beams, the structure’s roof collapsed.

Much like the afore mentioned weather condition and gazebo, there was a feeling of security and protection in their friendship. Their time together gave a sense of safety and protection. It was warm and familiar. Then it changed, it evolved, it put a smile on their respective faces for very different reasons. There should not have been any surprise; for their “romp” was much like the weather which was unpredictable, and the gazebo that was dubbed “all-weather” Nothing that could be counted on and everything IS temporary. They provided one another with the required dynamic each of them needed. Shelter.

Then it happened the proof started coming into focus. She always knew it would not work, but now the signs were too enormous to ignore. In an instant, all the good feelings were whisked away. That, in and of itself, was the strongest indicator any hope for more was NOT possible. He had violated her in a way that he could not recover from, she would not ever forget it and she came face to face with those facts. He did not even realize it , because it was NOT meant to be hostile nor was it meant to sting. If it had been his way “they” would slow to a trickle and then disappear unnoticed. He was a conqueror and his friend had crossed the line, with his aid of course, now he simply did what he did. There are no innocents here, each moved forward with eyes wide open. The question now is, can their friendship survive the violation.

The Temporary Shelter is erected and waiting to received them, either one of them or both. It shall stand and provide what each needs, but those needs will only be met for a short time and then they will have to move on.

Cheaper To Keep Her Versus Simpler To Settle

I remember laughing as I listened to the word of the song by Johnny Taylor when I was much younger. Not experienced at all but aware of what was being said in an all-to-obvious way. Life goes on and situations occur, we see unhappy couples, unhappy marriages yet the relationships seem to be frozen in time. Same sullen faces, same arguments, nothing changes but the date. Coming of age in the “because I told you to” era left us with many questions, many questions we dare not ask.

As young adults we began to see clearly what Johnny was talking about. Now as we saw our relatives, friends and sometimes ourselves in the inescapable places. It was so easy to get into these places, but when it got difficult and we wanted to tuck tail and run, when we found an open door we also found that door maybe a trap. The sign read, “ESCAPE! At your own risk” . There was a small screen view/tiny print of “At your own risk”, some of us bothered to read/take note of the not-so-obvious warning, many of us just turned around. A few dared to go through and we watch long drawn out court proceedings, weekend exchanges of children, those same sullen unhappy faces we recalled from our sheltered childhoods. Even if the shrapnel of these decimated relationships did not hit us directly, we did feel the impact of the ricochets.

Now we see the by-product of what we have lived through or seen through-out our lives. The zombies who once were vibrant and challenging, now look exactly like their predecessors, the Cheaper To Keep Her generation. However, we have evolved we feel old father time creeping up behind us. We tell ourselves we have no choice but to comply. As we settle into “Unhappily Ever Afters” does it make it easier for us to digest what we are doing/what we have do/what we have created/what we have become? As we helplessly watch ourselves age, we reach for things out of our scope. We long to return, at least part of us, to our more youthful period. We want to be transported there, but we also want to hang onto the knowledge we have collected. We ARE resisting the inevitable, but fighting it pushing against it is hard. It seems only natural that we would opt for the easy way … Therefore, settling is now a much more viable attractive option. Yet in settling realize you are sacrificing the possibility/ies of happy . I still want to believe happy can once again BE.

Expiration Date Passed

So you pour that glass of milk without a second thought, the instant it touches the tip of your tongue you know. You search discreetly yet rapidly for someplace to relieve your mouth of this horrible self-inflicted invasion. Once the fluid is eliminated you move on and find something to take that bad taste out of your mouth, but that does NOT mean you will never drink milk again..

In your mind you think, “We” are the perfect match. We like the same movies, we enjoy the same foods, our religious and political beliefs and affiliations are in sync. While it is not always the basis for a relationship, but it is important, the attraction and sexual energy is REAL”. Yet, as you sit across the table from one another it is the unspoken that has served as a “roadblock” for far too many years. Once again it is staring you in the face

Traveling back to the beginning you realize the unspoken was the issue back then too. You think perhaps if this had been addressed, “nipped in the bud” so to speak, we could have moved forward and hopefully in the manner that YOU think you wanted it to. Now you are impatient. You are in a constant state of urgency…why now.. BECAUSE YOU have decided it was time or do you simply grow tired of something you never thought you could bring yourself to admit to. Think of the milk, as you decide the fate of this “friendship/relationship”. You are not good and making decisions when it comes to the two of you, you cannot even decide what to call what you are, or is it you are afraid to face what it truly is. Actions, not simply names, oftentimes define our interpersonal interactions and you KNOW this.

Now the data has been gathered, the timing is right you “dive into the deep end” without hesitation. It IS good because you are no longer seeking answers, but providing information. This is cathartic, soul cleansing and you do not have ANY expectations from this because ultimately you have already accomplished what you set out to do.

