Good evening and Happy Saturday,
As I am in the middle of a "work week" (don't feel bad, I get weekdays off that I consider my "weekend"......remember, I'm an ED guy), I am not doing much tonight but chilling out with myself and my thoughts. One thought that ran across my mind is that I (and all of us) should try and be a better version of myself everyday. Now, I completely understand, that this sounds like a daunting task. I mean, to improve everyday??? Is it possible?? Can I do it?? Can You do it?? The answer is an inevitable, 100% YES!!!
The thing is, the change does not need to be anything monumental, nor does it need to be noticeable to anyone but YOURSELF.
For instance, if you think you could have smiled more today, smile more tomorrow. Smiles are one contagious mother father and the more you smile the more you make others smile. So yeah, if that is something you can do BETTER tomorrow, give it a shot.
If you did not hold the door for anyone today, try and do it at least once tomorrow. Chivalry and manners have been forgotten in this age of Tinder, text messages, Snapchat, and the other numerous ways we "try" to show the world who we are. Try and holding a door open for a real person, searching for their Pokemon or not, and see what happens. Perhaps you'll receive a smile, perhaps that person will hold the door open for someone else, perhaps the person will not say shit. Who cares, you will have improved yourself from the previous day....And that, my friends, is a good thing.
If you did not compliment someone today, try it tomorrow. If you add a smile, you could even double up the love. Many people walk this earth self conscious, shy, never receiving compliments from anyone. You could potentially save a life by giving a compliment. A little dramatic, I know, but think about it. You never know who is contemplating suicide or other means of self harm. Perhaps, your compliment could have that person second guess if that's the right idea. I know......that's kind of a powerful notion.... EMBRACE IT!!!!
If you are trying to get in shape and you did not make it to the gym today, or if you quit early on your workout. Tomorrow, try to crush that ish. The whole idea is to improve on the person you are everyday you are alive....As you have good workouts, you will feel better about yourself which will, in turn improve your attitude, which will result in you being nicer to others, which is never a bad thing. Humans are too mean to each other, PERIOD. Try to be the difference maker.
I am not asserting that you will change the world, get a Nobel Peace prize, or rise to the levels of existential bliss. I can say, that your life could seem a little sweeter, your sun may shine brighter, your stresses less important. If you think who would NOT want that?? It is easy to get stuck in a rut, to approach life with negativity, to not enjoy every day you walk this earth. By focusing on improving yourself, you can improve the life of others without even realizing it. That's a win win!!!
That's all for now. Have a great night y'all and remember, if you don't agree, I do not really care.....After all, these are just one man's thoughts.
One Love
Ant
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Don't drink so much coffee
Good morning everybody,
In an attempt to resurrect this blog I thought I'd begin to give you all a reason to appreciate EVERYTHING that you have in your life. As a Pediatric resident in Miami, Florida I had the opportunity to meet and care for some of the most amazing families I could have ever imagined. It is so easy in medicine to focus energy on the "bad" encounters at the expense of forgetting the great ones. This is just a quick story about one little girl I had the absolute fortune of being able to care for. If any of you know I have tattoos, I have one tattoo specifically designed in her memory.
As an intern (first year resident) I began my journey with Heme/Onc being my very first rotation. Through this rotation, for those not in medicine, you get to care for those children with cancer or other blood illnesses (i.e. Sickle Cell disease). On the first week I met a young girl who, unbeknownst to me, would change my outlook on life. She was a young Jamaican girl recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle tumor) to the muscles that help move the eyeball. Ultimately, she had a racquetball size tumor removed from the right side of her face (including her eyeball) and then subsequently had to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
I met her shortly after her surgery and was able to take care of her as she received that chemo. Chemotherapy is essentially "poison" to the rapidly dividing cancer cells and ultimately has a large effect on the other "healthy cells". Just an educational point, This is why people lose their hair during chemo. The medicine attacks cells that divide at an alarming rate (i.e. cancer) but hair cells divide very fast, so are subject to the effects of the chemo. Anyhow, needless to say, a 7 year old girl missing 1/4 of her face and undergoing weekly chemo sounds almost unbearable. I mean, how many of you all could brave this challenge? Exactly!! This young lady, though, was able to smile, be pleasant and make jokes every time I saw her, no matter what. Additionally, her family was the best. Always bringing doughnuts to the ward and always thankful of our efforts. As many of you in the medical field are aware, ANY FREE FOOD AND POSITIVE COMMENTS ARE 100% GOLD!!!!
Now for those who know me, to this day, I always have a cup of coffee in my hand, and during residency I probably drank even more coffee than I do now (hey, I had to survive residency). One day, I stumble into this little lady's room to pre round and of course I had my coffee. She quietly and with a huge smile on her face handed me a note and told me, "Dr. Pickett, you have to read this." Of course, I could not deny this smiling face her request. On the note, she had written about 7 times... "I will not drink so much coffee". Followed with a note at the bottom that said, "read this everyday". I instantly burst our laughing, she started laughing and in her Jamaican accent told me she was worried because I alway seemed to be drinking what I like to call the nectar of the gods. I sat with her for a while just chatting until I had to get back to my pre rounding. I mean, hey, it was already 5:30 am and I had to be ready by 6. In case you are wondering, I still have that note!!!
