A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

...sometimes you should appreciate the brightness of where you are right now...

...not the darkness that is behind you...

...nor the darkness that may lie ahead...

...but celebrate today, for today, for there will never be another right here, right now...

...today.

Is It Hot Enough For Ya?

 

It’s hot as hell! 

Hot enough to fry an egg! 

But it’s a dry heat. 

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. 

It’s hotter than Georgia asphalt.

It’s hotter than July. 

It’s Africa hot. 

It’s hotter than a fox in a firestorm.

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

It's so hot; I'm eating hot peppers to stay cool.

It’s dry as a bone. Dry as dust. I’m sweating dust. Or steam.

Hotter than a two dollar pistol on the 4th of July. 

It's hot as a pot of rice.

Hotter than a nanny goat in a pepper patch.

Hotter than a nun's bug.

Hotter than the hinges of hell.

Hotter than a half-made fox in a forest fire.
Hotter than a fresh-frigged sheep in a pepper patch. 

Hotter than a two-dollar whore.
Hotter than a fat man’s ass crack in July. 

Hotter than two rats screwing in a wool sock in the desert.

Hotter than a three pecked goat in a field full of nannies.
Hotter than a six peckered alley cat, a two dollar pistol.
Hot as a firecracker on the 4th of July.
Hotter than a depot stove.
Hot like a toad on a hot road.

But really, it’s too hot to write anything original. Or long.

But really, the worst of the heat is over.

I’m a day late and a dollar short. 

I’m a few pennies short of a buck.

I’m trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents. 

You can bet your bottom dollar that I’m not going to end this soon.

Put your money on the line and put your money where your mouth is.
Pay your money and take your choice.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Money doesn't grow on trees, right?
Do you think I'm made of money?
Money can't buy you love, and money can't buy happiness.

(Good thing this writing thing isn’t my day job…!)

Ruts

I have quite a few good friends who are stuck in some pretty deep ruts. It is painful to watch someone struggle through the things life can throw at us.  I have been in some deep ruts in my lifetime, and it goes without saying that those experiences are very tough and many times life-changing.  

The very nature of being in a rut is deep, complicated, and sometimes paralyzing.  Ruts aren’t run-of-the-mill events, blips on the radar, or minor occurrences; they can take over and have a life of their own, gaining control and grinding life to a screeching halt, and it can be a very lonely place to be. Everything seems dark and nothing makes sense. When I find myself in a rut, I have a list of clichés that if I repeat enough, sometimes gets me out of the rut. As annoying as these phrases can be if said at the wrong time, I feel they can be quite helpful if thought about in a deeper context.

“It is what it is.” This may be my favorite phrase, though I sometimes use it in complete sarcasm.  The important thing here though, is the concept that sometimes we get wrapped up in a fog of thoughts and feelings and advice and messages, and next thing we know, we’re unsure of which way is up. “It is what it is” is meant to separate the facts from the emotions from the assumptions from the opinions.  It’s not meant to necessarily discount those other aspects, but instead to organize whatever situation we’re in. It seems like most ruts appear to be multiple issues happening all at the same time, and when multiple issues are blended together, the combination of it all can be very overwhelming.  But in most cases, if we’re able to break down a seemingly large overwhelming crazy issue into four smaller issues, and then within those issues, separate fact from fiction, that may be the beginning on determining the best way to get unstuck.

A Road Less Traveled

On my way back home to upstate New York today, I decided to drive along a very scenic route in upstate Pennsylvania - PA Route 414 in Lycoming County.  Route 414 travels along Pine Creek as it exits the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  I had always noted this road when looking at maps as potentially scenic, and when I had a chance to drive this route last fall, I was not disappointed!  

So, today was a chance to make a return trip under a blue summer sky.