Special Anniversary

Special Anniversary

 

Growing up even as a pre-teen, I felt tough, border line invincible.  After all I grew up watching the Lone Ranger, the Adventures of Superman, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and others, plus a real live mouthy but role model just the same, Cassius Clay (later, Mohamad Ali).  Like Clay I felt that given the opportunity, I could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.  Later in high school I lettered in every sport I participated in (football, wrestling, and track and field).  I was raised on the farm so I worked hard, and trained hard.  My football coach once told one of his assistance that he didn’t have to worry about players like me because he knew I stayed in shape year round thanks to the farm life style.  Over hearing things like that, didn’t hurt my ego at all.

 

Later on in life, and even now I am very competitive in everything I get involved in: sports, board games, work, business, and life in general. I have a reason for establishing my behavior and attitude in the early years.  As I’ve gotten older, I feel safer when going into a bad neighborhood if Mr. Smith, and Mr. Wesson come along for the ride.  I’m sure the years has maintained my animalistic instincts except that now:  I most likely float like a bee, and sting like a butterfly (I’m being serious).

My mother and father separated and later divorced around the time that I was about 8 years old.  For that reason, my mother for all of my life, was the go to person.  Her love for me was unconditional.  There was nothing in her life that was more important to her than her little boy.  Even as I grew into adulthood, she treated me as an adult but I was always her little boy.  At times when I was being stubborn about anything in my life she was the only person that could bring me off of my high horse, and make me reason.

Classic Beauty

 

While I was growing up without a father, she was both mother and father, and she worked two or three jobs to make sure that we lived in the best neighborhood that she could afford for my safety.  I lived my life (even now) to make her proud of me.  As tough as I thought I was, all it would take was a stern look from my mother to make me fall in line.  That was a level of authority that I didn’t dare question.  My mother never spanked me (ever), all she had to do was let me know that she was disappointed in something I said or did, and raise her voice.  I would raise my arms up to her asking for a hug, and apologizing for any wrong doing, and we were good.

 

As an adult I would call her from anywhere I might be in the country or out of the country, on her birthday and Mother’s Day.  If I was anywhere in the same State, I would drop in for a meal with her to celebrate the occasion.  I regularly called her on my birthday and/or sent flowers to thank her for giving me life.  You could say and I admit it, I was and still am (proudly) a mama’s boy.

 

Today is the 14^th anniversary of the day she was called to Heaven.  On this day 14 years ago for the first time ever, I felt alone and vulnerable.  In her last years, I knew that she could no longer protect me, but she always ended every in person or phone conversation with God Bless you my son.  I didn’t realize how powerful those words were, until I couldn’t hear them anymore.  I love and miss my dear mother, but I know that she is in a better place, and looking over her little boy.  The best is yet to come…..

Appreciation Time

Appreciation Time

I regularly write about appreciating your life and everything in it, however this post is about how we take the little things in life for granted.  Consider that life is not about one giant plus or negative experience.  The spectrum of life is that we are born and we die, in-between those two points is what makes up life.  Millions of little events, and experiences take place from the day you are born until the day you die, and that my friends is what life is.  At least life while you are on this earth.  I know that without going into minute detail it comes across as an over simplification.  I will be the first to admit, that to many people religion is a large part, at every stage of our lives.  However, there are those that would argue that point.

As usual this is one humble individual’s point of view.  If I can just serve as the spark that gets you to thinking, I will have served my purpose with regard to this post.  I try to always be aware of my surrounding, and looking for the opportunity to trigger my mind, and recollection about my and my family’s life and experience.

This morning I got to thinking about my maternal grandmother, probably because of the difference in weather, between our winter and her tropical conditions where she lived.  Our vacations to visit her would be comparable to visiting a grandmother in Hawaii.  My grandmother lived on an island in Veracruz, Mexico where everything from the perfect white sand beaches, and warm Gulf of Mexico waters truly made it a paradise.  I never actually lived there except for short two and three week vacation stays once or twice a year.  In order to appreciate a paradise like existence your have to actually move away from there and experience life elsewhere.