I was fortunate enough to take care of her intermittently for the 3 years of residency (depending on what rotation I was on), getting to know her and her family better with every encounter. Needless to say, they were some of my favorite people I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. After finishing residency I was fortunate enough to spend a year as chief resident. Sounds impressive but it actually is a year more as an administrator, educator, and babysitter to other residents. (yeah, I was the one who had to deny resident's requests for time off to attend dog birthday parties....yeah you read correctly, some residents would request time off for their dog's Bday!!! C'MON MAN.....this is residency).
I was almost done with my chief year when someone told me that this young girl's mother was asking if I was in the hospital. As it turned out my favorite patient, the one who approached her illness with nothing but optimism and smiles, had succumbed to her illness. Her mother was asking if I could come to the bedside since I was one of the child's favorites. Once I heard (I actually just now got chills, thinking about it), I immediately went to her room. When I arrived, mom was standing next to the bed with her hand resting on her daughter's forehead. As she saw me enter the room, she wrapped me in the most meaningful hug I think I've ever received. We said nothing; sometimes silence is best. We sat in silence next to this young girl's bed where she lay deceased. After a while, we began reminiscing about the past 3 1/2 years. The laughter we shared, the struggles when she was really sick, the promise of optimism. The mother mentioned to me, that I had a lot to do with her child's approach to illness. That, even when I was on a different rotation, this girl alway was asking about me and when I'd be back on the heme/onc service. Honestly, I was touched beyond words to feel that at such an early point in my career I was already able to touch an entire family so positively. We sat together for about one hour before I had to go. Her mom, again, thanking the entire healthcare team for all that we had done to try to save her baby girl.
To see this young girl, laying on the bed with no life in her I began to reflect. Despite all that life had thrown at her, she always was upbeat, she never gave up, and she was more worried about my coffee intake than her next round of chemo. Then, I think of everything that I hear everyone complaining about. The list is too long to start naming the infinite amount of things that adults whine, complain, and fester about, but you can only imagine.
This girl, suffering a life threatening disease, had a large part of her face removed, and constantly suffering the painful effects of chemotherapy, KEPT SMILING!!! SHE FREAKING KEPT SMILING.
So I want to put you all to task to stop and think before you complain, before you replace your smile with a frown, or before you are rude to others. Think about this 7 year old Jamaican girl and how she approached life and ultimately the disease that ended her life prematurely. Think about how good you actually do have it despite how bad things may appear. It can ALWAYS be worse. That being said, have a blessed day. I hope I inspire a smile or two, some kindness to others, and perhaps the realization, that things are not that bad.
Have a great day and remember....These are Just One Man's Thoughts
One Love,
Ant
In an attempt to resurrect this blog I thought I'd begin to give you all a reason to appreciate EVERYTHING that you have in your life. As a Pediatric resident in Miami, Florida I had the opportunity to meet and care for some of the most amazing families I could have ever imagined. It is so easy in medicine to focus energy on the "bad" encounters at the expense of forgetting the great ones. This is just a quick story about one little girl I had the absolute fortune of being able to care for. If any of you know I have tattoos, I have one tattoo specifically designed in her memory.
As an intern (first year resident) I began my journey with Heme/Onc being my very first rotation. Through this rotation, for those not in medicine, you get to care for those children with cancer or other blood illnesses (i.e. Sickle Cell disease). On the first week I met a young girl who, unbeknownst to me, would change my outlook on life. She was a young Jamaican girl recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle tumor) to the muscles that help move the eyeball. Ultimately, she had a racquetball size tumor removed from the right side of her face (including her eyeball) and then subsequently had to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
I met her shortly after her surgery and was able to take care of her as she received that chemo. Chemotherapy is essentially "poison" to the rapidly dividing cancer cells and ultimately has a large effect on the other "healthy cells". Just an educational point, This is why people lose their hair during chemo. The medicine attacks cells that divide at an alarming rate (i.e. cancer) but hair cells divide very fast, so are subject to the effects of the chemo. Anyhow, needless to say, a 7 year old girl missing 1/4 of her face and undergoing weekly chemo sounds almost unbearable. I mean, how many of you all could brave this challenge? Exactly!! This young lady, though, was able to smile, be pleasant and make jokes every time I saw her, no matter what. Additionally, her family was the best. Always bringing doughnuts to the ward and always thankful of our efforts. As many of you in the medical field are aware, ANY FREE FOOD AND POSITIVE COMMENTS ARE 100% GOLD!!!!
Now for those who know me, to this day, I always have a cup of coffee in my hand, and during residency I probably drank even more coffee than I do now (hey, I had to survive residency). One day, I stumble into this little lady's room to pre round and of course I had my coffee. She quietly and with a huge smile on her face handed me a note and told me, "Dr. Pickett, you have to read this." Of course, I could not deny this smiling face her request. On the note, she had written about 7 times... "I will not drink so much coffee". Followed with a note at the bottom that said, "read this everyday". I instantly burst our laughing, she started laughing and in her Jamaican accent told me she was worried because I alway seemed to be drinking what I like to call the nectar of the gods. I sat with her for a while just chatting until I had to get back to my pre rounding. I mean, hey, it was already 5:30 am and I had to be ready by 6. In case you are wondering, I still have that note!!!
I was fortunate enough to take care of her intermittently for the 3 years of residency (depending on what rotation I was on), getting to know her and her family better with every encounter. Needless to say, they were some of my favorite people I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. After finishing residency I was fortunate enough to spend a year as chief resident. Sounds impressive but it actually is a year more as an administrator, educator, and babysitter to other residents. (yeah, I was the one who had to deny resident's requests for time off to attend dog birthday parties....yeah you read correctly, some residents would request time off for their dog's Bday!!! C'MON MAN.....this is residency).
