Just Stay Positive

It's a lot easier said then done. Just be positive. Doesn't sound like a very hard task. Ha, it's probably the hardest thing for me to do. And that's a deceptive statement because it isn't always that hard. Some days it's really easy to stay positive. There are days when I get off work early, don't work at all, dinner is exactly what I wanted and I didn't ask for it, my girlfriend wants to buy a rifle and get into hunting, my dog hasn't gotten in the trash, I don't have any bills due that day, it isn't raining (which it is right now), NatGeo has a special on Killer Whales attacking Great White sharks (which they do right now), or sometimes I'm just in a good mood. But there are days when it's raining, or my money seams to be streaming from my bank account, or things just seem to be conspiring against me. Those are the days when it's hard to be positive. Some days I do good. I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed from the moment my feet hit the floor and then it happens, it all goes bad. It doesn't take much, it clouds up, or someone just makes the wrong comment. And I ask myself, later in the day, why I can't just let that roll off my back. As I get older I get better at letting things slide, but it's still a learning process. When I step back and think about everything positive in my life it definitely adds up. Like right now, for instance, my dog is on the other end of the couch snoring and I can't help but smile. I know that in a little while my Kim is going to walk through the door and back home to me and I can't help but smile. I know that my mom loves me and I can't help but smile. I have a Diesel and I can't help but smile. God woke me up this morning and I can't help but smile. There's a roof over my head and food in my belly and I can't help but smile. I've got a job that I don't hate and I can't help but smile. I have two days off to spend with my Kim and I can't help but smile. The list could go on and on, and if I knew what was good for me I'd probably keep going. But I want this blog to be, at the very least, semi-interesting for other readers. So with so much of today's news and everything else caught up in negativity try and stay positive. Be warned though people will look at you like you're weird, like you're not normal. They'll look at you like you're something that wandered in from the wild, but hey isn't that the point. Refuse normalcy, be wild. That's how we were meant to be, POSITIVELY WILD.

God, Guns, & Rock 'N' Roll

That's right Uncle Ted. Now, some of you may roll your eyes, but I dare you to read his book and try to not form your own opinion on the topics he discusses. If you get past all of the loud, obnoxious behavior Ted puts on when he's on TV he actually makes some good points. Now I don't expect you to agree with everything he says, heck I don't, but he does open a dialogue. And I really believe that's what he tries to do. He makes bold statements that are sure to get a reaction. I think he does this so, even if you do get outraged, you begin to inspect why you believe what you believe (hopefully).

This book was more about guns, more so than God and rock 'n' roll. Ted does talk a little about his rock 'n' roll career, but it's mostly about how he didn't indulge in the normal decadence and drug use. The main body of the book is about Ted's thoughts on gun control and how beneficial hunting can be. Ted believes that gun control should be something that is brought to the forefront and addressed not swept under the rug and ignored. He admits to the allure of guns to young people. And he's right. I remember being young and being amazed by my dad's hunting guns. Ted makes the point to get kids involved with guns as early as possible. This, in my opinion, is a really great idea on many fronts. First and foremost, no one is going to just send their young child in the backyard unattended with a gun. So this forces a lot of parent-child interactions (big plus for society these days). Secondly by putting a gun in the child's hands and letting them shoot it takes a lot of the mystique and wonder away and makes them a little less fascinating. With teaching your child proper gun handling technique, and not being lax about it, you teach them discipline. With every shot, and every bulls eye there is a tremendous sense of achievement and this increases self esteem. Begin them as young as you can with a Red Ryder BB gun. Then step them up to a .22 caliber rifle. And when they become old enough you can buy them a larger game hunting rifle. When in their teens let them shoot your hand guns if you own them, but be sure you instill in them from the very first day of shooting that they do not do any of this with out your assistance. But with that stipulation be sure that you take the time to shoot with your kids when they want to. Ted also has the idea of the "white room." This is the idea of having the kids taught a gun education course. At the conclusion of the classroom portion of the class the kids are taken into an all white room. The kids along with the instructor are wearing all white painter's overalls. On a table ten yards away there are four gallon jugs filled with red liquid. The instructor proceeds to take a high power hand gun, while everyone wears eye and ear protection. The red liquid would cover the room and partially the students. The point of this exercise is to scare the kids, to an extent, and drive home the idea that guns do have very serious consequences. Along with the idea of shooting sports Ted also suggests getting your kid into archery. There are many bows on the market for kids that are hugely adjustable in both draw length and draw weight. Archery is a great idea because it teaches even more discipline. It requires such discipline in form for the arrow to fly right and this is a great teachable moment for the kids about life. Archery also offers instant gratification and feedback.

Ted also talks a lot about hunting. He talks about how spiritual hunting is for him. And anyone who has spent time in the woods and harvested any of nature's wonderful offerings understands this. He talks about how this is also another opportunity for parent-child interaction. These days every person is required to take a hunter safety course, and Ted makes the statement that "you won't find a hunter's education card in the pocket of any gang member." And you know what I bet he's right. I don't really think this has a lot to do with the hunter's ed course, but more to do with the parental relationship the kids have. If you're more involved in your kids life you have more of a chance to make a difference for the better. Hunting can have a huge impact on kids though along with the parental interactions. It does depend on the attitude of the parent about the hunt, but it's a great opportunity with another teachable moment. You can take this chance to teach them reverence for the harvest. There are tons of great protein opportunities in nature as I like to call them. Everything from small game like squirrel and birds, to larger game like deer and hogs. Nature offers a bountiful harvest of "perfect protein." Ted honestly believes in this "perfect protein", as he calls it, so much so that he and his family haven't eaten store bought meat since 1969. That's right it will be 51 years this year since the Nugents bought meat. WOW!!! Wild game is low fat, low cholesterol, high protein fair that is, as Ted puts is, "rocket fuel for my spiritual campfire." Native peoples, like Inuits or Native Americans, who share this type of diet some far fewer examples of heart disease, diabetes, and hardening to the arteries. Many of these problems are magnified by the poor diet we indulge in these days. Hunting is a return to our hunter-gatherer days and a healthier life style. It offers us not only a healthier diet, but a more active and in turn healthier life.