After we moved to the U.S.A. (legally as permanent residents) I found that the Dream (promise land in the United States) fell short of the paradise I was familiar with.  I am not putting down life in the best country in the world, but as a child my memory of carefree living on the beach (even if only while on vacation). Work for me, doubled as play, fishing either from shore or off of a boat was a way of having fun while bringing food to the table.  I could fish for bass, crab, shrimp, or harvest oysters from the nearby oyster beds.  My family on my mother’s side were commercial fisherman.  I do realize that as an adult I wouldn’t want to earn a living exposed to the elements, but I can’t label my memories as anything less than paradise.

 

As usual I digress, I wanted to talk about the small things that require appreciation.  I remembered how when my grandmother would make a pot of coffee, she would start the water boiling and add the measures of coffee directly to the boiling water.  At some point she would add the sugar (to desired sweetness) followed by the milk (cream).  When pouring a cup of coffee from the pot you had to use a strainer to separate the coffee grounds.  Imagine the effort involved to enjoy a cup of coffee.  Today you have all the conveniences of modern coffee makers, but we never even give a second thought at how far the progress has come. One of my brothers owned a classic late 1930’s truck in the late 1950’s.  That truck required turning a crank at the front end to get it started.  Imagine having to do that in our freezing temperatures this winter.  I drive a minivan that can open and close doors with the use of a remote control entry/ignition key.  The same key can turn on the engine remotely and warm the van up before I ever get into it.

This are just obvious examples of how we have forgotten about how improved our lives have become.  Look at your surroundings and imagine our ancestors (don’t have to go too far, think grandparents).  The next time you wake up in the middle of the night in a 10 degree outdoor temperature with a slight wind, and imagine having to go to the outhouse (two-hole one if you are well off) at the end of your property.  The outhouse was never placed near the house.  While you are at it, don’t forget to take a magazine or newspaper (they didn’t have two-ply soft toilet tissue).  There are so many other things that we can think about and be thankful for: Wood or coal burning stove for cooking and heat vs. central heating and air conditioning, and electric stoves, Mail and telephone service vs. cell phones and email and the list goes on and on.  Think about all those things and then join me in being grateful for the life we enjoy.  Before anyone says it, I know that some people are still living in similar conditions somewhere (I also pray for them).  The best is yet to come….

Honor Amongst Thieves

Honor Amongst Thieves

 

Buyer Beware (read customer)!  This time of year is the appropriate time to remember that Customer Service is not always about the customer.  Big corporations are looking out for their CEO, and Stockholders.  The days when you could walk away after making a deal and closing it with a smile and a handshake are so far removed, that most people are not even aware that it ever existed.  I expect to always be on guard whenever I am told verbally that something will be provided.  Now a days, however, almost every written guarantee is made with one of many possible disclaimers:  Subject to Change without Notice, Until Further Notice, and May be terminated without advance notice, etc., etc.

 

Once upon a time before corporate greed totally took over, a guarantee for life on a product or service, meant for the duration of the customer’s life.  Today a guarantee for life is more likely to mean the life of the product or the life of the company you contract with for the service.  Another commonly used scam is:  your interest rate can be extremely increased, if you miss a payment or your payment arrives late due to mail delivery service, to any one of your creditors.  In other words you could have a perfect payment record with a credit card company, but if you are late with a different credit card company (without any association between accounts) they will increase the interest rate you are charged across the board.

 

I remember when I was a young man, just getting started in the real world, a popular joke around the banking industry was that the banks were eager to lend you money, as long as you didn’t need it.  In today’s banking world they love lending young people money especially if you can’t afford the payments, because at the minimum payment rate, the loan will never be paid.

