Veritas

There are several phrases revolving around the "truth" that would make great Wheel of Fortune boards:

• The simple truth
• The whole truth
• Nothing but the truth
• Many a true word is spoken in jest
• The truth will out
• Truth is stranger than fiction, etc.

Perhaps one of man's greatest follies is his assumption at how his peers will accept the truth.  If truth is a double edged sword, then many people fear the possibility of getting caught in a lie far less than they fear the possibility of hurting someone or (probably more common) implicating themselves.

At the root of the truth is a broader topic of honesty.  Does honesty make a man/woman? Does dishonesty crumble integrity, justice, and (by default) the truth? Honestly, (pun intended) I think there is a more fundamental issue than honesty and truth combined...

Effort.

Effort is what makes people try to be honest, try to be truthful, and try to maintain integrity. Without effort there is no purpose to anything. Jimmy Stewart put it succinctly in the 1965 production of Shenandoah:

"If we don't try, then we don't do, and if we don't do, then why are we here on this earth."

If you haven't seen the movie, you really should. They just don't make movies like that anymore. I digress, the point I'm trying to make is that even though the individual may never achieve perfection, it doesn't mean it is pointless to try. Let me illustrate this in a way that most people will probably be able to relate to..

So this is you...
You wake up early, do your hair, pick out a nice outfit.  Take care of children/spouse/animals. Drive to work. Attend meetings. Meet deadlines. Schedule more meetings to make more deadlines. Deliver a polished and accurate finished product. Drive home. Be a loving and responsive member of your household. Take care of children/spouse/animals. Maintain a clean healthy home. Crash into bed exhausted, but ready to do it again tomorrow.. Oh, and still don't think you rock the socks off of life...
In other words you're this...

This is effort in it's finest form. Did you notice the word perfect wasn't in there once? It was all about verbs, not adjectives.  That sort of life, which is honesty, integrity, hard work, and truth all derive from effort. This life may leave you tired, cranky, and wishing for a few more days on the weekend to enjoy some time on the couch, but by performing these exhausting actions day in and day out you are proving that you are accountable, responsible, and trustworthy.

but, this is them...
They cut you off so short that you almost wreck because they are late to work and only care if they get there safely. They tell you that something is due as soon as possible, so you get it ready, schedule a meeting, which they proceed to reschedule 5 times (I thought this was asap?!), they hit their children rather than take the time to discipline them. Oh, and they think they have everything figured out and are above any useless advice someone like you can provide. Basically they are like this...

Which turns you into this..

So in light of the fact that you cannot go from person to person and b-slap them into wonderful people who give a flip about others, I offer this food for thought:

If your adversaries are so incredibly dumb, so feeble of mind, that they cannot manage to follow through on most if not all of their promises or duties, let them go.

It is a common struggle to fight to keep things afloat. Often times the do-ers end up carrying the weight of the others and status quo is met, so there is no retribution or consequence. Everyone has roles to fulfill in this life, the hardest part is defining which ones you can commit to, which ones you can let go of, and which ones were never yours to begin with. Once you have that figured out, you're one step closer to having your efforts become your joy.

Or, if you prefer a less holistic approach to finding balance in this life, if you have a rock in your pile of diamonds, consider this..

It's a rock... encourage it to cut glass and vanity may force the rock to try... the rock may then learn a pretty good lesson when it tries... and fails

:)

Good luck in all of your endeavors my friends.

A commentary on the insanity of the Smurphtastic

I am absolutely going to tell on myself now, this is my way of letting you know that just maybe, your crazy moments are a little more sane, and also to say to the world that I have the most patient husband in the world.  When I get in these moods, he has started calling me "Bittersweetness" which always makes me smile.. I know.. get a room..

All of the following examples are actual stories that I have experienced, that both my husband and I laugh about now. So please keep in mind that these are exceptions in our relationship, not the rule. We do have a lot of laughs though.

Scenario #1 - Illuminating my inability to deal with change.
So in the morning I have a very standard routine, I rarely deviate from it unless the world collapses... I could probably take a picture of myself at the same time during the week day and I would be doing the exact same thing, there is extreme comfort in consistency and I do not react well when a change interrupts my routine. So one morning, my husband gets up early and turns on the shower at the same time that I was planning on hopping in the shower.  (This was in our apartment and we only had 1 bathroom.)  So, with bed hair, toothbrush hanging out of my mouth and lazers shooting out of my eyeballs as he was about to step in the shower I asked, "You're getting the shower ready for me right?" He took one look at my face, and went back to bed. I still apologize for that day...


Scenario #2 - You have lost your d@mn mind...
Every once in a while I have a moment that makes me wonder why I still have friends. My Mom refers to it as "Crying about both." For example, sometimes when I get angry with absolutlely justifiable and righteous anger (which translates to "I have no idea why I'm angry, but it is really intense") I'll say things like "We never go out anymore, are you embarassed to be seen with me? You are aren't you, you think I'm fat, and ugly, and terrible" and then 5 seconds later say "I work so hard, so if I want to stay at home and lay on the couch with PJs on I can, and no one can tell me no."
:: SIGH :: I'm glad we laugh about things.

Scenario #3 - Oh the cheesy goodness...
Okay another one of my favorites was when we first got married. I'm not what you may refer to as a "cook" so I was really branching out and making dinner for the two of us. Home made enchiladas, cornbread muffins, and all the fixins. I was soooooo proud of my tex-mex meal. My husband is not a fan of onions, but I love them. So I chopped them up and put (what I would consider) a few in the enchiladas. If I had thought about it at the time I would have taken a picture, framed it, and awkwardly shown it to anyone who visited the house.  Needless to say I was pleased with myself. So I set the table and practically hovered over him as he took his first bite. I was wiggling in my chair waiting to be praised for my culinary masterpiece.  And then...

"There are too many onions in this"

O.....M.......Jeeeeeeez

I lost it, absolutely lost it. After about an hour of insanity we came to the conclusion that all I wanted was for him to lie to me and "roll in the cheesy goodness" and he came back with "I prefer to be honest with the ones I love" ... a stalemate.  Needless to say he does the majority of the cooking now.

I hope that you got a chuckle out of our insanity, if you've got a crazy moment or two too, please feel free to share.