Now some of you may say that all of this will just increase gun use and violence in America. But I would be willing to bet you that most of the gun crimes were not committed by people who had proper gun handling and discipline training. Some may say that we need tougher gun laws, we need to make it harder to get and carry a gun. Well that's just dumb. The people who are committing the crimes with guns now aren't following the rules, why would they all of a sudden change that. If you enact tougher laws then you're just punishing the people who are following the rules. The key would be to enforce the rules you already have in place. And besides, the more people who are armed the more a criminal will think twice about doing something illegal. If criminals think there is a chance they might get resistance then they rethink what they're doing. So do yourself a favor, if you already haven't, take a hunter's ed course and get a gun. Whether it's a hand gun or a .22. Then get out to the gun range and become proficient with it. And remember always follow proper gun etiquette and safety. Learn to handle a gun and this will teach you discipline and self esteem. Learn to hunt (haha, like it's that easy) and it'll teach you how to be closer to being self sufficient. This get's you into the mindset of an apex predator and unleashes the spirit of the wild inside of all of us. Whether you like to admit it or not it's there, and begging to be let out. To quote Uncle Ted, "Your life begins at point A and ends at Point B. Kick maximum ass!!!"

Signs of Growing up

Often times I really feel like I'm never progressing in my personal life. And by personal life I mean the parts of my life that only pertain to me. Like becoming more mature about how I handle things. I believe one of the greatest markers of personal growth are how you handle small trivial things. I think it's a great sign of moving forward when you finally realize you're being stupid about something and tell yourself to calm down because you're being an idiot. I've come to realize that I have a most amazing girlfriend and 9.99 times out of 10 if I get irritated about something it's because of me, not really her. As I get older and my relationships get more serious I realize at times that I'm still the dorky, uncomfortable around girls, insecure kid I was in high school. Now for some of you that have known me for a long time might question the fact that I could be uncomfortable around anyone, but it is sooo true. I'm just better at hiding it than other people. You can tell when I'm really uncomfortable, because I'll make myself the center of attention. I crack jokes and make everyone laugh. I may do some stupid dance or put on an article of clothing that is five sizes to small. I know it's a weird defense mechanism, but I guess it came from my dad dieing. If I could make everything funny and easy to laugh at, then I'd never have to worry about being sad and feeling the pain. And that same fear causes the insecurities I have now, I think, but I'm no Dr. Phil. Every insecurity I have with my awesome girlfriend comes from the fear of losing her and the resulting pain. Now I don't want to sit here and whine and complain about loss and grief because it's just part of life, but it's one of those things that I have to get better at.

Another sign of growing up is how you trust people. I have no problem sitting at home watching a movie, or football, or hunting shows, when she goes out with her friends because I really do trust her. I honestly don't think she'd ever do anything to ever hurt me. There's just this dumb little voice in the back of my head that I have to learn how to drown out (every guy has this voice, some have learned to deal with it better). I hear it and start to tell myself "well it's not her I worry about it's all the guys that'll be hitting on her." Well if I really didn't worry about her then it wouldn't be an issue would it? The truth is I do worry about it. And it's at these times that I have to look at myself and say "HEY, quit being a retard." But when I'm alone and it's quiet the fear starts to creep in. It's the fear of loss and pain that I know real well and have fought with for years. And honestly I think it'll always be there, I think it's how I learn to ignore it that will change. But when there's nothing to distract your mind it starts to wander. Does she love me as much as she says? Would she pick her friends over me? (not that anyone should have to, just insecurities.) And all of a sudden your mind is in a worst case scenario mode. When all you really need to do is go "Hey, she's with me. She liked me enough to say I'm dating you and you only. Quit worrying. She's coming home to you and that's what matters." But I get upset, pout, and whine, and it's all because deep down I'm still that shy, dorky kid who worried about never getting a girlfriend. Much less having one to worry about losing.

Today Kim and I decided to have an impromptu weekend in Gatlinburg and I intend to enjoy every minute of it. I'm gonna live in the moment and be with here. I'm not gonna let my mind wander to what could be, I'm gonna keep it focused on what is. Because who knows tomorrow might be the last day for us. Maybe the Mayans got it wrong and over shot. Maybe the world ends tomorrow. Well if it does I can tell you who I'm gonna be with and who I'm gonna tell I love them. (Along with the family) Because you know what? She loves me and I love her and that means the world to me. I honestly could not have come of with a better girlfriend if I had designed her myself. She may not be perfect, but she's perfect for me. And dadgumit I need to remember that when I start to have stupid thoughts. She's mine, not yours, ha I win! OH MY GAWD I LOVE HER! (we've been watching Jersey Shore a good bit)