Contributors corner; Gold coins

Gold Coins

(A Philosophy)

©2012 Bo Kirgis

     Ok, I'm going to ask everybody who reads this to indulge me for a moment. Just imagine, if you will, that every single living soul on this earth, (At present count, that would number OVER 7,000,000,000 PEOPLE! ….that's  7 BILLION!! ), were all standing around one enormous Crater in the ground. Now, imagine that this Crater was emitting the most awful, horrid cloud of noxious, lethal fumes. A killer gas that not only possessed the most nauseating stench possible but also killed it's victims in the most violently painful and horrific convulsions that you can picture in your mind. (Feel free to envision your worst nightmare here). And if we didn't stop it, it would kill EVERY LIVING THING!! Not only that, but, it wouldn't just kill proportionately, it would either kill ALL or NOTHING. No in-between. 

     So,.. what if the solution to avoid disaster was this simple. Every one of us had to throw 1 Gold Coin in the hole because gold was precisely the correct element to render the gas harmless and 7 billion was the appropriate number of coins required to fill the hole. Don't you think that it would be worth it to put in your share? What if you had hundreds of those Gold Coins. That would be pretty easy, huh? But, what if you only had 2 Gold Coins? Or maybe only 1 Gold Coin?! Wouldn't you think it was worth the sacrifice to give all you have to avert this immediate danger to you and your own. (Rewind to the horrified faces writhing in pain.)

     Well, what if the person next to you didn't have their 1 Gold Coin. Just to keep the gas from killing you and your loved ones, would you not be willing to throw in 2 Gold Coins? And, what if that person was from a different neighborhood than you. Or a different town, or state or country. What if they spoke different, or dressed different. What if they were taller than you? Or shorter? What if they were ugly or smelled bad, would they still be worthy of your genorosity. Ah, but what if that person next to you happened to be of another race or religion. Now what would you do? What if that person is a liar, a cheat, a thief, or a murderer. It wouldn't feel so easy then, would it! But we still have the same dilemma at hand. If the quota of Gold Coins isn't met, the gas is still going to kill ALL of us. Not just the undesirable people, but, YOU AND EVERY ONE YOU LOVE!!

     Alright now. Let's add another dimension of adversity to the mix. YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR GOLD COIN! Now what are you going to do? You can't just stand there and expect somebody to feel generous enough to cover you? Why would they? Why should they? Who are you? Where do you come from? You are not their responsibility.  You never did anything for them!…., Wait a minute,…. aren't you the one who ignored them when they asked for directions, or did you knowingly sell them that lemon of a car? Did you park in the handicap spot, because you're just that incredibly lazy and inconsiderate, which caused them an extra problem as they went grocery shopping in their wheelchair because they can't walk. Maybe you're the one who told that lie that got them fired because you wanted their job. Hey, aren't you the bully who used to terrorize them in school. Or was that you who stole that couples newborn baby girl so you could sell her for drug money. Were you the one who killed all those little children at the school because you "lost your mind". Whoa,.. I know who you are,… you're the one who once set a man on fire just because he was a homosexual! And YOU want ME to pay YOUR 1 Gold Coin?!?! 

NEWSFLASH, PEOPLE! 

WE'RE ALREADY THERE!!    

                 

     Moral decay is at an all-time high and is causing a cumulative effect of "bad begets bad". The "Crater" is every crappy thing that we've done in our lifetime. It's filled with all the bad things we've knowingly chosen to do. Every time we had a choice to do Right or Wrong and deliberately chose Wrong, we heaped more "stinkin' thinkin'" on the compost pile which festers and turns into the "Gas" which envelopes us all thereby causing everyone to make more bad choices, and so on, and so on. How many times have you heard "…well he did it", as if that was some kind of "get out of jail free" card. It's the snowball effect. One person drove 2 mph over the speed limit and got away with it, so this one drives 5 mph over and also gets away with it, so then everyone says "The cops just allow you 5 mph over." Now somebody chooses to push that limit and they're going 7 mph over, then 10, then faster and faster. Now being ILLEGAL is not an occasional exception, it's THE RULE. Now doing things in defiance of those in authority is the standard that we operate under instead of recognizing the fact that laws were NOT made just to inconvenience folks. They were made for the purpose of protecting people from those who make bad choices. 