What follows is irrelevant. Yet prior to the space you now occupy these same occurrences would have urged you to continue in the fashion and manner the two of you had always conducted yourselves. Don’t be distracted or confused, instead embrace your decision.

For future references and looking forward, you will check that carton to make sure the expiration date has NOT passed before you pour a glass and drink from it.

Is This Love Or Want?

Trying to make a decision about this has been taxing my mind for awhile.

I remember the first day we met like it was yesterday, the smiles were permanently etched in my mind.

How could we ever know that decades later we would still have this personal intimate connection without being openly involved.

Seemingly we kept missing one another and in the midst of these “misses”, other people and relationships entered into our respective lives. Religious folks speak of “road blocks” appearing to spare one a more disastrous occurrence. So many unspoken words, so many missed opportunities. Yet we still remained in one another’s lives.

How many times have I imagined MY version of the “happy ending”. I see myself in the kitchen looking outside as I wash dishes. I see you coming up behind me, kissing me on the neck. The thought makes me smile. We are far passed the romantic notions of young, fit, beautiful adults, but sometimes when I look into your eyes, read your messages, hear you say certain words, it is easy for me to convince myself this is right, this IS meant to be.

As I catch these glimpses of reality, I ask myself, “What does HE see when he looks at me? I am NOT pleased at self most of the time so what can I hope to project?” I quickly dismiss those thoughts. I ONLY want HIM to want me…virtually nothing else matters. I fill the time we are apart or at odds, with others who can only buy me a meal or share a phone conversation. For HE is the standard that MUST be met.

My time with him is gratifying but it has not been sweet and/or endearing for a long time now. This is why the questions arise. How can I love a man who is NOT loving to me? Am I grabbing for the love or is it the “win”. is this the feeling of “want”? I will not feel more for him than he feels for me. As I live with the belief that if the situation that keeps us apart were different, he STILL would not choose me. So I say, ” I will NOT feel more for him than he feels for me.” I simply MUST believe that, and yet I know nothing could be farther from the truth.

Ah…The Dreams

When my husband decided that our youngest son should be/would be an attorney, I questioned it. I was happy because I love law and would have been thrilled IF HE decided HE wanted to be an attorney, and not simply going along with the desires of his father. However, that was not the case. As a young adult who had his own mind and intentions, he also respected his father and did NOT want to disappoint him so in early stages of higher education he allowed his father to chase HIS dream vicariously. I watched our son do things and pursue things that did not go along with someone who was interested in the legal profession on any level. He was artistic and showed interests in that area. Finally, he grew confident enough in his choices and revealed them to his dad, who accepted his decisions. Not only was our son pleasantly surprised, so was I.

Fast forward, my granddaughter the “Ninja Ballerina” not trying to sound like a typical “stage mom” she is a very talented child even gifted. She unlike her proud Abuela takes her accomplishments in stride. However, hard as I try, I still find myself imagining her as a Prima Ballerina/TaeKwonDo Grand Master IN ADDITION to whatever other career SHE chooses..Magnanimous of me right? Remember SHE takes her accomplishments in stride. I reluctantly had to come to grips with her nearly falling asleep at performances of Alvin Ailey or The Nutcracker..I tried so hard to ignore these signs. As she enjoyed being a Black Belt and now charged with instructing the lower level students, she seemed wary and impatient that they did NOT instantly progress as she thought they should. Maybe it is inexperience, maybe it is immaturity, maybe she just does not want to do either of these two things I helped direct and expose her to… So now I also had to face perhaps I was doing a bit of vicarious living, as my late husband did with our late son.

I, now alone, NEED dreams. Although, I do not dream; at least to the point where I can remember them. So what is a dream? What is it to dream and how do you feel when you lose the ability to have these very valuable tools of our very special brains?

Dreamers, they are the artists and architects of the beauty of our world in many, many ways. While we all may NOT possess the ability to affect our environment at the level they do, we do have an affect. When we lose that gift of dreaming our value, our purpose begins to move away from our very grasp. Those dreams, those subconscious images that invade our spaces while we are helplessly sleeping, are images of desires and hope we have in our conscious state. Sometimes it is easy to dismiss these very dreams because it has been said, “if you can dream it, it can be done” implying the dream is less important than the final product. Thus the explanation of how folks sometimes grow weary of a dreamer, because the thought pattern is… stop dreamin and start doin. Is the dream stage is a waste of time? No it is not.

Consider this, losing the ability of dreaming is a crippling event. I read of a conquering army explaining why they killed their enslaved and former enemies children. The statement was “You kill their children or when you kill their children you kill their dreams”. In short saying the conquerors were giving them no need, desire, or ability to make any moves on their own. They are now only “shells” that basically become tools which can be manipulated and used until they are no more. I understand and can relate to that thinking because of my loss of my child.. the challenges and phases are many but when you are in the dark places it is when you feel that overwhelming loss ; loss of presence, loss of hope… loss of the dreams.

