August AtoZ: Blogging from A to Z recap
Oh, the things I have learned this past month! It’s been a period of huge enlightenment. I have figured out some things that are small beans in the grand scheme of things, and other things that are monumental. And some that are both, depending on perspective.
1. There’s a lot of shit wrong with the world.
If I was able to come up with 26 controversial topics off the top of my head, there’s something horribly wrong with this here planet. I’m not happy about that. I’m looking at YOU, fellow Earthlings. We need to get things under control. Most of what I talked about is easily fixed if we work together.
There’s this little cute little show my daughter used to watch called “Wonderpets”, and the theme song contains this chorus:
“What’s gonna work? TEAM work!”
We’re trying to teach our kids, which is a great start. But… how about some follow-through on that message?
2. The majority of the shit wrong with the world centers around religious differences.
Think I’m exaggerating? Following are ten items from my list which are quite clearly caused by that whole Christian versus NOT-Christian thing:
Evolution
Global Warming
Politics
Rape
Under God
War on Women
And some of the others are similarly related (like Bearing Arms, Immigration, Mary Jane etc.)… in that it’s that whole Republican versus Democrat thing, which basically comes down to the same thing as Christian versus NOT-Christian. That’s stupid.
I gots no beef with spirituality, faith in a higher power, repentance for wrong-doing, karma, the Golden Rule, etc. But whether you believe in Jesus or not, some iota of logic should be used in operating together in community. We can’t be on the same sheet of music if everyone is playing a different fucking song. Laws should be in place to protect my physical being, not my mortal soul. Even Christ knows it’s up to me. It’s about free will, right? Take away my right to choose and you kind of defeat the purpose of the whole good-n-evil match of wits. Cuz once you bonk me over the head, what I believe is moot. You’re evil. And stupid, too. Congratulations. According to your own rules, you’re going to hell. Purchased any comfortable hand baskets lately?
3. I suck at staying on schedule.
This is nothing new, of course, but bears putting into print. Sorry about that. August ended like, last week. Yet here I am, a week later, only just finishing up the alphabet now. I will endeavor to to better. No promises, though. And actually, I probably lied just then. I likely will NOT endeavor. So now I’m a liar on top of all that. Which is okay, since apparently my daughter’s step-mom already thinks that anyway. Might as well be honest about it. ← Didja catch that oxymoron right there?
4. I have burned a thousand bridges.
Okay, well maybe not quite that many, but the number keeps growing on a weekly basis. The ironic thing is that, the more at peace I become with my feelings, my ire, my joy, my observations, my voice, my growing tribe — the more I find myself and like who I’m growing up to be, the more skin I shed along the way, in the form of loved ones who don’t want to support where I’m going. There’s only room in the car for love, encouragement, and friendship. All negative parties, please leave the ride. So I’m not necessarily unhappy, per se. Just… shook up a bit. I’ve done worse things than speak my mind, yet THIS is what pushes people away. It’s… interesting. I’m curious to see what routes are left, now that the bridges over troubled water are crumbling behind me.
5. There is currently one specific female who doesn’t deserve ice cream, according to my records.
A certain person who shall remain unnamed, so that I don’t get sued or defamed or whatever happens to internet fire-starters, is a real catty wench whom I trust will receive her just rewards in time. This wasn’t really discovered via the AtoZ Challenge, but it did become more clear during that same time period, so in my mind, the two are tangled. She is a not-nice person and I hope she has a poopy day after she reads this. I don’t wish the pox upon her, or anything so drastic, as I am working hard to keep my heart free of bitter poison. But a flat tire, or a dead plant, or a splinter in her big toe… these are small annoyances I wouldn’t mind hearing about.
6. There is currently a crowd of people keeping up my spirits.
I spoke of them in my “k” post (“Kindness of Strangers”) so I won’t do a repeat performance herein. But I did want to be sure and mention that there is some good on this planet, since I’m so quick to point out the bad. Here’s hoping the positivity continues to spread. I want so badly to believe this planet is worth saving. There are an awful lot of decent citizens residing hither and yon across its many borders. I’d hate to see their hearts go to waste.
Thus ends our spell of controversy. I’m sure I will think of several more topics in the future which would have made better examples. I mean, I used “Justin Bieber” as my “j” post. That’s prime evil right there. So I’ll revisit this again from time to time. Never fear — my rants will not cease, just because August is behind us!
Moving on in the coming months, I will be making some schedule changes which I hope will keep me better on track. I’m still experimenting with myself (not in a naughty way, you freak!) to see what works best in motivating me to stick with it, to “Just Show Up” and “Do the Work”. Mind games aren’t my forte. A good nap on the couch curled up under an afghan beats any form of work, most days. But I don’t want that to be my defining characteristic in life.
Epitaph: She napped, and well.
Yeah, not so much on the elegant side, methinks. So tally-ho, I must sally forth and slay my three-headed dragons, bury my kraken of doubt, and quiet my pigeon of discontent. More on these strange creatures in a future post. For now… goodbye to controversy for a bit!
xoxo
AtoZ August 2012 — A Month of Controversy
Throughout the money of August 2012, my dear friend Aaron and I are doing a dry run of the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. This past April was my first official participation in such activity, and I had no idea what I was doing. No theme, no forethought, purely spur-of-the-moment. This time around, I have a plan. Join the fun!
For this event, I am engaging in a month of controversy. Consider yourself forewarned.