Service Animals - Pets Helping People

Service Animals - Pets Helping People

Shared via AddThis

Fat People Aren't Handicapped.....

This post really doesn't have anything to do with fat people being handicapped. I saw the site on Facebook...dealing with taking away their Handicapped Parking Tags, and it got me thinking. I don't think most people realize how inconsiderate they are when it comes to alternately abled people. I mean this in regards to Handicapped Parking Spaces.

The other night at Griffen's baseball game the mother of my boys (my ex-wife), pulls into the packed parking lot....she unloads my boys...including Cullen who uses a wheelchair. She correctly presumes of the cars parked in the 4-5 Handicapped spots, a few are parked illegally (please note I did say illegally). She has no qualms about letting people know when they are illegally parked...soooo she approaches one person sitting in their illegally parked car....she uses tack..using the the "Did you know you were...." approach. As usual in these situations the person moves begrudgingly...with no apology...with no "it wont happen again...". The person somehow feels put out....

Now in this particular incident to overlook the infraction would have meant parking at least a quarter mile away...and navigating the gravel road to the ballfield, while pushing a wheelchair. I am not a confrontational person..so if I had driven this would have been the outcome.

This scene is not rare for us....It happens most often at the schools my sons have attended. Arriving at school functions we will find the Handicapped Parking Spots full...several by illegally parked cars. We have blocked people in before, and we have placed pre-printed fliers on windshields informing people that they are parked illegally, with it being a $500.00 fine. In the cases when the drivers have been present...we have never received an apology...only hostility.

I am not presuming these are cold-hearted, mean people....only that they are thoughtless and inconsiderate. I assume they believe the spots will be unused...or that no one will care. I also think that do not realize alternately abled children go to the school...well guess what Cullen does.....

I will save the Fat People and the Oxygen Bottle People for another post.....

No Thoughts...Oh Wait I Do Have One

The problem with having philosophical blog is that, believe it or not, I don't always have very deep thoughts....Its not that I haven't wanted to blog, it's that I haven't had anything to write. There are definiately periods in my life when I am just trying to make it through the day, week, month, and don't have to time to think much about anything.

There is one thing that has been on my mind lately tho....Is it possible to be spiritual without being religious? What I mean is that lately I do believe God has helped me through some times....times that without his intervention I might have just given up. I thank him for his support. I do not debate his existence in the least, because I am convinced he does exist. The problem I am having is on the religious side of believing. I suppose if cornered would have to admit that my intermittent church going does not constitute going to church. I have a bible, but I don't read it. I am far from perfect...and to be honest some of my imperfections I am not fixing. Don't get me wrong...I strive to be a good person...and do believe I am a good person, but I am fully aware of my limitations.

The ultimate question I have is that....do I have to be able to quote Bible verses, and fill my MP3 player with Christian music to go to heaven?? I'm really not trying to be funny, believe me...When I get to the gates upstairs am I going to be quizzed? Is there really going to be a highlight film of my life?? That worries me....

I hope that when I get there...Whoever is manning the gate that day...looks at me and just knows...yes I can be ass, but I did try...not always successful..but did try.

What Did You Say??

I need a "bleep" machine...I don't know the technical name for it, but its the machine television networks use to bleep out bad words during award shows etc. I am becoming increasingly concerned about what comes out of my mouth, and am afraid my mouth is working faster then my brain. I need a machine to catch the things I shouldn't be saying, but am to slow to catch before it leaves my lips.

The reason this has become of concern to me is that in the recent past there have incidents around me to where people have been called onto the carpet about what they said. Most recently, in the news President Obama made a comment about his lack of bowling skills....he said it looked like something out of the Special Olympics...was it something he should have said? No it wasn't....but do I think it has more meaning then just an off the cuff statement? No I don't.

Another incident happened to a colleague of mine I work with. An excellent teacher, one I truly respect as an educator. She made a perfectly innocent comment to her students about doing what she asks or else "off with their heads..." Now I am a parent, and if one of my kids came home and told me their teacher had made this comment, I honestly don't think I would be concerned about her being a psychopath. A parent of one her students did just that though....What I wanted to ask this parent was....."Do you honestly have a concern that your child will have their head chopped off????"....