With the exception of the home mortgage, I could do well without the credit cards, unfortunately the banking industry crooks have arranged it so that you can’t get along in the world without a credit rating.  If you don’t have a good or great credit rating you may not be able to buy or rent a home, get a job, or buy auto insurance (at least not at a good price).

 

I was brought up trained to respect, and pursue stability (continuity).  Doing the correct thing according to my upbringing, damaged my credit rating.  How can stability and dependability cause damage to your credit rating?  Well, as soon as “online banking” was offered by my credit union, I embraced it.  Because I am dependable, I assumed that the credit card companies were dependable too (honorable).  I set up my payments to be paid automatically four days before they were due.  In the case of accounts that I wasn’t using I assumed once again that at the rate I was paying (larger than minimum payments), by a certain date my balance would be paid off. 

 

 

I applied for a credit purchase and was accepted but told that my credit was less than great.  I decided to check and found that I was making late payments to credit cards.  When I checked further, I found that the credit card companies had changed their statement closing dates (and regularly do), and because I wasn’t checking my accounts regularly, my payments were going in late and the late charges were eating up my payments. If only someone would regulate the financial institutions that we are forced to deal with as a way of life.  Oh well, wishful thinking!  Stay on guard of your finances, no one watches your financial back like you can.  The best is yet to come….

About Gift Giving

About Gift Giving

As usual this is one man’s humble opinion, if you don’t agree, I am perfectly fine with it.  Regarding Santa, well, that is a tricky subject to go to.  However, if you are going to discredit Santa. Than you are going to have to be fair, and discredit, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, etc., etc., oh and don’t forget the Boogey Man.  If all good things go, than the bad ones have to go too.

I always had my children believe in the magical things like Santa and the others for as long as they could do it without getting embarrassed in front of their friends.  I have actually seen children as young as five years old be told by their parents that there is no Santa.  I managed to put doubt in some children’s minds by playing Santa without their knowledge.

Children and adults both need to have hope in their lives, after all sometimes hope is the only thing left that we can hang on to.  As long as we have hope we are likely to hang on longer on the chance that what we desire is out of view but within grasp.  I was lucky growing up, I never had a bad Christmas.  Just one time I almost did but I hung on to hope and at approximately 9:30 Christmas Eve (I was already in bed and asleep) Santa came through for me.  In this instance Santa was my uncle Ramon (Spanish spelling).  Read the post: posted June 26, 2013 “Unexpected Best Christmas,” http://www.being50.com/2013/06/unexpected-best-christmas.html

With regard to gift giving, the ideal would be that you could give quality time (of your own time) to your children, and family, plus some gifts whether purchased by you or provided by Santa (wink, wink).  If you don’t have the resources do as some of our relatives did during tough times, and create gifts with your own hands.  Nothing says I love you like something made from your own efforts, and skills.  I know that I could make my children happy by buying a small ball and playing catch with them.  I have previously said that I’ve always worked hard, and admit that I’ve always considered myself blessed beyond what I might deserve.  Having said that my children always have enjoyed my time in combination with whatever toys Santa brought them.

 

For many years Christmas day’s most popular gifts were small plastic guns that would shoot styro foam projectiles with suction cups for a tip.  After opening all the gifts we would spend hours playing war between two teams (the benefit of having a large family).  Amongst the rules was no aiming above the shoulders, we would turn off all the lights and each team leader had a flash light, and definitely no hiding behind mommy or grandma.  The tradition could make a re-appearance with the grandchildren, if I can get theirs mommy’s permissions.  The fun factor was that daddy was playing GI Joe right alongside of them.

I realize that raising kids today is so much tougher thanks to television and the internet.  Kids are so exposed to the outside world and their expectations are many times beyond that of my children growing up.  I wish all of my readers the best, and a healthy and happy holiday season.  The best is yet to come….

About Falling In Love

About Falling In Love

·       Real love is not based on romance, candle light dinner and walks along the beach. In fact, is based on respect, compromise, care and trust.

·       Love does not need a reason. Pure love will come from the heart without reason and it’ll stay every season.