I was almost done with my chief year when someone told me that this young girl's mother was asking if I was in the hospital. As it turned out my favorite patient, the one who approached her illness with nothing but optimism and smiles, had succumbed to her illness. Her mother was asking if I could come to the bedside since I was one of the child's favorites. Once I heard (I actually just now got chills, thinking about it), I immediately went to her room. When I arrived, mom was standing next to the bed with her hand resting on her daughter's forehead. As she saw me enter the room, she wrapped me in the most meaningful hug I think I've ever received. We said nothing; sometimes silence is best. We sat in silence next to this young girl's bed where she lay deceased. After a while, we began reminiscing about the past 3 1/2 years. The laughter we shared, the struggles when she was really sick, the promise of optimism. The mother mentioned to me, that I had a lot to do with her child's approach to illness. That, even when I was on a different rotation, this girl alway was asking about me and when I'd be back on the heme/onc service. Honestly, I was touched beyond words to feel that at such an early point in my career I was already able to touch an entire family so positively. We sat together for about one hour before I had to go. Her mom, again, thanking the entire healthcare team for all that we had done to try to save her baby girl.
To see this young girl, laying on the bed with no life in her I began to reflect. Despite all that life had thrown at her, she always was upbeat, she never gave up, and she was more worried about my coffee intake than her next round of chemo. Then, I think of everything that I hear everyone complaining about. The list is too long to start naming the infinite amount of things that adults whine, complain, and fester about, but you can only imagine.
This girl, suffering a life threatening disease, had a large part of her face removed, and constantly suffering the painful effects of chemotherapy, KEPT SMILING!!! SHE FREAKING KEPT SMILING.
So I want to put you all to task to stop and think before you complain, before you replace your smile with a frown, or before you are rude to others. Think about this 7 year old Jamaican girl and how she approached life and ultimately the disease that ended her life prematurely. Think about how good you actually do have it despite how bad things may appear. It can ALWAYS be worse. That being said, have a blessed day. I hope I inspire a smile or two, some kindness to others, and perhaps the realization, that things are not that bad.
Have a great day and remember....These are Just One Man's Thoughts
One Love,
Ant
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Trying to resurrect this BLOG
Good afternoon all,
I have decided to resurrect this BLOG. I started it years ago but due to a variety of reasons (mainly my crazy work schedule) I've slipped on keeping it going (feel free to browse prior posts from way back when). With recent events in the world, US, and the lovely city where I reside, I've decided I need to find a place to vent my frustrations and attempt to give my own opinions on things. Do not fret, it will not be intended to force feed you my beliefs or try to sway your opinion to fall in line with mine. I feel there will be a therapeutic release for myself as I can get some of my thoughts out of my mind and down on paper (hahaha, paper, who uses that anymore).
I must say, I'm kind of educated, and have been blessed with quite a variety of life experiences that I hope will allow me to at least touch some part of anyone who reads my li'l ole posts. Also, I WILL include my cooking adventures to help anyone looking for tips, recipes, advice, etc. as it relates to home cooking. I am not a trained chef but have been baptized by the Food Channel religion. I trained under the expertise of Emeril Lagase, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence and a host of other sermons aired on their shows.
Anyhow, welcome back and I hope that any and all of you that read my posts walk away from the computer/Phone, smiling, laughing, nodding or scratching your head thinking "he has a point". The most important thing to remember, as I am aware of the ignorance that runs rampant in our society and the internet courage that makes people feel they can write/say/treat others in heinous ways, is that if you don't agree with what I write, chill the F$&* out. These are Just One Man's Thoughts.
Have a great day and take time to smile, open the door for someone, say "excuse me", you know, the things that people used to do ALL the time in the past.
One Love,
Anthony
PS: I plan on adding the #Ellen to all my new posts......I'll explain why in a later post:-)
I have decided to resurrect this BLOG. I started it years ago but due to a variety of reasons (mainly my crazy work schedule) I've slipped on keeping it going (feel free to browse prior posts from way back when). With recent events in the world, US, and the lovely city where I reside, I've decided I need to find a place to vent my frustrations and attempt to give my own opinions on things. Do not fret, it will not be intended to force feed you my beliefs or try to sway your opinion to fall in line with mine. I feel there will be a therapeutic release for myself as I can get some of my thoughts out of my mind and down on paper (hahaha, paper, who uses that anymore).
I must say, I'm kind of educated, and have been blessed with quite a variety of life experiences that I hope will allow me to at least touch some part of anyone who reads my li'l ole posts. Also, I WILL include my cooking adventures to help anyone looking for tips, recipes, advice, etc. as it relates to home cooking. I am not a trained chef but have been baptized by the Food Channel religion. I trained under the expertise of Emeril Lagase, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence and a host of other sermons aired on their shows.
Anyhow, welcome back and I hope that any and all of you that read my posts walk away from the computer/Phone, smiling, laughing, nodding or scratching your head thinking "he has a point". The most important thing to remember, as I am aware of the ignorance that runs rampant in our society and the internet courage that makes people feel they can write/say/treat others in heinous ways, is that if you don't agree with what I write, chill the F$&* out. These are Just One Man's Thoughts.
