Friday Flash 55-Enlightenment

Trembling with anticipation, he held The Book of All Knowledge in his hands! He worked up some courage and opened the leather bound volumn to the first page. Unbelievably, the first page, like all the rest, was blank! He pondered this, perplexed. How could this be? Then with a smile he picked up his pen...

AND TO OUR BENEFACTOR AND INSPIRATION.........

YOU'RE ONE KICK-ASS LEADER!

Friday Flash 55-Endings

He had struggled long and hard with it, but in the end, he knew that he had to. Surronded with negativity and performing tasks he wasn't proud of had taken their toll. He gave his notice and enrolled in the classes he had yearned to take. Growth is tough but at least he would sleep!

Friday Flash 55-The Path

He continued to wander the forest in search of The Path. He knew it was here because he could feel it. He climbed a high hill and looked off in the distance. Seeeing nothing, he looked back and saw a long and winding path to his feet. He realized then that the world was his......

Friday Flash 55-Angels

He was going through hell. Unbelievable traffic accident, son, daughter and wife all in different hospitals. All in serious condition. Questions without any real answers and facing a future uncertain. He needed rest to clear his mind, but where to find it? Then at last finding comfort and caring. Sometimes angels can wear clown suits.....

In 1995 my wife was broadsided at an intersection by a fully loaded tractor-trailer with my son and daughter. She was life-flighted to UPMC in Pittsburgh, my son was under observation in the local hospital and my daughter was in Todd Children's Hospital in Youngstown, OH. I was traveling about 120 miles daily trying to keep up with everyone. Todd's had a Ronald McDonald house attached and I spent one night there, my parents were there for several nights. These were some of THE kindest folks I ever met, in fact one lady made my Dad a chocolate cake! Today on my way to work I stopped at the McDonald's drive thru for breakfast and they were asking for a one dollar donation for RMH. I gave a bit more. If you're out, why not grab a Big Mac and leave an extra buck or two for these folks, they're well worth it.

Friday Flash 55-Meditation

Having released his frustrations into the healing waters of the lake, he climbed a hill that sat high above the water. He sat cross-legged under a majestic old oak and watched a hawk glide majestically overhead. He closed his eyes, listened to the call of the hawk and accepted the energy of Spirit deeply.

Guess I'm getting a little more introspective of late. I recently started meditation and have hung around some new-agey types. Why these ancient beliefs are called new, I'll never know. I guess you're never to old to look in new directions....or old ones!

Friday Flash 55-Skipping Stones

He walked down to the lakeshore, selected the flattest stones he could find and began skipping them across the surface of the water. He had always felt a sense of calmness and spiritual connection at the water's edge.He named each stone with a negative experience he had. When the stones were gone....he breathed.

Flash Fiction 55

He said, "Baby, I'm tired and I don't want to work today."

She said, "Baby needs shoes."

He said, "Sugar, I hate going to that place."

She said, "We need groceries."

He said, "Lover, my boss is an idiot and blames me for everything!"

She said. "We need a new mattress"

So he left.....forever!

Its one of those slow, boring days at work, maybe that was my inspiration....such as it was! Happy TGIF everyone....

And, by the way, this is NOT autobiographical! Mrs. usually tries to get me to take days off...

Rain Changes-Friday 55

The rain is falling, soft yet determined, washing the world around me and renewing it's purpose. Tomorrow will find everything changed-no matter its appearance. Change is oh so subtle and hard to detect, yet undeniable. Not necessarily for better or worse, but changed. I feel it raining on my soul, so softly yet determined......


Yes, I know, some very deep stuff! (yech) Oh well, I have missed all you fellow bloggers, but there has been some rain here. I'm not sure where everything is headed but I do know the direction has changed some. Maybe I'll be able to put it down here sometime.....

Is it Friday again??? Lets try a Flash in 55 words!

I quickly undressed and got under the covers before she got into the room. Trying so hard to be really cool but having those nervous butterflies buzzing around in my stomach. We had just met and barely spoken but I hoped this would be great! 48 years old and I'm getting my first spa massage...


Caryn got me a massage treatment at a local spa for Valentine's Day this year so I gave it a whirl last night. She told me she hoped it would relax me. I told her it was VERY thoughtful...how many wives would gift their husband with a certificate that entitles them to go into a small room, get naked and have a strange woman rub oil on them! She may be reconsidering the wisdom of her gift.....

Friday Flash 55-A little whining!

Up late again,
forgot to do the wash.
Find the cleanest pair and pull 'em on!
One advantage to being bald...

No time to eat.
Drive up window time.
Brilliant, best invention ever!
But the coffee sucks...

Working harder and longer.
Making less.
This is a tough business in tough times.
Where's MY freakin' bailout?

Happy Friday all! 55 words is all you need to play. No more-no less! Stop by G-mans if you want to play!

Friday Flash-in 55!

I woke up and rolled towards the middle of the bed. She was facing away from me sleeping with a slow and steady breath. I cozied up and ran a hand along her silky smooth side and down across her hip. Gone for a while, but back now and familiar. I smiled and drifted off...

Admit it...you're never sure what will be here on Friday! Me neither......Happy Friday the 13th!