I just think we all have become so concerned about being so politically correct that we have lost site of common sense. We all have made comments we wish were never said...but I hope most people either know that the comment was harmless...or at least give me the benefit of the doubt about what I meant. I believe common sense is becoming a rare attribute in people...Maybe it is just that we all have so little control of our lives these days that when an opportunity arises where we can exert some power we just go for it.....I really don't know.

Back to the bleep machine...along with this machine I want a time delay....ohhhhh a sec or two would be fine....time enough for the bleep machine to catch what I said and bleep it out. Then when people ask me what I had said, I have time to re-think my statement, correct it...and come out without incident......."Nooooo what I said was that you have beautiful baby...."

MY THEME SONG

I think everyone needs to have their own theme song. Don't most peope identify with a song? The song that they feel was written with them in mind...or a song they feel describes their life at that period in their life, for instance right now I would probably make my theme song Johnny Cash's "Solitary Man"....I know, you probably smirked as soon as you saw Johnny Cash. It isn't the fact he sings it that would make it my song, but the song itself. Then again maybe some of the reason I like it is because Johnny Cash is identified as being a loner.....a "solitary man" if you will. Now in picking that particular song it doesn't mean I'm stuck with it the rest of my life.....just that at this point in my life I think it describes where im "at"......how I feel.

After the song is chosen...it needs to be played during your interaction with people....especially your first interaction....I do not see the purpose of playing it repeatedly for the same people...well except for when you have changed your theme song. This would let people know how you're doing....and if they should be concerned about you.

I haven't had enough coffee yet this morning to figure out the details of how it would be best to play the song for people....I mean using an MP3 player or what, or what the procedure needs to be of who would play theirs first, maybe the person on the right...or the taller person gets to go first.

But ya...we all need a theme song....

Where I Come From

In my previous blog I said I do not like to talk about myself because I do not want to give anyone a snapshot of myself....although that is true I also think that no one would ever be interested in hearing anything about me. What I mean... I have become an expert listener, kind of the designated listener if you will....I enjoy listening to other people's stories, which goes along with my hobby of people watching (again another blog).


I suppose before I give you my views on life, the world etc etc... I should tell you a little bit of my background so you know where some of my views and feelings come from when I put my personal views on my blog.


-I am an Army brat...dad is a retired Army Chaplain.



-I am a registered Democrat...there I've said it....I am sure I just lost the 2 people that might have actually read this.



-Consider myself from Washington DC since that is where I graduated high school "Gooooo Hayfield Hawks!!!"



-After high school went to community college, but when I was in the third year of a two year degree thought I had better rethink my life's plan.


-Enlisted in the Air Force.....Security Specialist.....yep one of many "bright" moves on my part.


-I have six children. No not all biological, but just the same all my children.

-I have worked as a correctional officer at the Penitentiary of New Mexico...

-Worked in retail for a few years.

-I have found my passion as a teacher, and wish it had not taken me so long to find it.


A person's views are formed from their lifes experiences, so it is important that you know about my experiences and where my views have been shaped.

NEWBIE

Let me begin my blogging life by saying right up front....I'm not even sure what blogging is..there I said it....I don't know what "bluetooth" is either, but will save that issue for another time. I have read blogs, but not sure what their intent is??? I mean do I tell you, the reader, about my deep dark secrets, or do I tell you my feelings on life....??? So please...the one or two of you who read this, if I stray from the blogging rules please steer back to the right path okay??

I will start by saying I do not like talking about myself....okay?? I just don't, and never have...there are probably a hand-ful of people in this world who know anything about me...and one of those is my ex-wife, will share more of that later.

Years ago, while I was in the Air Force, a very smart man told me that if there aren't any pictures, then it never happened. I have taken that mantra as my own, and I feel to talk about myself is to give someone a picture....a picture that can be turned back on me. I know that sounds paranoid, but just how I have always felt. I will try to work on that here, on my blog, and maybe as I get more into this I will be able to share some pictures of myself.