"Get Rid of the Tapeplayer"

Let me start by making my disclaimer- the opinions expressed in this blog are my own. At times they will not make sense and sound down-right-crazy. But regardless of how rational or irrational they are; they are in fact mine. These are just random thoughts that are triggered by something else. Usually the actions of others that remind me, yet again of middle school. And yes my grammar and language may be a bit off at times, but that's the fun of having a blog. YOU CAN BREAK RULES! So read, comment and laugh if you like. I don't mind. So here are my random thoughts for today.

I titled this entry "Get Rid of the Tapeplayer" because did you ever get the feeling someone is sitting on the pause button when it comes to your life? I don't mean that in a bad way. But for those of you that remember when A-Trac tapes...oops I meant cassette tapes (as not to appear too old) were king? But ya'll know what I'm talking about. Do you remember whenever the tape started going 100miles and hour, what did you do? You pressed stop and eject.  And sure enough the tape was stuck. More tape was on one side, forcing you to get a pencil and start trying to wind it back onto the spool.  All the while rolling thinking, "How did this happen?" It never occured to you to toss the tape! Your first instinct was to save it. After putting the same tape back in, you were nervous. Why? You were afraid that it would break. So everytime Roger from Zapp hit the high note in the song "Computer Love" or Steve Perry reminded you that he was, "In a smoky room with the smell of wine and cheap perfume," (man I still love that song) you couldn't enjoy it because you worried it wouldn't work and when your favorite part came along, you missed it. It appeared this happened every 15minutes and with different tapes. But you know what's funny? It never occurred to you that, maybe it wasn't the tape, but the tape-player? So we kept hitting, stop, eject and roll. Stop, eject and roll. Go figure.

I think when you reach a certain age the powers that be stand by and wait for just the right moment to remind you that, "Hey! You're in a different phase of your life now. You shouldn't look like that, walk like that, think like that, giggle like that!" In my quest to live as long as I'm supposed to live, I've discovered that 40somethings are the worst for this type of mentality. We sabatoge our own music! We keep hitting; stop, eject and roll. 

Take compliments for example on both ends. You ever notice a man can be grossly unattractive with multiple and apparent flaws but if you give him a compliment, guess what he does? HE TAKES IT! Toothless grin and all.  Just walks right on away with those empowering words ready to unleash his new sense of confidence onto the next woman (mind you if you stay to long, you may become his target- so speak and go). But take an attractive woman. Give her the same compliment on anything and what does she do? She starts making excuses. "Oh, this dress is sooo old" or "Girl, please. I look a hot mess." And she does this with a full set of teeth! Why? Because somewhere along the lines she allowed herself to become convinced that the problem was with her. I think it's amazing that men get this and we don't. 

I learned early on being raised in the home with four older brothers that everyday a man wakes up. He's pressing play regardless. He may hit stop and eject one time.  He may even roll one time. But one time is all he needs to figure out he's heard that song enough and out goes that tape. If it does it again, the machine gets tossed!

That's a great mentality to have I think. When we've tried something that isn't working, why keep trying? Why not realize that just maybe, it's time for a new dream, a new goal, a new vision, a deeper purpose. Just maybe this isn't for me and the longer I keep hitting, stop, eject and roll, I could be holding myself up from living a more satisfying life.

So today think about the things in your life that you've been trying to work out for years and they still haven't materialized.  Are they really worth more years?

I'm Cool With Average

Okay people. I know this is for a professional class but I've decided that the vast majority of my life has been spent processing and passing information. And because of this I have chosen to toss caution to the wind and incorporate who I am as a person into my academic learning process without the fear of being labeled as shallow. That's the funny part. At 43, I'm cool with average. "AVERAGE IS OKAY."  Why aren't there t'shirts for that slogan? Average is underatted. Average people are the ones that encourage excellence in other people; we make them better by being average. Why must we ALWAYS strive to be the best? And who really determines "the best?" I guess that's a part of me that has been eroded away with time. The idea that I  need to be the best at whatever I do is nolonger appealing to me. I simply want to be average. I want to enjoy my life. Live it on my own terms. I want to learn from other people. Things that wil help my average life better. Not by getting more things; I have things. Not getting by. But better by enhancing who I am as a person. When was the last time your life was enhanced? Think about it.  Not motivated, not encouraged, not forced, not pushed into. but really enhanced?  What happenes when we become the best anyway? I think we shrivel and waste away because the people that gave us that label, found other people more worthy to bestow the title on. Sometimes I wonder do other people want to live average lives? We no longer know how to live simply.  Case and point:

I started reading the Little House Series to my nine-year-old daughter last month.  I can't tell who was more into it, me or her!  I was so excited when it was time to read it to her that if she fell asleep early, I kept reading.  Now, mind you, I had read the book in elementary school, watched the series in middle school and watched Highway To Heaven as an adult, so I knew the storyline.  But each time I read from the book it was like, "Man, what have we done? Why are we so consumed with driving the best cars, living in the biggest houses, driving our kids to these overpriced daycares? What's up with that? Where did that idea come from?" Yea, the book triggered my thinking as to how hard I was working to be "the best" when all along I want to be average. So this blog is my "church testimony," my "AA speech, my "whatever you call it moment". It's my moment to say:

          "I'M COOL WITH AVERAGE!"