Don't Give Out Raisins

Trick or treat, smell my feet, here’s a ramble that can’t be beat, or something like that. Halloween is here and I cannot believe the conversation that I had with a parent a few days ago. Instead of giving out candy, this person was buying raisins to give out to the local candy grabbers because she did not want to contribute to the obesity problem in America. The conversation arose when she saw my shopping cart full of candy and wondered what I was going to do with it all. I explained that I was the hit of the neighborhood for giving out full sized candy bars and not those fun-sized jokes. She could not believe that I was being so irresponsible with the neighbor’s children. I had to hold back laughter as I listened to her explanation of why she had raisins in her cart. Let’s get something straight here. The obesity problem is not going to be fixed by not giving out candy at your house. In fact, it will probably not have an effect at all, because you will be known as the raisin witch of the neighborhood. Kids will avoid your house, and they will still be able to come to houses like mine and stock up on the good stuff. Honestly folks, it’s one day a year. What is the harm in having a fun-filled night of terror, tooth rot, and mild regret for the next day as kids fill up their pillowcases and plastic pumpkins, eat way too much candy, and possibly wet themselves from all the haunted houses they will visit. You are only young once and no child wants raisins, apples, toothbrushes, or pennies for Halloween. Otherwise, there may be a good egging and a roll of toilet paper in one particular house’s future. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Loving Yourself at the Expense of Personal Growth

We as a civilization have become more accepting and tolerant of most things in our day-to-day lives. We have finally reached a point where no matter the size, color, nationality, or culture, we not only accept them for what they are, but also teach the youth to love themselves for what they are. However, all of this self-love has led to another unforeseen downfall. There are a few people who, through their self-love, choose to halt their own personal growth. What I mean is, they choose to settle into a rut and think that loving that rut is self-love. This cannot be further from the truth. While there is nothing wrong with not wanting more out of your life and enjoying what you have, there is definitely a problem with suffering in the shallow pool of a dead life just because you “accept” what you are. For example, the TLC reality craze of showcasing obese people in all their glory. It is okay to be overweight, but there is something wrong with thinking that you are overweight, will always be overweight, and then gaining more weight. Another great example is people who have a disability, whether physical or mental, and choose to use that as an excuse for everything that is wrong with their life. This sort of situation really comes to a head when they expect to be catered to at every moment in their life. “I can’t do so and so because I am autistic.” “I can’t be here or there because I have a prosthetic.” They “accept” their flaws and then make everyone think twice about them because of the flaws. The really bad “self-love with no growth occurrences” happen when people are actually mean because they “love themselves at all expenses.” For example, the people who rip someone apart because they got their pronouns wrong. I think self-love only works if you are loving to most other things as well. Because how can you give love of any kind, especially to yourself, if you do not know love from other people. Newsflash, just because you love yourself to death, doesn’t mean that most other people would not love to see you dead. We can all grow and make ourselves better every day while also still enjoying who we are and what we are no matter the size, color, nationality, or culture. In fact, we can love that we are constantly working on ourselves so that we can make society the greatest possible simply by existing and progressing a little each day. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Problem Solvers vs. Problem Fixers

The sky is falling and we are all going to die. Okay, so not every problem is Chicken Little level of difficulty to figure out, but at least the little fellow was trying. My question is could the sky falling have been prevented? Did CL have to go through the trouble of fixing a situation or could it have been solved before the first piece of sky fell? This is the difference in problem-solvers and problem fixers. One chooses to get in front of the problem and see that it never becomes a situation while the other is happy to limp along and control the mess afterward. In other words, problem-solvers make constant repairs and inspections on the dam so that it does not burst, while problem fixers stick a finger in the holes until there are too many leaks for their number of fingers. Then they help clean up all the water once the tidal wave washes everyone away. The biggest problem is that society as a whole has become a collection of problem fixers that do damage control constantly because there are no preventative measures. The work force is the biggest population of these people. Job listings ask for problem-solvers, but they really only want fixers who can handle angry and disgruntled people after an occurrence has damaged something. Ask any boss you know. They do not want to hear about a problem until it actually becomes an issue. This mindset is so asinine. If we would instead all work together to prevent what could become a mess, the mess might never happen. This my readers is a problem-solving mindset and it needs to be taught to the youth of the world. Teach them to think ahead instead of living in the right now, and there will not be major issues in their futures. Climate change, the economy, our national leaders, racial inequality, and even education. Every sector of our society needs solvers thinking about the bumpy road ahead and being busy beavers preemptively taking measures to smooth out those bumps so that we can all live happier lives without constant worry that the sky will plumet down with ill intent. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.