·       Love is not who you can see yourself with. It is who you can’t see yourself without.

·       It’s so easy to fall in love but hard to find someone who will catch you.

·       Love is a language spoken by everyone but understood only by heart.

·       Everybody knows how to love but few people know how to stay in love with one person forever.

·       It takes a strong heart to LOVE but it takes an even stronger heart to LOVE after its been BROKEN.

·       I love it when I see old couples in love because it makes me believe that TRUE LOVE does exist.

·       Once you care about a person, it’s impossible to be logical about them anymore.

 

You would know if you have ever been in love or truly loved someone.  That’s where the old saying about floating on “Cloud 9” comes from.  I can tell you from first-hand experience on at least two handfuls of times when I have fallen in deep love.  Stop smirking and hear the rest of the post.  When I fell in love with my beautiful wife I coasted a couple of days before I realized what had happened.  Two weeks earlier I had enjoyed lunch with my dear mother, and she had asked me to please settle down with some nice person that could share my life with me.  I remember my response distinctly.  I said that I had only been divorced for 3 years and at least another 15 years would pass before I would make such a commitment.

 

Two weeks after I met my wife and very close to one month since I had enjoyed lunch and uttered my proclamation of bachelorhood to my mother, we dropped by to introduce my mother to her new daughter in-law.  All our children grown up with families of their own, and many years later, I am willing to bet that our marriage is going to work out (just joking; I’m pretty sure she plans to keep me).

 

When I fell in love with my wife, I started working harder, whenever I could concentrate, mostly to make the time go by faster.  Eating became a secondary, and a far removed thought.  I didn’t know if she felt the same way about me, but I knew that I preferred to live with her than without her.  By the way, I have always felt that way and I still do.  Life has been a real blessing for us, and now we have the grandchildren to keep us young.  The first two weeks of knowing my wife were a blur, in that I don’t really remember how things developed.  I worked at one college as a counselor, and she was enrolled at a different college about 50 miles away.  We probably saw each other a total of five times from meeting to getting married.

 

As far as the other couple of handfuls that I fell deeply in love; I can only say that I would have to use two handfuls to count all my children and grandchildren’s births, and at every one of those events I was on cloud nine, and lost my appetite for a few days.  I can’t adequately describe it to you, you have to experience it.  The best is yet to come….

Following Your Dream

Following Your Dream

A Dream is in the eye of the beholder, and can be anything.  My dream is something that I’ve always equated with entrepreneurship (business).  You may think to ask why not a dream related to family.  A dream to me is something that you aspire to achieve.  Family is something that is real and you work to make it happen.  I don’t dream of a nice and happy family, I work hard every day to make it a reality, and once achieved, I work harder to maintain it.

A dream to some people might be an extravagant vacation, the kind that only a wealthy person can afford. To another person the dream might be to win the lotto.  My dream is not to have the ultimate successful business, even though it would be nice to have something like Yahoo, or Google.  My dream includes having a series of successful businesses that I would be the creator of.

I have been involved in operating my own business since about the age of 22, while either attending school or holding down a full time job or both at the same time.  Every once in a while the success of the business has as much to do with timing as anything else.  Some people get an idea for a business, and then do nothing about it for five or ten years, and by the time they think to act, either someone else already implemented the concept or it has become an outdated idea.

I recently had a conversation about business with a person that I hold in high regard.  He is very successful in the performance of his career duties, but he admitted that he has always worked at a job and has very high respect for people that operate their own business and have to meet a payroll as a way of life.  Starting a business is like rolling a snowball downhill.  If you perform your due diligence (the required permits, and licenses, reports to State Revenue, and IRS), and acquire the adequate funds (investors) the business should grow like a snowball would grow going down the hill.

However, unless you are the top dog in your endeavor, the competition will eat away at your business share, and you should know when to sell, and move on to a new venture.  Knowing when to get out is equally important to knowing when to start a business.  I have known people that have stayed in their business trying to re-ignite the magic that once was only to end up in bankruptcy, and worst yet with no retirement plan for their families.