Have a great day and take time to smile, open the door for someone, say "excuse me", you know, the things that people used to do ALL the time in the past.
One Love,
Anthony
PS: I plan on adding the #Ellen to all my new posts......I'll explain why in a later post:-)
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Life giver or Life sucker
Good evening everyone,
I recently had a great conversation with a friend of mine and I noticed that this person was walking on clouds, smiling, and having the best day in a long time. I casually asked, "what has got you in such a good mood". My friend told me, that they figured out the key to life. What?!?!?! The key to life, please share.
To paraphrase, my friend said they figured out the importance of having "life givers" in their life rather than "life suckers".
Can you say, "FREAKING GENIUS" !!!!???!!!!
So......what the hell does that mean....life giver vs life sucker
Well, let me break it down in my own terms. I apologize to the friend who dropped this li'l gem on me in case I don't state it as eloquently.
Essentially, if we divide people into two categories regarding how they approach life, we have those that give, add, or contribute to the quality of their life, the life of their friends and acquaintances, and to life in general. Then there is the second group, those who suck the life from their friends, suck the life from those who they casually come into contact with, and those who seem to try to bring down anyone who may be feeling positive at any giving time.
If you look at your own life, I'm sure you can easily identify people that fit into one of these two categories. The key is this, if you surround yourself with "Life Givers" your life will be that much more enriched and filled with smiles, laughter, happiness, empathy, and overall feelings of positivity. It is when we surround ourselves with the "life suckers", or even allow one malignant "life sucker" to enter our world, that life all of a sudden can appear darker, more limited, less pleasant, and can have you changing the way that YOU see the world around you, and can ultimately change how you treat others.
First question, who would you rather spend time with? Givers or Suckers??
Second question, how do you want to see the world around you? Full of optimism, possibilities, and happiness or dismal, negative, and fraught with problems??
Third, how do you want to go about your days? Smiling, helping others, seeing the goodness in people or Frowning with a persistent RBF or RDF (Resting Bitch Face or Resting Dick Face), feeling that the world is against you, and being depressed??
I know how I answer those questions, all you have to do is ask yourself.
If you are like me, you should make all attempts to surround yourselves with positivity, Bring on the Life Givers!!! I want to have reasons to smile, I want to be positive more often than not, I want to spread smiles, laughter, and good karma. I want people's lives to be enriched by being around me. I want to feel like things are not so bad no matter how bad things may seem. I want the energy that life givers tend to impart. I'll go even further, I want to be considered a life giver as well!! I mean, hey, Pay it forward right??
All I'm saying is that in this world of soooooooo much negativity (see previous post) we need to try to increase the chances that every day we are blessed enough to live on this earth, that we spend those days happy. Life is way too short and I know how I want to spend my heartbeats (again, see previous posts). By surrounding myself with those who give life through their actions, words, work ethic, and overall approach toward life, I hope to limit the negativity that I, and virtually anyone can encounter onany and all days of the week.
If you are a life sucker, you are probably reading this shaking your head with a frown on your face. That's ok to me.... To each their own. If you find yourself in that category, I ask you to take a step back, consider what has been written and see if changing to a Life Giver is something you would like to do. It is not that hard, just remember how blessed you are for being above ground and upright (there are plenty of people who would probably be happy just with those two things), remember how blessed you are to be able to see the words on the screen (blind people would probably trade anything to be able to see), remember how lucky you are to be able to understand what you are reading, how lucky you are to have the motor skills to scroll down the screen, you get the idea. All these blessings surround us and if you stop to appreciate them, and NOT take them for granted then , you are on the path to becoming a "life giver". When you look at life this way, it makes you more appreciative of the little things and that is a great start to becoming someone who can enrich and positively affect the lives of others.
Our time on this earth is limited, that is one of the guarantees of life, so why not try to make it a fun ride on this planet?? Try to smile more than you don't, try to laugh more than you cry, try to have people thankful they met you rather than trying to avoid ever seeing you again.
If you can do this. LIFE CAN BE GRAND
Have a great day everyone. And to all my Life Givers' KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
To my life suckers, good luck, and remember.......
These are just one Man's thoughts!!
One Love and Happy Easter
ANT
I recently had a great conversation with a friend of mine and I noticed that this person was walking on clouds, smiling, and having the best day in a long time. I casually asked, "what has got you in such a good mood". My friend told me, that they figured out the key to life. What?!?!?! The key to life, please share.
To paraphrase, my friend said they figured out the importance of having "life givers" in their life rather than "life suckers".
Can you say, "FREAKING GENIUS" !!!!???!!!!
So......what the hell does that mean....life giver vs life sucker
Well, let me break it down in my own terms. I apologize to the friend who dropped this li'l gem on me in case I don't state it as eloquently.
Essentially, if we divide people into two categories regarding how they approach life, we have those that give, add, or contribute to the quality of their life, the life of their friends and acquaintances, and to life in general. Then there is the second group, those who suck the life from their friends, suck the life from those who they casually come into contact with, and those who seem to try to bring down anyone who may be feeling positive at any giving time.
If you look at your own life, I'm sure you can easily identify people that fit into one of these two categories. The key is this, if you surround yourself with "Life Givers" your life will be that much more enriched and filled with smiles, laughter, happiness, empathy, and overall feelings of positivity. It is when we surround ourselves with the "life suckers", or even allow one malignant "life sucker" to enter our world, that life all of a sudden can appear darker, more limited, less pleasant, and can have you changing the way that YOU see the world around you, and can ultimately change how you treat others.