   

     Now, as for the "1 Gold Coin". Every deliberate act of choosing Right over Wrong equals 1 Gold Coin. You see, the truth is, every one of us has an unlimited stash of Gold Coins. We can pull out a Gold Coin any time we want simply by making a choice to do Right. Some choices seem like insignificant little "good deeds" in their importance and some are obviously monumental tasks but they all count. Some of us easily recognize the difference between Right and Wrong and smartly spend their Gold Coin on something that will reap a greater benefit than just some immediate self gratification. They think of it as something far too valuable to waste and they try to buy a better future for all. Some folks aren't as automatically capable of seeing the difference between Right and Wrong, but once it's pointed out to them, they too will have the ability to choose to spend their Gold Coins in a way that's good for everyone. If there seems to be several choices at one time, then we just have to try even harder to see as many of the possibilities of Right and Wrong as we can. That would require working together as a team so that everyones choices have been considered and no ONE person or group gets all the benefit and others get the shaft. 

     I know that some who read this will cheer or applaud this concept but you are the choir. Thank you for your support but your not the ones who need to be educated.  Some who read this will scoff and snarl something like "Oh shut up ya whiney do-gooder. You always have to take the fun out of everything." Well, I would say to you, "If the way that you choose to have fun causes someone else pain or grief, THEN YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! ". And some will read this analogy and say, "Wow, I never thought of it that way before". To you I say, "I believe life could be wonderful for everyone. Not just a select few. Treasure your choices. They are your future. They are your Gold Coins. Invest them wisely"!    

Laughter is the Best Medicine!

The following video was submitted as a promotional competition project by the New Smyrna Beach, FL employees of the Bert Fish Medical Center. What a great idea and way to promote healing.... laughter and joy!   Such energy would make a patients' stay memorable and short, no doubt!
Kudos to all the staff! and to the professional production and those who are mentioned in the You tube commentary!


SPECIAL THANKS TO: JOE SMITH from surfrightmedia.com who really went out of his way to give us special attention and called in alot of favors for us. We are truly in debt to you for your teams professionalism and service! 
http://www.youtube.com/user/srmco?feature=results_main


SPECIAL THANKS TO: STU and his lighting crew who made sure we had all the right shots with PERFECT LIGHTING! You guys did great and were so fun thanks for all your insight.

And a FINAL SPECIAL THANKS TO: BILLY CHAPIN president and owner of CHAPIN music group. He did all our mixing and special effects with the song. The man is a MASTER at what he does! THANK AGAIN BILLY you are what kicked this project off!

CONTRIBUTORS CORNER

A Tale of Two Shoppers 

by Pissed Off Polly

My friend Rena razzes me relentlessly about my usually positive outlook on things, and life in general, and so she has nicknamed me ....PollyAnna.........Well, Polly went shopping today and upon returning home decided she must put pen to paper (in this case, fingers to keyboard and capture her experience in writing)...   
 

Picture it....Salem, in the big box world of Walmart....August 2012.........Polly was considerately parked in the feminine needs aisle when lo' and behold, she heard a most irritating voice chanting that there were "other shoppers in this aisle that needed to get by".....Feeling the need to turn and see if someone was addressing her, Polly saw that indeed, she was the target of that remark. Polly, being Polly, immediately apologized and loudly proclaimed that she was terribly sorry for the inconvenience but that she had gotten totally engrossed in reading the label on the bottle of Vagisil for a feminine itch problem she was having; and promptly moved her shopping cart over all of the entire 2 inches that she had available to her. All while looking said irritating voice directly in her skinny bitch face. She couldn't help but notice the bright pink cheeks of said skinny bitches' husband whose 6' frame began to magically diminish a couple of inches as he pushed the cart past Polly. Our Polly looked up to find another shopper grinning from ear to ear and as she passed by Polly (with no problem), she told Polly that indeed some people would find in time that ' what goes around; comes around' and wished Polly a most pleasant of afternoons. Feeling particularly chipper at that point, our gal Polly continued with her shopping. When what do her wondering eyes behold as she was exiting an aisle (after getting the cutest hummingbird feeder for her sister Pat's birthday!)....you betcha'.....afformentioned skinny bitch taking up the whole aisle as her pussy whipped husband looked up and saw Polly standing there! Well.....Polly being Polly, burst into a most delicious, sparkling smile and promptly and impulsively uttered....."well, ya just never know when some things are going to come back and bitecha' in the ass......."  Said husband laughed out loud, (and she was quite sure stood a little taller) and as Polly strolled away pushing her cart, she thought she heard the skinny bitch growling.    The End

