Bye, Bye Love

Substitution, mass confusion clouds inside my head!

I've had that song by The Cars, Bye Bye Love, running through my head all day long. Now, it's past midnight, I'm not the least bit sleepy and I'm singing along with it!

Oh, it's an orangey sky. On eyes at some other guy! Just a broken lullaby. Bye, bye love.....

I loved The Cars. But not as much as my brother Matthew did. He was a huge fan. To this day, I can't hear a Cars tune and think of him, in his bedroom, playing their LPs on his turntable. We had such a rough time back in those days. Things that bring you joy or freedom, like music, become very highly prized in situations like that. I would watch him sometimes from a distance and wish I could escape into the music the way he did. But,then, I was jealous of all of his merits, which were many. Since becoming an adult, I've no longer been jealous of him. I've just been in huge admiration of him. He succeeds at everything he tries. And he tries everything. He's a hero of mine. I often wish I had his drive, his energy, his unbelievably creative mind, his sharp, quick wit, his sensitivity. It's funny how when we're kids, we sometimes want nothing more than to get away from our siblings. Only as adults to so wish we had more time with them.

Well, I'm heading off to bed soon. I was going to go to bed earlier but my friend Val called. We haven't talked in a while and we not only got caught up on each other's lives but also got each other laughing off problems that had seemed huge when they were solely contained within our minds. I love Val. Because she keeps going. No matter what. She finds a way and figures it out and keeps moving. And also because she has always been there for me when I've needed her. You can't ask for more than that, now, can you?

So, good night. I'll hopefully be inspired to write again soon.......

The Bald Frog Who Wore a Wig. Blogger asked me to tell a story with that as its title. This is what I came up with.......

There once was a bald frog who wore a wig. In his younger days, this frog was an extremely successful frog star. Girls and women all over the world wanted him to be their frogfriend. At that time, it was trendy to wear long, teased out and maybe even bleached blonde hair. So, the frog did wear his hair that way. He even had taken classes in hair design to be up on his game. He sang fun songs and all the frogs in the land paid good money and sang along with him and enjoyed his performances greatly. Celebrity can be fickle, however, and this particular frog's ride was soon over. Although he tried desperately to keep his identity popular, the days of long, teased hair and loud, silly songs had passed. Many years passed and he was asked to do a television show. The frog was delighted! He was finally getting a second chance to be famous. The show was to be called "Frog of Love" and he would have to debase himself on a regular basis with women who had serious issues with self respect but wanted fame just as desperately as he did. The frog was not a bad frog. He was a sweet, sensitive, fun loving frog. He missed the heyday of twenty some years ago when the whole world adored him and his antics. He missed the high of being famous and that itself can make a frog do desperate things to close the gap they may feel. Over the years, the frogs hair had fallen out. Yes, it's true. He was balding. He was a very handsome frog. Beautiful face, engaging eyes. But he longed to be that same young frog he once was. So, he wore a long blonde wig. To make sure it stayed on, he also wore a bandana, sometimes called a "doo-rag" to keep it in place. He also, at times, wore a cowboy hat over the "doo-rag" and the wig. The cowboy hat was a bit of trademark from his younger days as he used to wear one when he sang his famous ballad "Every Frog Has its Croak". Wearing it now, made him feel young again. So, off he went, to Hollywood to fulfill his television contract and be famous once again. But, for his real fans, the ones who used to go to his concerts and enjoy his performances not just because of how he looked but because of the wonderful zest for life he displayed, they felt that he had sold out. They were disappointed that he seemed so out of touch with reality. That he would allow these women to behave in such a profane, sad, even sick at times, way just to win his attention. Some may say, he is a one trick frog. Personally, I think there's more to him than that. I just wish he felt the same way. The moral of the story is that no matter how exciting or fun the past was, that's just it - it was. You can't reclaim it, but you can reclaim yourself. You can show the world who you are and what you can do and so long as you enjoy what you're doing, and you know you're giving it your best and putting your heart into it and honestly respecting yourself and your talent, then it really doesn't matter whether you're bald or have hair. It only matters what is in your heart and if you're willing to share it.

New Beginnings

We Americans have a new President today! I, for one, am thrilled and am looking forward to what a true leader is going to do with this position. I've been a fan of Obama's since spring/summer and made sure I voted for him the primaries as well as the presidential election. I couldn't be more happy about how both turned out. What a great cause for celebration.

Days like today make me proud to be American. Here is a man. A black man. Not a wealthy man. But an incredibly bright man. Rising to the top position in the country. Walking down the street to the oval office with his beautiful bride by his side. How moving! How happy it makes me that we are able to speak and act in this country. It's a beautiful thing. And it just keeps getting more beautiful all the time.

Welcome!

Wow. So. After much speculation and debate - here it is. My blog! At my brother's gentle guidance, I am finally giving this an honest try.

I have named this blog Happy Mind, Happy Body, Happiness because that is my motto and my life goal every single day. I am not a particularly religious person but I am quite spiritual. I don't believe in force feeding opinions or beliefs upon anybody. I think it's important to be open minded and open hearted. Is that even a word?

I have had head and neck cancer twice. Both times it was caught pretty late in the game so the treatments were dramatic and even death defying. As terrifying as those experiences were, I feel very grateful and blessed to have lived through them. I am a better person for having survived such breathtaking experiences. It's made me see life very differently. In it's entirety. I try not to take any thing or any one for granted. I am genuinely in love with life. The smallest things present such amazement for me now. I wouldn't trade my life for anybody else's. Honestly.

Which brings us to this blog. I decided to start it because I really feel I have a voice and I think I'm ready for it to be heard.