First question, who would you rather spend time with? Givers or Suckers??
Second question, how do you want to see the world around you? Full of optimism, possibilities, and happiness or dismal, negative, and fraught with problems??
Third, how do you want to go about your days? Smiling, helping others, seeing the goodness in people or Frowning with a persistent RBF or RDF (Resting Bitch Face or Resting Dick Face), feeling that the world is against you, and being depressed??
I know how I answer those questions, all you have to do is ask yourself.
If you are like me, you should make all attempts to surround yourselves with positivity, Bring on the Life Givers!!! I want to have reasons to smile, I want to be positive more often than not, I want to spread smiles, laughter, and good karma. I want people's lives to be enriched by being around me. I want to feel like things are not so bad no matter how bad things may seem. I want the energy that life givers tend to impart. I'll go even further, I want to be considered a life giver as well!! I mean, hey, Pay it forward right??
All I'm saying is that in this world of soooooooo much negativity (see previous post) we need to try to increase the chances that every day we are blessed enough to live on this earth, that we spend those days happy. Life is way too short and I know how I want to spend my heartbeats (again, see previous posts). By surrounding myself with those who give life through their actions, words, work ethic, and overall approach toward life, I hope to limit the negativity that I, and virtually anyone can encounter onany and all days of the week.
If you are a life sucker, you are probably reading this shaking your head with a frown on your face. That's ok to me.... To each their own. If you find yourself in that category, I ask you to take a step back, consider what has been written and see if changing to a Life Giver is something you would like to do. It is not that hard, just remember how blessed you are for being above ground and upright (there are plenty of people who would probably be happy just with those two things), remember how blessed you are to be able to see the words on the screen (blind people would probably trade anything to be able to see), remember how lucky you are to be able to understand what you are reading, how lucky you are to have the motor skills to scroll down the screen, you get the idea. All these blessings surround us and if you stop to appreciate them, and NOT take them for granted then , you are on the path to becoming a "life giver". When you look at life this way, it makes you more appreciative of the little things and that is a great start to becoming someone who can enrich and positively affect the lives of others.
Our time on this earth is limited, that is one of the guarantees of life, so why not try to make it a fun ride on this planet?? Try to smile more than you don't, try to laugh more than you cry, try to have people thankful they met you rather than trying to avoid ever seeing you again.
If you can do this. LIFE CAN BE GRAND
Have a great day everyone. And to all my Life Givers' KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
To my life suckers, good luck, and remember.......
These are just one Man's thoughts!!
One Love and Happy Easter
ANT
Monday, March 9, 2015
PLOW THROUGH THE NEGATIVITY
Good evening everyone,
I made the mistake of watching the news this evening and given all the crazy stuff that is going down I just want to remind anyone reading this that we need to all try to Plow through all the negativity. Given all the snow that the rest of the country has faced this winter (not me, as I enjoy sunny Scottsdale) the term "plow" should be very familiar.
The main point of this post is to remind everyone, that despite all attempts for the media and other outlets we are exposed to that try to sour our view of humanity, I'd like to believe that the majority of all of us are NOT representative of what the media is reporting. I may be wrong, but in my heart of hearts, I believe that most people are truly good people. It is unfortunate that the "bad apples" are the ones who are put on display for all of us to see. Now, I'm not saying that everyone is good, as a matter of fact, there are some really really really bad apples out there. But in a nation of over 318 million citizens, we cannot all be represented by the fraction of us Americans (yes, we are ALL americans....despite color, creed, religion, political affiliation, etc) that are displayed in the media coverage, internet posts, and in movies,TV, magazines, etc.
Recently, there has been footage of some po-dunk, ignorant, clown ass folk that are members of a fraternity in the Midwest. First thing that comes to mind is the reaction; the shock, the horror, that this video was released and what is depicted. Why are people so surprised regarding this footage? Is it a surprise that these college kids feel this way or that the video actually puts it out there in such a way that the issue has been brought to the forefront?? Now, anybody with a head on their shoulders and a brain in that head, regardless of the IQ, should know that racism has gone nowhere in this country except "undercover". Anyone, who is surprised that racism still exists in this country are ostriches with their head in the sand. I am ALWAYS aware of this fact and the point is, we cannot let these ignorant, closed minded individuals have the upper hand. What I'm saying is that, remember, although it exists, AND IT ALWAYS WILL, we must make an individual effort to rise above this idealism. We cannot change the world overnight, but if we make a conscious effort, to change ourselves, and educate those close to us; hopefully we can make a dent. Racism has been around for eons. I mean just look at the people who criticize immigration....... Aren't every citizen other than Native Americans immigrants to this country?? The last time I checked, that is an indisputable fact. (however, I'm sure some toothless, overall wearing, good ole boy may try and debate it). The most important thing is to plow through this closed minded, negative, way of thinking and try to remain positive. I find myself struggling with the positivity thing as, unfortunately, there are always reminders that this is the world we live in! Just remember, The majority of people are NOT this way and we have to remind ourselves of this constantly or we become numb to the fact that we can and should work to improve the world we live in. Plow on folk, Plow on
Next, I just heard a story on the news about some woman who works for the VA in a position where she helps veterans once they've returned back to the states after SERVING OUR COUNTRY AND HELPING PROTECT OUR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS. This crazy lady, had been caught via email mocking those same individuals. This is another example of how we are constantly reminded how "bad" people are. Now, this woman, should be fired, raked across the coals, and stripped of any and all titles she holds if this is truly her behavior. The point I'm making is, with all the negativity being pointed out to us constantly, we have to work so hard to plow through all this negativity. This woman is only a tiny fraction of those who work for the VA but for some reason, deserved or not, she is news worthy. Granted, her behavior is deplorable, she is just one messed up individual. For every story the media posts about the bad, I'd love if they made a statement regarding how many other good people are out there. For instance, In New York the Delta plane slid down the runway and almost ended up in the river, on another note, the other 86,999 flights in the US that day landed without incident, and all passengers were content with their flight. Y'all get the idea.....hopefully
It is easy to let our every day existence be plagued by negativity. It is everywhere, it is in the commercials we watch, the movies released, the news that's reported, the newspapers we read, The T-shirts people wear, the magazines on the shelves, and don't get me started on the dayum internet. We are constantly bombarded with this negativity. I beg of you all, just try to put your head down and plow through it. Ideally, at the other end there will be nothing but POSITIVITY. My dream of dreams, is that others will see us plowing through and decide to do the same. Now, by no means am I saying that this is easy. Conversely, it is VERY difficult to remain positive given all the "information" we are inundated with. The world has a lot of work to do to get us in a place where happiness out weighs the unhappy but it has to start somewhere. I challenge everyone to try and have it start with the one thing in our control.......YOURSELVES.