We do not control dreams but as I have come to know we can resist and fight sleep, it is just as possible for us to fight the ability to dream. That I say relax, go to sleep and allow yourself to dream. Dreaming is good for us, if it only provides us with a short organic escape from our reality.

Precious

Things seemed to be going along rather well, so it seemed. They were dating regularly. He was calling to check on her. Most importantly the compatibility factor had advanced to the point of them being intimate. Finally, a happy place.

However, in the weeks to follow she found little indicators around his place. They were NOT in plain sight but they were NOT buried either. Feeling a bit hurt and a bit confrontational she asked him about the items. At first there was a denial, but that soon gave way to an explanation that was not what one wants to hear. The owner of the items was a woman/ a lady that he could not get out of his system. Furthermore, he did NOT want to get her out. Precious. For one reason or another they could not be together. The exact reason remained an enigma. He did make it clear that as long as there was breath in his body, if she came around/into town he had room in his house, his bed, his heart for her.. Wow.. what a revelation. How does one take such information in?

In his life for so many years, through the trials of life they have danced with and around one another. Once again there is availability but there is a complicated clause. Standing between the possibility of them being a couple is another individual. An innocent, unaware of the entry into a semi-occupied zone, but there just the same. His Precious begins to move to close and he has to move away, push her away…gently because he does NOT want her to walk away forever. he needs time to re-group and re-assess. Then, and only then, the dance can continue. How long will he be able to keep this up and how long will she knowingly participate?

Relegated to the ranks of “fantasy lover” these mysterious, elusive creatures grace mere mortals with their presence periodically. They always are desired because they cannot/will not be had; do they enjoy the spots they occupy or do they long to be in the place where their beloved wants them to be. Do they even know they exist in these special places? Do their beloved really know what they want? Perhaps they simply are so very wanted because they cannot be attained.

Peeling back the layers, we can see the barricades are both real and imagined. Maybe it is not easy but the chance has to be taken, someone has to take the calculated risk. The other solution is what it has been and will continue to be.. the undefined, the stolen moments, the part-time relationships that begin and end in secrecy.

The Nice Guys

It is said they finish last. However, what would we be left with if not for them? In reality they are few and far between, but they are out there. True gentlemen, some are soft spoken, often time many are humble in demeanor, he tends to go unnoticed. NOT what will generally catch your eye or should I say who will catch your eye.

Flip–the–script..If you look around, it will not take long to spot him. He may or may not be rather loud, but he will get your attention. He may not be that handsome but you will not know it, you will be drawn to him. You ask why…well you clearly like trouble. You are NOT alone; there is something exciting and intriguing about the guy that trouble seems to follow, especially when he does not run from or even try to avoid that same trouble.

Everything about these polar opposites is exuded in their every move. While our perpetual “bad boy” walks into a room and scans it for opportunity, the “nice guy” tries to enter that same room virtually unnoticed. Their respective eye contact introduces and announces them. The “nice guy” will give a sweet inviting greeting while our “bad boy” will give off an almost dare to you as well as an approach. The one thing they share, the one thing they have in common, is that ALL they both do is deliberate.

Whether we are aware of it or not, we strive to find one who possesses characteristics like honesty, loyalty, reliability. Yet why are some drawn to the” bad boy” who offers virtually none of those things. I can only offer my personal observations and experiences. He is exciting, unpredictable and he makes your heart race. From the perspective of a “roller coaster enthusiast” this works. One simply has to realize on the flip side those same characteristics are a lot less attractive when it is time to pay bills. Then we re-evaluate and have to admit the Nice Guy may have been the option we should have selected after all.

Inspired

Lines, lines, lines…seems the story of all of our lives these days. Yet, slowly but surely we are adjusting. Some adjust more easily than others,travelling along the road of least resistance.

With our everyday lives in this upheaval you MUST MAKE yourself take time out and slow it down a bit, notice the simple and beautiful things.. forget that many say I just want to go here or there, pick up this or that and get away from the reality nonsense. Many of us are “empty-nesters”, many are simply alone, therefore the challenges of meal preparation often falls to the way-side and take-out/fast food/delivery become the go-to plan. No matter how I try to resist I find myself in line waiting on food at least 3X’s a week. It proves both costly and annoying..but what to do?

This morning an INSPIRED situation was relayed to me. Here it is;

What would you think if after sitting in line at your local favorite fast food spot, for 20 minutes or longer, once you got to the window to pay the cashier told you it had already been taken care of. What you you think? My answer in this time of uncertainty and disdain.. I said,” I would think someone was paying it forward, what a nice kind thing to do.”

Later it was revealed to me the person relaying the story was the person who had actually done the good deed. I was not surprised but still I could not stop smiling. I will leave the who out of this piece, for I pay homage to her regularly. I will say this I was NOT surprised because I KNOW her and the nature of her being. I hope everyone has such a person in their lives to balance out the uneven times. I am now challenged to be simply INSPIRED for no apparent reason. I hope YOU, my audience, are as well.