Going Green With Gray (gray water, that is)

Salutations

Independence Day

Just Dandy Trailer

More from grandchildren

These following two posts are creations of sisters... Arianna and Tianni. Surfers by nature and nurture... and drawn to this media under the same influence... check out what makes a grandma's heart and face light up when she gets these videos from the girls.

My Summer Survival Kit Part 1 (Rough)

The Adventures of T-Bird

Awesome Stars of the Wild

This is a fun video clip of family pics and friends of the Animal Kingdom too.
"Stars" poem written and read by MJ Jordan with Apple loops playing through the reading.

New Smyrna Dream Home

Frumps Can Do IT !!.wmv

Home Improvement Project

Remodel, anyone? While spending a weekend at a friend's river front cottage, http://mountoliveoutdoors.com/RubysLandingCabin.html , we determined we had the attic to create living space, much like the 2nd floor of the cottage. Not expanding the existing footprint of our home was a cost saver, and we are the quintessential "do-it-yourselfers'.

Beginning in October of 2010, we took the first baby steps of the project. By the first of January, you could say we were up to our proverbial a#!es...er..uh...elbows ... in it!

My husband works at the local Hardware store in town, http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Miller.G.H.And.Sons.870-368-4361, and thus, our materials have all been purchased locally, supporting the hometown economy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgs3tqIEwAU&noredirect=1

The digital evidence of this adventure will provide insight, humor and understanding to you, the readers.

As you view this today, in the new 2012 year, we are approximately 70% done with the overall project... which includes changes in the original first floor (hence some pics of the living room) as well.

I recall stating in the beginning that it mattered not to me if the whole thing took two years to complete... I believe it will not take that full two years....(or at least I hope not...)

The video in the following post is easy to view... just click and we hope you enjoy.

Ozark Holiday Greetings

The Ozark Sillies Wishing You All, that 2012 is The most joy filled, prosperous and healthy New Year of Our Lives!

Mary Dottie

Bo Larry

Bervis and Opal got it right!

*T’was the eve b’for Christmas in Ozark hill country

When Bervis came out with the box not so empty.

Opal was grinnin’ she knew it was time

To burn the debt history, in her hand, the boxed wine.

*The night was upon them, the neighborhood still

Bervis opened his moonshine and gulped a big swill.

The good and the bad, the ugly there too

had all been recorded, and now become due.

*The decade was over, the new in their sights

No obnoxious phone calls disturbing their nights.

The thoughts were all kept in their hillbilly heads,

of the children, the grandkids, and crowded bunkbeds.

*The only thing left now, the home that they live in

The furniture, groceries, and clothes they been given.

But this mattered not, on this evenin so cold

When Bervis and Opal declared themselves bold.

*They fear not collectors, old age or poverty

Or the junkyard which soon would surround their small property.

The two are together, no matter the weight

Of the financial future, or lack of, (their state.)

*You can’t take from nothing, that which aint there

And they grinned as their history rose in the night air.

*Bervis and Opal know the secret of life

This tired hillbilly and his darling sweet wife.

If yer breathin God’s air, and see the sunrise

There’s a good chance in heaven, you’ll meet with the wise.

*So don’t let this news they say of recession

Throw dark clouds across this here Christmas lesson.

If a babe in a manger can grow to be King

His great Father’s Love gives you near the same thing.

*A mansion or shanty, dirt streets or of gold

When you git to heaven, the young and the old

Will be there to greet you, like Opal and Bervis

And shout Hallelujiah!, in that heavenly service!

Ozark Bail Out = Burn Baby Burn !!

The night critters singing their high pitched songs, made the air tingle with energy. The autumn chill made the fire a hot attraction! It was their anniversary of nothing, and they planned to celebrate accordingly.