If you are reading this and in disagreement, THAT IS OK. Hopefully I'll reach a few people out there.
Most importantly, remember,
These are Just One Man's Thoughts!!!
One LOVE
Ant
I made the mistake of watching the news this evening and given all the crazy stuff that is going down I just want to remind anyone reading this that we need to all try to Plow through all the negativity. Given all the snow that the rest of the country has faced this winter (not me, as I enjoy sunny Scottsdale) the term "plow" should be very familiar.
The main point of this post is to remind everyone, that despite all attempts for the media and other outlets we are exposed to that try to sour our view of humanity, I'd like to believe that the majority of all of us are NOT representative of what the media is reporting. I may be wrong, but in my heart of hearts, I believe that most people are truly good people. It is unfortunate that the "bad apples" are the ones who are put on display for all of us to see. Now, I'm not saying that everyone is good, as a matter of fact, there are some really really really bad apples out there. But in a nation of over 318 million citizens, we cannot all be represented by the fraction of us Americans (yes, we are ALL americans....despite color, creed, religion, political affiliation, etc) that are displayed in the media coverage, internet posts, and in movies,TV, magazines, etc.
Recently, there has been footage of some po-dunk, ignorant, clown ass folk that are members of a fraternity in the Midwest. First thing that comes to mind is the reaction; the shock, the horror, that this video was released and what is depicted. Why are people so surprised regarding this footage? Is it a surprise that these college kids feel this way or that the video actually puts it out there in such a way that the issue has been brought to the forefront?? Now, anybody with a head on their shoulders and a brain in that head, regardless of the IQ, should know that racism has gone nowhere in this country except "undercover". Anyone, who is surprised that racism still exists in this country are ostriches with their head in the sand. I am ALWAYS aware of this fact and the point is, we cannot let these ignorant, closed minded individuals have the upper hand. What I'm saying is that, remember, although it exists, AND IT ALWAYS WILL, we must make an individual effort to rise above this idealism. We cannot change the world overnight, but if we make a conscious effort, to change ourselves, and educate those close to us; hopefully we can make a dent. Racism has been around for eons. I mean just look at the people who criticize immigration....... Aren't every citizen other than Native Americans immigrants to this country?? The last time I checked, that is an indisputable fact. (however, I'm sure some toothless, overall wearing, good ole boy may try and debate it). The most important thing is to plow through this closed minded, negative, way of thinking and try to remain positive. I find myself struggling with the positivity thing as, unfortunately, there are always reminders that this is the world we live in! Just remember, The majority of people are NOT this way and we have to remind ourselves of this constantly or we become numb to the fact that we can and should work to improve the world we live in. Plow on folk, Plow on
Next, I just heard a story on the news about some woman who works for the VA in a position where she helps veterans once they've returned back to the states after SERVING OUR COUNTRY AND HELPING PROTECT OUR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS. This crazy lady, had been caught via email mocking those same individuals. This is another example of how we are constantly reminded how "bad" people are. Now, this woman, should be fired, raked across the coals, and stripped of any and all titles she holds if this is truly her behavior. The point I'm making is, with all the negativity being pointed out to us constantly, we have to work so hard to plow through all this negativity. This woman is only a tiny fraction of those who work for the VA but for some reason, deserved or not, she is news worthy. Granted, her behavior is deplorable, she is just one messed up individual. For every story the media posts about the bad, I'd love if they made a statement regarding how many other good people are out there. For instance, In New York the Delta plane slid down the runway and almost ended up in the river, on another note, the other 86,999 flights in the US that day landed without incident, and all passengers were content with their flight. Y'all get the idea.....hopefully
It is easy to let our every day existence be plagued by negativity. It is everywhere, it is in the commercials we watch, the movies released, the news that's reported, the newspapers we read, The T-shirts people wear, the magazines on the shelves, and don't get me started on the dayum internet. We are constantly bombarded with this negativity. I beg of you all, just try to put your head down and plow through it. Ideally, at the other end there will be nothing but POSITIVITY. My dream of dreams, is that others will see us plowing through and decide to do the same. Now, by no means am I saying that this is easy. Conversely, it is VERY difficult to remain positive given all the "information" we are inundated with. The world has a lot of work to do to get us in a place where happiness out weighs the unhappy but it has to start somewhere. I challenge everyone to try and have it start with the one thing in our control.......YOURSELVES.