 

At some point in life you should play it safe and not gamble with your retirement fund and/or savings.  While the fact remains that the U.S Economy is built on the back of small business, a majority of small businesses fail within the first three years of inception.  So the fact remains unchanged; business has an element of gamble.  With the intricacies of taxes and fluctuation costs for resources (many affected by fuel costs – transportation), what starts out as a well-researched business plan, can change overnight.

Business entrepreneurship is always a good gamble as long as you are aware of how much you are willing to/or can afford to lose.  If you have a special or even great skill you can make a living but it isn’t an automatic qualifier to go into business successfully.  You need business savvy to operate a business of any size.  On the other hand if you have business savvy and no other skill, you can operate a business successfully, by simply knowing what skills your business will require to succeed and then hiring those skills.

If you have a dream to operate your own business make sure that you are doing it for the right reasons.  If you only want to be your own boss, that would be a wrong reason.  Self-employed people work longer hours, and have more bosses than a person with just a job.

If your dream is about something other than business, do some research, and make it happen. Life is too short not to live your dream.  The best is yet to come……

Humility and Service

WW II Memorial

 One of my first contacts with a World War II Veteran happened when I had been in the United States only a couple of years.  This fine gentleman entered my life and family when my mother met my future step-father.  I have a quasi-policy of not mentioning names in the process of posting to this blog so I will continue to honor that policy.  Believe me when I tell you how proud I am of this individual, and the type of life he lead during the period of time that I knew him. 

I am sorry to say that I lost contact with many of our Texas family members a few years after we moved to the Pacific Northwest.  I still lament at the realization of how fast the years go by, and how easily you lose contact.  The person I am referring to became my uncle through marriage, he served in the Army with honor, and returned home to his wife with the memory of the horrors of war, and yet a humble and honorable man.  A great example to the many people that were in his life or crossed his path along the way. 

End of WW II Parade in New York

Those of us that belong to the proud Baby Boomer Generation (any person born between 1946, and 1964) but didn’t serve in the military were influence by these fine returning WWII Veterans.  This extremely brave men that had so proudly served their country had come home to set an example to the rest of us on how to be humble, and of service to others.  Unlike today’s society where 4 letter words are very common in regular verbal communications, our growing up years included such words as: yes sir, yes mam, please, and thank you.

The most beautiful thing that I admire about our military, and particularly the WWII Veterans is that while they are, and will always be heroes to common civilians like me, they don’t see themselves as heroes, and they simply feel grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve their country.

My uncle that I mentioned above was a hardworking man that proudly and more than adequately provided for his family.  As with most men of that period of time (the 1950’s), he was the sole provider for his family unit, and a loving father to his three children.  I have other uncles that served their country during time of war, but this person was the first time that I became aware of the leadership role that this men assumed when they returned from war.

Life in this country has changed so much that I am not sure that we will ever find our way back, at least not on automatic pilot as some things used to evolve.  A concerted effort will be required to get our society back on track.  I recently heard a program where it was reported that there are now approximately one million WWII Veterans left alive, they are dying at the rate of hundreds per day.

If you know any WW II Veterans, and you get an opportunity to have a conversation, ask them if they are interested in sharing any of their war experiences with you.  That priceless resource won’t be around forever.  Take advantage while you can.  The best is yet to come….

Age Has Its Privileges 2

Age Has Its Privileges 2

This post is an update to: “Age Has Its Privileges”, posted February 17, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/02/age-has-its-privileges.html 

Many years ago this time of the month there would be a special excitement in the air about the quickly approaching Thanksgiving Day Holiday.  That excitement, however, was very different from today’s excitement because we were just getting started.  Back then the family was made up of just the two of us.  The old saying what goes around comes around certainly applies in our lives today, but yet so different as to be almost perfect.  We are back to being just the two of us at home again.