Friday Flash 55! Mirrors and Shadows

The date stamped on the back is in 1923. The house is older than that, so the mirror on the medicine cabinet was something new, once. The reflection is poor, its tough to shave, even with all the lights on. Is it the age of the mirror or the shadows of reflections from the past....?


My wife and I moved into an old row home in a quaint section of town-this place has a REAL main street with small shops, small pubs and restaurants and no national or chain stores. The street is tree-lined and well maintained. The house is old but most of it has been updated-except the bathroom! It has an old claw foot tub, really bad linoleum on the floor....and a really cloudy mirror! Ah, well...happy Friday!

Friday flash 55-2 weeks in a row!

"I want you to touch it there," she said in her sultry voice. God knows I wanted her to be happy with my performance. I didn't want to disappoint, but this is really new territory for me and, frankly, I'm a bit intimidated. I hope the AT&T saleslady can teach me to use this I-Phone!

Things to pass on...

I wrote this at Writerscafe.org a while back-around the time Little Joe was born! It is kinda cheatin', but I can copy and paste with the best of them!


Miscellaneous thoughts

We all learn things as we journey through life. Being a little past the midpoint of mine, there are some things that I want to share. I have no credentials, no expertise beyond what anyone else has, so take these things for what they're worth. These are a few things I would tell my children...if they ever cared to listen!

1. Money Matters. I know there are people out there saying that it doesn't, but it does. Having money makes things easier. When you can live day to day without worrying how to pay the mortgage, fix the car or pay for dinner, its easier. It opens the world to you, allows you to enjoy life, travel, eat well and do all the things you enjoy. There is no nobility in poverty regardless of what the monks tell you.

2. Money isn't everything. Don't define yourself by the size of your bank account, house you live in, car you drive or who's fashions you wear. Those material things that people obsess over never truly improve your life, they just become shackles that restrain your creative and spiritual side. If you spend your life collecting the latest and greatest stuff, you will never be happy. They just keep making more of it.

3. Everything in moderation. Eating, drinking, smoking and sex are all okay, as long as you don't go overboard. Having a delicious meal is great-being a glutton will kill you young. Drinking is good for the soul-drunkeness will ruin your life. If you enjoy an occasional cigar, cigarette or pipe from time to time that's fine-the Surgeon General can tell you what 2-3 packs a day will do to you.There are few things more fulfilling than a great sex life-frequently jumping into bed with various random strangers cheapens you.

4. Always be reading something. Have a book that you are reading at all times. Fiction or non-fiction doesn't matter. If you read a book a day or it takes you two months to finish doesn't matter, just have something that you pick up and read. Reading is very different from watching a movie. In a movie you are seeing and experiencing the story as the director sees it. When you read, you create your own pictures. It's exercise for your mind.

5. Take a walk. No, this is not the exercise portion of this treatise. Just put on some comfortable shoes and walk through the city, countryside, your neighborhood or along the beach. Look and listen at life around you. Let your mind wander. This is even better when holding hands with someone you care about.

6. Spirituality is divine inspiration, religion is man made. I'm not telling you what to believe in and my children can attest to that. I apologize to all the hard core church goers out there, but religion is at best a poor attempt to explain a force that is unexplainable and at its worst a means to control a group of people. Be cautious when trusting proclamations made from the pulpit, they often spring from ulterior motivation. Don't be afraid to think for yourself, you are just as qualified as they are.

7. There are more things worth dying for than there are things worth killing for. Wouldn't it be a better world if everyone understood that? Seems simple to me but if you watch the nightly news, you'll see that it is becoming more and more difficult for people to grasp.

8. Work. Work is good for the soul. Accomplish something. It matters less what it is than that you do it well.

9. Play. Play is good for the soul. Have some fun. It matters less what it is than that you enjoy playing it.

10. Laugh. Laughter is good for the soul. Find things funny. It matters less what makes you laugh than that you find humor in life.

11. Love. Love is good for the soul. Spend time with someone you love. It matters less who it is than that you allow yourself to truly love them.

12. Live. Everybody says this, but what does it mean? Life isn't the big moments, the great vacations, the big house or the expensive car. Life is all the little moments strung together. The small joke with a friend or co-worker. The movie that made you laugh or cry. Telling that special someone something significant about your day. The night out with friends. Time spent alone in contemplation. If you only live for the big things, most of your life will be wasted.


This is my list, not of the most important things but of things to consider. All of us make our lives what they will be and you may not agree with me on any of this. That's okay with me. Hmmm...maybe that's #13.....

Friday Flash 55-1 day (3 weeks and 8 months) late!

Life gets in the way, sometimes.
Old friends get neglected.
Old haunts are left abandoned.
Old joys are left unexperienced.
New thoughts left unrecorded.

Problems and concerns, relations foundering, profession iffy.
Changes in place and circumstance boggle the minds ability to think.
Time to slow it down some.

Yes, sometimes life gets in the way.....


Hey guys, its been a rough year! Sorry to be away so long-I just saw all the posts from my long ago last 55-thanks to all for the great comments! For those who asked-my grandson was born on June 11, 2008 healthy, happy and cute as hell!