If you are reading this and in disagreement, THAT IS OK. Hopefully I'll reach a few people out there.
Most importantly, remember,
These are Just One Man's Thoughts!!!
One LOVE
Ant
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Internet courage
Good evening again y'all,
I just thought I'd sit in this chair and speak to anyone who is listening about internet courage. Isn't it SOOOOOOO funny what people post on the internet?!?!? It makes me smile, laugh, cry, get upset, give "prison eyes to" and do all kinds of stuff when I read some of the stuff people think they can post on the "world wide web". I remember when if you could get your ass beat, you'd keep your mouth shut. That is NOT the world we live in anymore......
Since being a witness to some of the most horrific stuff anyone should need to see AND seeing the responses that people think are acceptable, I'm almost ready to hop on a puddle jumper and open a food truck in a remote, beautiful, area in the world like St. Thomas, or St. Croix.
How can people feel that they can post the MOST ignorant, Asinine, douche-bagger-ific posts and get a way with it??? The answer....INTERNET COURAGE.
When you are protected behind a MEME, profile pic, alias, or Catfish scheme, you feel you can get away with any and every thing that crosses your mind.. Guess what, at some point, your bad Ju Ju will catch up with you TRIPLE FOLD!!!!
There is no way to restrict what people post as this is one of the greatest things about being American!!! Freedom of speech!!! Buuuuuuttttt.... Half of these cowards posting crazy shit, would keep their mouths shut if , on the other end, there was a well supported knuckle to their lower lip... Now, I'm not saying violence or aggression is the answer...What I am saying is that if people had to think twice about repercussions, maybe they would think twice before posting some ignorant ass stuff. Being a mixed cat (a post is soon to follow ), I've been privy to all kinds of MADNESS!! I've always been bi-racial, never had a choice...and if I could choose, I WOULD NEVER CHOOSE ANYTHING ELSE!!!! All I'm 'saying, it is nuts to consider the stuff that has been whispered in my ear ALL MY LIFE. I've been lucky enough to end up on the positive end of the spectrum..... But I've learned the true madness that lies within man.....
Just saying.
I have always been the kind of cat that watches from afar, knowing that people will show me way more than I would ever want to know, as long as I pay attention. This has NEVER let me down. Additionally, if you've read my previous posts, I do NOT WASTE MY HEARTBEATS (they are limited as is) following or encouraging BullShit!!
Long story short, just cause you have an internet profile, you should at least have the courtesy to think at least a few seconds before you respond to a post you disagree with,; You would be better served if you would think a li'l bit before you repeat the rhetoric you've grown accustomed to, or before you "like" a post made by some uneducated, naive, person who is a mouthpiece to the ideal that they never had a choice to rebel against...Internet courage will only get you so far.. and to be honest.....It won't be THAT far....
What i'd say, is just try to keep it positive. Woulda's, coulda's, and shoulda's are a waste of time so DONT DO IT... Just try to be a better person today than you were yesterday.
As always, if you don't agree, IT"S OK.....These are just One Man's Thoughts/
ONE LOVE,
ANT
I just thought I'd sit in this chair and speak to anyone who is listening about internet courage. Isn't it SOOOOOOO funny what people post on the internet?!?!? It makes me smile, laugh, cry, get upset, give "prison eyes to" and do all kinds of stuff when I read some of the stuff people think they can post on the "world wide web". I remember when if you could get your ass beat, you'd keep your mouth shut. That is NOT the world we live in anymore......
Since being a witness to some of the most horrific stuff anyone should need to see AND seeing the responses that people think are acceptable, I'm almost ready to hop on a puddle jumper and open a food truck in a remote, beautiful, area in the world like St. Thomas, or St. Croix.
How can people feel that they can post the MOST ignorant, Asinine, douche-bagger-ific posts and get a way with it??? The answer....INTERNET COURAGE.
When you are protected behind a MEME, profile pic, alias, or Catfish scheme, you feel you can get away with any and every thing that crosses your mind.. Guess what, at some point, your bad Ju Ju will catch up with you TRIPLE FOLD!!!!
There is no way to restrict what people post as this is one of the greatest things about being American!!! Freedom of speech!!! Buuuuuuttttt.... Half of these cowards posting crazy shit, would keep their mouths shut if , on the other end, there was a well supported knuckle to their lower lip... Now, I'm not saying violence or aggression is the answer...What I am saying is that if people had to think twice about repercussions, maybe they would think twice before posting some ignorant ass stuff. Being a mixed cat (a post is soon to follow ), I've been privy to all kinds of MADNESS!! I've always been bi-racial, never had a choice...and if I could choose, I WOULD NEVER CHOOSE ANYTHING ELSE!!!! All I'm 'saying, it is nuts to consider the stuff that has been whispered in my ear ALL MY LIFE. I've been lucky enough to end up on the positive end of the spectrum..... But I've learned the true madness that lies within man.....
Just saying.
I have always been the kind of cat that watches from afar, knowing that people will show me way more than I would ever want to know, as long as I pay attention. This has NEVER let me down. Additionally, if you've read my previous posts, I do NOT WASTE MY HEARTBEATS (they are limited as is) following or encouraging BullShit!!
Long story short, just cause you have an internet profile, you should at least have the courtesy to think at least a few seconds before you respond to a post you disagree with,; You would be better served if you would think a li'l bit before you repeat the rhetoric you've grown accustomed to, or before you "like" a post made by some uneducated, naive, person who is a mouthpiece to the ideal that they never had a choice to rebel against...Internet courage will only get you so far.. and to be honest.....It won't be THAT far....
What i'd say, is just try to keep it positive. Woulda's, coulda's, and shoulda's are a waste of time so DONT DO IT... Just try to be a better person today than you were yesterday.
As always, if you don't agree, IT"S OK.....These are just One Man's Thoughts/
ONE LOVE,
ANT
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Don't be afraid to DeFriend
Good evening y'all,
I just recently was thinking about something I thought I'd share with you guys. Do any of you have a "friend" on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram who always posts shit that has you shaking your head, asking yourself "What that Eff", making your blood pressure go up, or just helps sour you day?? My question.....Why do they have to be your FB friend, IG friend, or Twitter friend??
We, as society, seem that we are so caught up with public approval and having "a lot" of friends that we forget all we have to do is hit one button and DEFRIEND them. The refreshing freedom!!!!
Now, before you all gasp with thoughts of disdain.....hink of this; Our friends (at least as i see it) are supposed to support us, bring smiles to our face, be there when we need them, be the shoulder to lean on, be the attentive ear to our grievances. Nowhere, in the definition of friend, does it mention that it should be someone that upsets us regularly, makes us uncomfortable, or truly pisses us off more often than not.
If you find yourself subscribing or subjecting yourself to one of these so called "friends" it is very easy, actually way easier than you think.... Just defriend them. You can still be their friend in real life. Remember real life?? ?When people actually talk face to face, when people do not have to try to assign a "tone of voice" to texts and other emails, when people actually shake hands and smile at each other (not just put a colon, parenthetical, and a dash to make a smiling face). Ahhh, I remember those days..... Those that have stayed with you through the thick and thin of REAL LIFE will always be true to you and can really be considered Friends..... For all the others that choose to keep these sour face folk in order to pad your Facebook stats, validate your crazy pictures always posted, or are just there to remind you that you do not have it so bad, good luck as I've found, these types are kinda expendable......Friend-wise, of course.
If you choose to limit the crap that you are forced to read just because one of your internet "friends" posts shit and now you defriend them....Congratulations!!!! That's a step..... Now this does not mean that you are truly NOT this persons' friend. You are just making a statement, that if you post stuff that upsets me more than lifts me up, I am making a conscious decision to NOT ALLOW that to happen.
Remember, Life is waaaaaaayyyyyy to short to be bothered with unnecessary BS. I personally, want my scrolling, pointing, and clicking to make me smile more often than not. Time is money, and I am not gonna waste any of my MONEY letting you influence how my day is.
Just saying. And as always, if you do not agree.....THAT IS OK...These are...Just One Man's Thoughts.
ONE LOVE,
ANT
I just recently was thinking about something I thought I'd share with you guys. Do any of you have a "friend" on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram who always posts shit that has you shaking your head, asking yourself "What that Eff", making your blood pressure go up, or just helps sour you day?? My question.....Why do they have to be your FB friend, IG friend, or Twitter friend??
We, as society, seem that we are so caught up with public approval and having "a lot" of friends that we forget all we have to do is hit one button and DEFRIEND them. The refreshing freedom!!!!
Now, before you all gasp with thoughts of disdain.....hink of this; Our friends (at least as i see it) are supposed to support us, bring smiles to our face, be there when we need them, be the shoulder to lean on, be the attentive ear to our grievances. Nowhere, in the definition of friend, does it mention that it should be someone that upsets us regularly, makes us uncomfortable, or truly pisses us off more often than not.
If you find yourself subscribing or subjecting yourself to one of these so called "friends" it is very easy, actually way easier than you think.... Just defriend them. You can still be their friend in real life. Remember real life?? ?When people actually talk face to face, when people do not have to try to assign a "tone of voice" to texts and other emails, when people actually shake hands and smile at each other (not just put a colon, parenthetical, and a dash to make a smiling face). Ahhh, I remember those days..... Those that have stayed with you through the thick and thin of REAL LIFE will always be true to you and can really be considered Friends..... For all the others that choose to keep these sour face folk in order to pad your Facebook stats, validate your crazy pictures always posted, or are just there to remind you that you do not have it so bad, good luck as I've found, these types are kinda expendable......Friend-wise, of course.
If you choose to limit the crap that you are forced to read just because one of your internet "friends" posts shit and now you defriend them....Congratulations!!!! That's a step..... Now this does not mean that you are truly NOT this persons' friend. You are just making a statement, that if you post stuff that upsets me more than lifts me up, I am making a conscious decision to NOT ALLOW that to happen.
Remember, Life is waaaaaaayyyyyy to short to be bothered with unnecessary BS. I personally, want my scrolling, pointing, and clicking to make me smile more often than not. Time is money, and I am not gonna waste any of my MONEY letting you influence how my day is.
Just saying. And as always, if you do not agree.....THAT IS OK...These are...Just One Man's Thoughts.
ONE LOVE,
ANT
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