Much of the time, its back to being just the two of us, but the difference is that our house can be full of love and laughter in a moment’s notice.   Our children have all grown up and started their own families, yet they all live near enough to be able to drop by with short or no notice.  Most of grandchildren drop by after school or before swim lessons just to spend time with the grandparents.  I’d be willing to bet that they have more toys at our house than they do at their own houses.  For spring and summer weather there is swings in the back yard, and they enjoy chasing each other over or around the sprinklers, and even swimming when supervision is available.

If I had been smart enough to plan my life to turn out as it did, I would be considered a genius.  Instead we lived and provided the best life we could provide for our children, and the outcome was heaven sent. 

Back that many years ago, I remember our first few Thanksgiving Day meals.  We had moved out of town (across the mountains) to the west side of the State.  No family around us, just my bride and me standing back to back against the world.  I seem to remember having a meal from a Sambo’s Restaurant (they have either gone out of business or merged).  This restaurant today would be equivalent to a Denny’s Restaurant (not exactly fine cuisine, but it was open).  Soon after that, our first son joined us, and we would stay home and make a meal at home, and that was the beginning of a new tradition which still stands today.

This time around the turkey is preparing to be the main attraction even if just as a center piece. It seems that many family members have given up eating meat, so I will be forced to eat their share of the turkey (not really, I like turkey sandwiches in the following week).  My wife and I haven’t travel for the holiday for so long that we may not know the way anyway.  I am glad to be comfortably home surrounded by family, with the added laughter of the grandchildren.

I wish all of you, who read and otherwise follow this blog a very happy experience during Thanksgiving Day weekend.  I wish you good health, safety and comfort this week and every week throughout the year.  The best is yet to come….

On Being Thankful

On Being Thankful

I want to clarify that I am thankful every day for all my blessings.  I won’t list them for fear of leaving something out unintentionally.  I will however mention a few that are the core of my life.  Amongst the short list mentioned is: my faith, my loving family, my ability to provide for my family, our health, family friends, and the family that came and went before us (the foundation of who we are).

I’ve often said that in order to appreciate the peaks in life we have to experience the valleys.  In other words we all experience life’s highs and lows (imagine the image of a heart beating).  You can’t know when you are doing well unless you experience struggling through tough times.

 

I will relate a short story about being in the valley (low of life) and making something happen to reach the peak next.  This story is part of the content of the book I am writing (working title, “East Lincoln”): posted June 26, 2013 Unexpected Best Christmas, http://www.being50.com/2013/06/unexpected-best-christmas.html

The very innocent story I am about to relate happened in 1955.  We had stayed at the border town a lot longer than we expected in order to complete the transition of getting our legal permanent status to cross over to the United States.  My father had started a job but we had not yet caught up to where we should be financially, and of course as is usual, the children are never told anything about finances.

My older sister was busy when we were called to breakfast and I was the only one that responded. I sat down at the table and my mother served me a plate with scrambled eggs and refried beans with a couple of corn tortillas.  Like George Washington, I can’t tell a lie.  Anything my mother cooked was fabulous.  I ate with gusto, and when I ran out of food I still had a half of a tortilla, so I asked my mother if I could have some more food to finish my tortilla.  When my tortilla ran out I still had food on the plate so I asked my mother if I could have some more tortilla, and I must have repeated this at least a couple of times.  By the time my sister responded to the call for breakfast, there was no food left.  My mother sadly apologized to my sister and told her that she would have to wait until my father returned from work (and bring some money for groceries).  In the meantime my sister got a couple of warmed up tortillas with butter, and that was breakfast.

I felt very sad that I had eaten all the food we had, which meant that my mother also didn’t have breakfast.  I was only 8 years old but I walked over to small general store about a block away, and I walked in not really knowing what I was going to say.  The very kind lady that owned and operated the store, looked at me and mentioned that I had a troubled look on my face.  She also asked how she could help.  With teary eyes I told her how I had eaten (not on purpose) all the food we had at home and my sister and mother didn’t get to eat.  I also explained that my father had a good job, but I needed credit right now.

