I’m pretty much tired of all this bullshit!!

First ya ask us to let a child pick his own gender, when he isn’t even old enough to know what his favorite color is. Let him/her decide if they want to be him/her, eggplant, skyball??? Let the kids alone and let them enjoy their childhood, for GOD’s sake!

For God/Goddesses Sake

And that’s another thing…. if you believe in whatever God/Goddess you choose, good for you, but you don’t need to cram your beliefs down anybody’s throat. Not everybody wants to be Muslum, or Christian, or Buddist, Agnostic, etc. If any where in your religious text mentions …’killing of all non-believers of whatever particular religion you believe’… ya need to find another religion. Seriously, look into it.

Second….. I DO NOT agree with teaching homosexuality in school… see complaint #1. Kids are just learning how to socialize and be around the opposite sex. They are still trying to figure out who they are. They don’t need a bunch of bullshit dumped on them that makes them feel weird if they don’t meet the ‘norm’ of the teaching. If kids have questions about these issues, they should go to their parents first…some trusted confident… grandparent…somebody they trust to talk to. Ya don’t need an entire class of this. (That’s my opinion.)

Sex Education

Now sex education is a whole other story and should definitely be taught from 5-6-7-8 grade and on with the permission of the parent, unless the parent is a dumbass and don’t know the difference between a condom and a tampon. Teach girls and boys that “NO” means “NO” (and teasing is another issue that should be addressed) both to boys and girls. She says “NO” your wanker says “YES”, you both need to stop and take a cold shower. Otherwise, there will be a rape lawsuit years down the road, and a poor innocent baby to take care of for the next 18 years.

And lets not get into this whole abortion issue. If ya wanna have the fun and be sexually active, just remember THERE ARE CONSIQUENCES! So either way, wear protection, or don’t have sex. It’s as simple as that. That baby you’re thinking of aborting could possible grow up to be president, or a genius inventor; somebody who cures cancer, etc. You never know. You just never know. (And my own personal opinion…..Who are you to play God?)

Now you want me to go to this web site (https://www.charisbooksandmore.com/books-teach-white-children-and-teens-how-undo-racism-and-white-supremacy) to teach my kids why they have it, and how much ‘white privilege’ means and how to ‘fix’ it! What kind of bullshit are we teaching our kids???

White Privilege….Really!!

Kids don’t need to know the difference between black/white/green/yellow/etc. Kids don’t have a color chart of who is what and who fits into what catagory. They see each other as friends. Some friends have disabilities, some are amazing at coloring, some can climb the monkeybars like no bodys business. The point is, its the parents who need to be educated not the kids.

Remember folks…….This is just my opinion.

MY LIFE IN A BOX

Chapter one

When I was a child, my family moved from place to place looking for the next great thing…or to avoid rent, or to skate out on the usual bills like gas, water, electricity, etc. All because my gypsy wanna be stepdad, Will, was a heavy drinker, and gambler, and didn’t really want the responsibility of raising happy, well-balanced children. At least, that’s my opinion.

I was born in the 50s…the fourth of nine children … and I was only six months old when my biological father was murdered…more on that later.

My mom did her very best to care for us… holding down several jobs, being an amateur photographer, selling goods, and waitressing, all while still being our awesome, strong, independent, mom.

When I was five or six, mom married my stepdad, Will, and our lives would forever change…not only our lives, but especially moms. Before I turned twelve, five more children were added to our family.

We were living in Old Town, Florida before my first younger sister was born. We didn’t have an air conditioner, or a telephone, or inside plumbing; hell, we didn’t even have grass in the sandy, weed-spotted yard.

The house, or shanty we lived in came with an old wooden two-holed-out house. One hot summer day, I was using the ‘bathroom’ just daydreaming as my short legs and little feet dangled off the seat. I was playing with a small piece of wood that had broken off from the inside plank. My panties hung around my ankles. I watched the dust dance like little faries in the sunbeam through the cracks in the outhouse.

I turned to find the Sears catalog when it seemed the dust increased and the dancing fairies seemed to multiply. Then I realized what was making such a stir. A giant snake was slowly creeping its way around the back behind the first hole and already coming around the second hole…MY hole…inside of the outhouse toward me.

I jumped off the wooden seat with my panties still around my ankles. I was still clutching the piece of wood as I ran screaming through the yard. Then my panties tripped me, but I still screamed. I just knew that snake was gonna catch me.

Mom and Will came out of the house to see what the fuss was about. I was still screaming, pointing at the outhouse yelling snake! Big snake! With his leather belt in hand, Will cautiously opened the outhouse door. Slowly he peered to the left then the right. Nothing! He clutched his belt in his angry fist, stomped back to us and grabbed me by my arm. He picked me up and proceeded to whip me with his belt…FOR WAKING HIM FROM HIS NAP!

Once the welts and pain subsided, I went into the house. I found an empty cigar box and placed the small chunk of wood inside. Just a reminder to always have something to squeeze if the pain gets to be too much.

I’m older now than I’ve ever been. Never thought I’d last this long.

I think of the family who have ‘passed’ before me, while my guarded emotions stay strong.

Could I have said something while they were still here? “I love you…I forgive you…I’m sorry…I’m wrong.”

I coulda. I woulda. I shoulda. I didn’t. It’s always the same woeful song.

Wondering. Watching. Waiting. The memories still make me cry.

As I sit in my rocker and wonder. And watch. And wait. And sigh.

jjs 7-20-2022

I remember holding Momma’s hand
So frail. So small. So bent.
Massaging her aging limbs.
Till her life and soul were spent.

How do I say thank you
For the many things she’d done?
I should have said it years ago
When my life had first begun.

She taught me so many things
Things needed to survive.
She didn’t teach me how to cope
When she was no longer alive.

As someone who has crossed over 70 and is heading towards 80 these are some of the changes I (and various other folks) have noticed ….

1. After loving my mother, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself. I do what I want, and when I don’t want, I take a nap.
2. I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders. What happens with my family and friends, is their problem.
3. I have stopped bargaining with vegetable and fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees. Besides, I like my fresh fruit and vegetables from our trees and garden.
4. I try to leave our waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am, as well as putting up with insullant customers.
5. I stopped telling the elderly that they’ve already told that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane and relive their past. What does it hurt to hear a story more than once?
6. I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The task of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.
7. I give sincere compliments freely and generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say “Thank You.”
8. I have learned not to bother about a wrinkle or a spot on my shirt or breeches. Personality speaks louder than appearances.
9. I walk away from people who don’t value me, or who are toxic to my well being. They might not know my worth, but I do.
10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am neither a rat nor am I in any race.
11. I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.
12. I have learned that it’s better to drop the ego than to break a relationship, in most cases. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone. I pick my battles.
13. I have learned to live each day as if it’s the last. After all, it might BE the last.
14. I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton