This is sooo not fair! Why should I get spanked for..ummm..spanking? Is it MY fault I missed ya?

I got blinded by thoughts of Crimson Clad smooches.

(I cheated and went back after seeing '90'. Thought WTF?? How'd I miss that? Bein' old sux, sometimes.)

I've had a chance to shoot the breeze with Rains a time or two. She'd even mentioned, before-hand, that she had a Louisiana drawl. I'd like to say I was prepared for it. Nope. I wasn't.

Despite having had a very good friend from LA, it was pretty surprising (pleasantly so) to expect a 'tamed' drawl from someone now livin' in the almost Great White North to have all the inflections and 'r' sounds that end in 'uh' sounds - think Brothuh, Mothuh, etc. - in my ear again.

It's cool to get surprises.

Cool.

Oh, yeah. You're spot on, Ruth. I didn't mean to imply that I was sittin' on my dead azz wishing for something good to happen. The example was one of doing/experiencing one thing, believing something else could/would/should happen and voila!

I could have phrased the original post better. It certainly wasn't me taking a poke at ya.

I understand your point and, without doubt, belief coupled with action is a powerful combination and makes sense.

On the other hand, one of the two best jobs I ever had was, literally, handed to me during a positive thinking adventure. I'd moved to Texas for a position, used every penny I had to do so and when I got here, the fella I was to work with told me, "I hired my nephew. I'm sorry."

With less than a dollar in my pocket, a guitar and some clothes (I couldn't carry more) I set off to hitch 1100 miles 'home.' At first, I was pissed. A few miles into it, I started looking at it as something else - No door closes without opening another.

Two miles later, a guy gave me a ride, we got talking about guitars and music. Long story short, he owned his own business, gave me a job, gave me use of a trailer home that he normally rented out, taught me a trade and I taught him to play guitar.

He's still one of my best friends.

A simple mindset - I'm worth it and good things DO happen - created a miracle.

That isn't the only successful example I've experienced, either.

I don't believe in magic. I do believe that belief changes circumstances. There's a technical term for it - synchronicity.

I offer all the prayers and well-wishes an ol' fella can bestow, Ms.T. And a personal observation, cancer does NOT always win. Bright Blessings to you and yours, Trish.

Good stuff, partner. All I gotta do now is figure out how to get your 1st post printed onto a T-shirt. Or maybe one of those magnetic signs that I can stick to her car door when she isn't lookin'.

Not sure where this quote comes from, but it doesn't ring true to me. The awakening of love, in men or women, is a blessing. There are those that have forgotten they can be loved. That particular miracle is worth remembering. If that love is futile, it's no less powerful and worth experiencing.

Someone waaaay better with a pen than I asked, '...is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?'

I use'em every chance I get. There's seldom a line and I'm an independent cuss on the best of days. I can find things more productive to do than stand in lines.

Mis-filed

Me am much in decent. Am you in love me now dear?

or consider working for a Cruise Line. Lots of different sorts of jobs available and wandering the world is part of the job description.

Best o'Luck, Bunnie! Got my fingers crossed for ya, too.

Passages

Come points in our lives.
Those things that should not be,
Aches, some pains, internal strife
...and care? Not necessarily.

It isn't a requirement; to care,
to hurt, to dream thoughts of ~
what else is there?
Passionate friendship need not be love.

A touch need not be romance,
kindness not an anchor.
And music can urge us both to dance
without changing into the rancor

of broken pieces, unwanted space.
It only takes some back and forth
between friends that see your face,
for dreams to fly, to see your worth,

to wake to what might be,
to look and really see,
to ask the one who'd answer, 'See?
You mean the world to me.'

I'd hold your hand and dry your tears,
make you laugh until you pee.
I'd help you banish life's big fears,
and walk beside you 'til you see

Oracles can lead you on
and friends can do the same.

If only you'd just asked me.

I didn't learn my lesson soon enough. My favorite cup said 'Don't Mess With Texas Women.' Was my fave until a Texas dollie snatched it and broke it. Pesky critter.

information overload

Thanks, Ruth~

Sounds like fun, Ruth.

I've got one. I chose work that's emotionally fulfilling but not too lucrative. Am I going to kick myself for that one of these days?

Ms. Right doesn't live around here. On the other hand, this place is chock full of Ms. Right Nows!