Pulling a plastic Adirondack chair closer to the warmth, Opal sipped her wine and grinned. “This is perfect,” she stated as if someone asked her opinion.

Bervis poked and prodded the fire pile to make room for more wood. The fuel was old newspapers, junk mail, bill collector’s threats in unopened envelopes, and the fallen branches of last winter’s ice storm collected in the yard for just such a night as this. The sparks rose high on the heat of the compiled elements, drawing oo-oo-oo-s and a-a-a-h-s from Opal like the fireworks displays on the 4^th of July draws from the crowd.

This Ozark hills October night had been long awaited. Opal and Bervis had suffered through the summer months of heat and a declining economy, like many across the country, but refused to fall victim to the grief others expressed. Like those who think, “well I still have them checks, so I figgered I still have money in the bank!” , Bervis and Opal decided to burn those bills, in effigy, so they would owe them no more.

Call it hillbilly ignorance, stupidity, naivety, or hilarity, Opal and Bervis found great pleasure in burning their way to what they perceived as financial liberty and freedom.

Toasting the night away with cheap boxed wine, pretzels and occasional sighs of relief, Opal wondered why the country was out “occupying Wall Street”, when the answer was so simple. Bankers got the Bail Out; Opal and Bervis got the Burn Out!

Josh Walks !!!

Like watching his first steps all over again! This is a very exciting moment for me. Josh has determination to be fully recovered and he shows it to all those involved in his physical therapy and healing. Seeing the xrays last Thursday, revealed the damage, repair, and healing process of his body. WOW !!!  the body is amazing in ways we never understand when we take it for granted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr4OJDfj7Uw

Pledging Allegiance...a child shall lead them...

Outside the front door to the store today a group of ragamuffin kids were running all around....suddenly they stopped and in a little group and in unison they placed hand over heart and Pledged to the flag that hangs outside our door.

I wept.

wb

Josh

Saturday night, July 16^th.About 11:30 pm, the phone rings. I am at Moffit Cancer center in Tampa with Amanda.She is in the “conditioning” process, for her stem cell transplant. Her mother, Laurie stayed these past two nights, and now I will be here until Monday night when Laurie comes back. The plan is for me to come back again on Wednesday, the day they give Amanda her stem cells back… Day 0. But the phone call changes this plan.

Amanda hangs up and says, “You have to call Jeannette. Josh was in an accident and has a serious head injury.” From the chair I am sleeping in, I try to wrap my mind around what Amanda has just said. I feel the blood in my body turn cold. My heart beats, but I can’t really feel it. I begin to take deep breaths. I say to Amanda, “ I need a minute to get up. I can’t move yet. I need to breathe.”

I slowly get up and move toward the locker where my purse holds my cell phone. “I..I don’t know where I put my phones… oh here they are.”

‘It’s that job! That f#%^*ing job!” I really don’t know what that meant… I didn’t know yet, what kind of accident, or ANYthing. That was some sort of defensive attack on whatever it was that hurt my child.

Minutes later, Jeannette’s mother, Nancy answers the house phone. “Nancy, this is Mary.”

“I don’t know anything.” Were her first words.

“Was he at work? Was he working?”

“Well, he told us he was working, but he wasn’t.” She sounded disgusted.

“What is Jeannette’s, cell number? Where is she?”

“Suzy is picking her up and taking her to the hospital”, then Nancy gives me the number.

“Okay, thanks. Bye.”

Jeannette answers quickly, and tells me they are almost to the hospital. “He was on a motorcycle, and laid it over and a car ran over him. They are Life Flighting him to the hospital right now.” She sounded angry.

I was going to vomit. My mind started to see the image of the accident, and my heart screamed, “NO!”

Telling her to call me no matter what the time, as soon as they tell her ANYthing, I hang up with Jeannette to start the calling to Bo and my other sons. Numb is a very odd feeling.

Amanda looks at me with those beautiful big eyes of wonderment and innocence, and states with confidence, “He’s going to be fine. He is okay.”

I respond, “You have a direct line to God. I have seen His work in you. I need you to ask Him to make Josh okay.” She begins to pray, and cry. I dial the phone to Bo, begin to tell him what I know, the Nurse, Richelle, comes in and hooks Amanda up to her Chemo.