As Another Year Passes By

Well everyone one more year is slipping by, and we have survived another year of our lives. This has been a crazy year for some of us myself included. I have explored my career opportunities with a couple of avenues all still in the realm of customer service. I am currently working Seasonal for Target..well at least I was, I have been sick for the past week and have had to call off all week so I will see if I still have a position when I go back. Currently I am recovering from a cold that I caught somewhere, it started out as very fatigued which I attributed to working in Toys & Electronics for a week straight and right before Christmas. However, I called off on Monday because I was exhausted and my back was hurting and Monday night I began to feel rough, I immediately went and bought some cough and cold medicine, tissues, and OJ. Tuesday I was feeling about the same a little worse but still not dead, and when Wednesday rolled around I felt like I had been run over by a fleet of semi-trucks. Needless to say I did not work Christmas Eve either, I ended up buying Tylenol Severe Congestion with Pseudoephedrine and it was helping but I still have a lingering cough and congestion in my throat/left lung. Today my back has been hurting something terrible, I was distributing gifts to everyone and I was barely able to bend or twist because my back was so stiff. If things are not better tomorrow we will be making a visit with a doctor immediately.

I know that I started this post to talk about another year but my mind slipped off focus, so now lets get back to reviewing 2009. This year we have lost many people that were great entertainers such as Molly Sugden, Michael Jackson, Paul Harvey, Ron Silver, Natasha Richardson, Jack Wrangler, Bea Arthur, Dom DeLuise, and Farrah Fawcett just to name a few. There have also been many things that have happed such as our first African-American President was sworn into office, the American people bailed out the banks as well as two of the three major automakers (who later filed for bankruptcy protection) here in the U.S., H1N1 (Swine Flu) hit hard and took many innocent lives and is still a risk for many, Cash For Clunkers took a lot of older vehicles off the road and put fresh steel on the pavement. I am sure that this is only the tip of the ice burg on the things that have happened but these are some of the major headlines that I can think of.

Some headlines of my own, on January 4, 2010 I will begin classes with Franklin University working toward a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and hopefully a minor in Accounting. I have been talking about going back to school for a few years and each year I filled out a FAFSA form and each year I would put it on the back burner and say “Well I have this job that I really like right now, I don’t have the time for classes, and I cant afford to go back” after my stint in the hospital and being on life support I have made the decision that there is no better time that RIGHT NOW to start working for my future. I know that I do not want to be at the bottom of the ladder forever, and I am sure that a Bachelors Degree will not instantaneously put my resume at the top of the pile or get me a six-figure income right away but I want to do more with my life than working in the jobs that I have been. I want Nick and I to be able to enjoy our lives together, and for us to be able to plan things and have nice things, not that we do not now but I want to be able to do things like we used to. Earlier in our relationship we used to get in the car and just see where the road would take us, one weekend we ended up in Pittsburg, PA, another we was in Atlanta, GA, and one night we could not think of anything to eat so we drove to Cleveland to find something different to eat, I loved the spontaneity of our lives, we made plans but we also did what we wanted and did not worry about time frames. 

So here is looking forward to 2010, 2009 has been a year of learning and discovery as well as pain and hardship, I hope that 2010 brings about a better life for everyone. I believe that if you truly want something and you work for it hard enough you will get it, lets hope that 2010 can be the year that we can all enjoy the fruits of our labor, as well as the comforts of family and friends. Lets build memories that will last for many more years and celebrate life everyday, for some of us we never know when tomorrow might not come.

 

God Bless Everyone,

Brian J.

Forgiven…..

I was watching a movie tonight on the LOGO Network, and from the storyline I began to think about things that have happened to me in my life. There are things that have happened to me that have shaped who I am and driven my values and my thinking. I am who I am and that will never change, I am here and no matter what anyone does to me I will still be here and remain the same person.

One memory that I have is when I was a teen I worked with a guy and I found him attractive. Somehow he found out and while I was in school he would say rude, derogatory comments to me in passing in the corridors, and he even went as far as to approach me while I was working somewhere else and physically attack me. I was shocked, I did not retaliate, I was bleeding and I can still remember what he said and how he did it to this day. Russ you are forgiven for your ignorance and your poor judgment, I hope that one day you will realize that you are just a person, nothing extraordinary and what you did was wrong, however even if you do not I FORGIVE YOU.

Then there was the teacher who made a comment that made me feel like less of a person, I was in High School and I was beginning to come out to people about who I am. I was asked by a teacher that I respected if I was gay, I reluctantly said no, to which his comment was OK because I had heard that you are and I just wanted to make sure I didn’t bend over with you around if you were. Mr. Teacher, you are forgiven, you have given me a lesson that I will never forget, people come from different generations, different life paths and different religions/family values. Some people will make a comment that is inappropriate and insensitive because they think that it is OK and acceptable when it is not. Their ignorance toward others, their lives and who they are can be degrading and disrespectful however they do not know any better once again, I FORGIVE YOU.

I am sure that there are more incidents that have happened but these seem to stick out in my mind.
When someone in your life gives you a chance to be a part of their life, do not shut them out, do not degrade them or tell them they are a bad person. Just understand that they have a different path for their life, it might be a way of good fortune, and it might be a way of misfortune, but they will make it as they feel is right based upon their circumstances, beliefs and values. We need to respect our friends, family members and neighbors lives and embrace the opportunity that we are given each day when we wake up, because every day is a new day, and we can make of it what we wish but it is up to us to control it as best we can. I am sure that there are many people that I have done wrong to in my life and I sincerely apologize for what I have done, I am sure that some of it I did without knowing that I was doing it and some I did out of carelessness, all I can ask is that you forgive me as I will forgive you.

Best Wishes Friends

Brian J.