Everyone's Best Friend

On most days, I think that I have the best job in the world. Those hours between six and nine in the morning,when I'm on the air , are generally enjoyable. But like anyone else, there are times when the daily, mindless minutia can get the best of me. That's when I had just as soon be the guy with the shovel who follows the elephants in the circus parade. I've had several moments like that lately, but when it seems that I've reached the point that I simply would like to walk away and grab that shovel, something always happens to put everything into perspective.  Recently a friend and listener ( and I've found out that indeed my listeners ARE my friends) lost her husband. On the day that he was to be buried I got a call from her. She was, of course, in a terrible state of mind. We talked briefly and I expressed ,as best I could ,my sympathy and sorrow at her lost. I asked if there was anything I could do. She said, with her voice trembling, if I could do her a favor. And of course I said "yes, just name it." She said, "I want you to play me a song. I want to hear Keith Urban's Makin' Memories of Us". It of course includes the line. "And I'm gonna make you a promise, If there's life after this, I'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss." What a terrific song, what a terrific line, and sentiment. I immediately played it and for a brief moment shared her grief. And was honored to do so. It meant a lot to me that she would call me. It's at moments like this, that I realize I do indeed have the best job in the world. And the next time I want to throw up my hands and walk away, I'm going to remember this moment, when a listener and friend, made me realize how fortunate I really am. Fortunate to be everyone's best friend.

Get Over It!

I have a confession to make and I really don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Might be a character flaw or a gift, I just don't know. I do realize that I have not always been this way. Probably only in the last few years have I gotten to this point, and only today do I have the courage to admit it.  I SIMPLY CAN NOT STAY MAD AT ANYONE!!!...Seriously!  You'd think I could harbor some resentment, a bit of a grudge, something!! BUT NO!! Ex-wives, ex-girlfriends, ex-casual acquaintances, ex-friends..(that's not to say that they might not have every right to be pissed at me)..I have the ability to just move on, wipe the slate clean. You can waste a lot of valuable time being ticked off and it takes a lot of energy too. I for one would rather use that energy, along with the emotional investment, on something far more enjoyable. One of my favorite quotes is by Catherine Ponder-"“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”   Two of the most important things I have learned over the years are this: First, Jealousy is a total waste of emotion, and second, hate and resentment will burn you up from the inside out. Well I guess I've learned other stuff too but I have to save something for the next blog!. Sometime it's best to move on, let it go, or as The Eagles said so well, "Get Over It".

How Bad Is It?

This is a fantastic example of where we are in America today. Illegal aliens are leaving! It looks like it's easier to find the American Dream south of the border. And Mexico's unemployment rate is now 4.9 percent while the United States stumbles along at a 9.4 Rate......wow! The tired, the poor,the huddled masses yearning to breathe are getting the hell out!!!

That's Cool!

There is a price to pay for "being cool". See, I have this theory, that one of the things that has gotten us to where we are as a nation and as a society is our absolute yearning to be "cool!"  We all want to be accepted. Now when I say "we", I'm speaking of the collective "we".Remember  that kid in school that stayed in trouble all the time that kept trying to get you to do the same things he was doing?  The one who would say "oh come on! do it! No one's gonna know". (that kid's in Congress now running our country). We did a lot of dangerous and reckless things, some of which we did because everybody else was doing them.  Well, as the babyboom generation ages, we are paying the price of being "cool". I'm pretty sure that Steve Jobs was that kid that always asked the teacher one last question after the bell rang, forcing the whole class to endure a few more moments of the educational process. I read somewhere that Apple was worth more than the Federal Government now. Talk about "Revenge Of The Nerds"! Just a final thought, I don't think we have really arrived as individuals until we can say "This is who I am, I'm happy with who I am, and if you don't like it..................well, that's cool"

Shut up and Listen

When I graduated from high school our class "prophecy" had me being a bartender in a New Orleans bar. I'm not sure if it was tongue in cheek, ( I was the kid in class who never said a word unless he had to. Yeah ,hard to believe now I know.) ,But maybe that "prophecy" was spot on. Bartenders are great listeners. And so am I. My ability to read between the lines is almost in the super-human category. (well most of the time). But I do know when someone just needs to talk. And if you'll take the time to listen, you just might be surprised what you hear.

Age is just a number??

Hugh Hefner is calling ex-fiancee Crystal Harris a liar after she badmouthed his ahhhh "abilities" Yeah, let's put it that way.  Well, look. If you're an 85 year old guy attempting to have a relationship with a 20 year old you should be prepared for a little down time! Better become a brilliant conversationalist, have some crossword puzzles handy, cause I don't thing you're gonna be able to go the full nine innings!!

A Ship At Sea

All weekend long I have watched as the so-called budget crisis has unfolded on Capitol Hill. For you and I, balancing our personal budgets is very simple. We can't spend more than we take in. We have to make sacrifices, cut our expenses. And if we live beyond our means and borrow to maintain our way of life, there is a price to pay. You know it, I know it, why doesn't our government know it. I have said for a long time now one of the greatest things we have lost is common sense and the more I see of our leaders in Washington, the more I'm convinced they have lost touch with the people.I have the uneasy feeling that America is a ship at sea, in a storm, with no captain at the wheel.