She extended me credit and I went home with a dozen eggs, chorizo (sausage) 2 dozen corn tortillas, and a couple other items to complete breakfast and lunch.  My father paid my bill that evening when he got home, and thanked her profusely.  After I was treated as a hero by my mother and sister, I got brave, and walked over to commercial bread bakery about 3 blocks away.  I wanted to see if I could put to use my new found gift of gab one more time.

I walked up to the man in charge of the bakery and asked him how many people he had working for him.  After he mentioned that 15 men total and sometimes more, I asked him if any needed to have their white uniforms washed and ironed.  I explained that my mother and sister had a business at home of washing and ironing for customers.  I walked away with 9 employees signed up and took home two large canvas bags full of white pants shirts and aprons mostly dirty with white flour.  My mother was mostly shocked but pleasantly surprised that I had created a business out of nothing.  Eventually other ladies from the neighborhood were recruited to assist in the new laundry business.

Something so small as the valley I created by eating all the food, and the success I had in getting credit, built enough confidence in me to carry me for a lifetime,  It also reminds me every day to be thankful for the little things because some day you will look back and realize that they were really big things.  Happy Thanksgiving 2013!  The best is yet to come….

Side-Effects

Changing Life Styles

• A side effect, also known as an adverse effect, adverse event, or undesirable secondary effect is when a treatment goes beyond the desired effect and causes a problem; the treatment, which may be a medication, surgical procedure or some kind of therapy has an undesirable secondary effect which occurs in addition to the desired therapeutic effect.
• The term undesirable side effect is more specific than side effect. For example - imagine a fictitious drug for elderly people for the treatment of insomnia which also improved the eyesight of 3% of those who took it; this could be classed as a side effect, even though whoever experienced improved eyesight would not complain about it. However, the term side effect is mainly used with a negative meaning. For it to have a positive meaning, the speaker would have to explain what the benefit was - if they didn't, the listener would most likely imagine undesirable things.

Most events even when negative have a silver lining if you bother to look for it.  One example might be where due to cutbacks you end up unemployed and decide to go back to school and end up with a better job.  Sometimes just having the opportunity to look for new employment you can end up making more money and/or being happier.  Another instance you might be required to take a medication that ends up with unintended good side effects healthier heart or dropping some unwanted weight.

On the other hand, the door also swings both ways, there can be unintended (not fully embraced) side effects.  One particular instance comes to mind for the first time this time of year.  There is no way that I can look at his particular situation as anything but positive with a less than desirable side effect.  Many of my family members, I am happy to report have turn their lives in the direction of a healthier life style.  It seems that many family members have gone as far as to hire a nutritionist in order to lead healthier lives.  Furthermore, some have gone as far as to remove meats from their food menus.

As a result of that decision for the first time the turkey dinner (meal) tradition is in jeopardy.  I for one would be willing to take one for the team and eat their share.  I can’t hold it against them for wanting to eat and live healthier.  There was a time when I didn’t eat turkey because I was raise on the farm and I was the executioner (chicken killer, chicken plucker).  If you have ever plucked feathers off of a chicken you would have an idea on how bad that is.  For about the first seven years of our marriage my wife use to fix for me a steak and lobster plate for Thanksgiving.  I felt bad back then for not participating on the turkey meal, but I feel even worst now that it is going the other way.

Even though this year the gathering around the table is going to get larger, it looks like the turkey is going to get smaller.  I want to also live a healthy life, but at least for now there are some tradition I am not willing to change.  Turkey and all the goodies that normally accompany it will be on the table this year, with the addition of more veggies, more fruit, and whatever the more knowledgeable family members contribute.  The one thing that is not yet scheduled to go away is the tradition of finishing of the day with board games galore.  As usual a very nice and competitive evening will be had by all.  The best is yet to come…