WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT: What Is Not Seen

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, what is the wind?

Really.

After all, we can't see it.

Yet we know that it exists.

How?

We don't/can't see the actual movement of the atmosphere (i.e. wind/breeze) itself. What we do see and hear are the effects that it produces.

We see and hear it when travels through the tree leaves. We feel it when it gently (or not so gently) caresses our faces and blows through our hair. We've harnessed the power of the wind to drive our ships to new discoveries and, now, even light our homes.

So, it is entirely accurate to say that the wind may be unseen but it is a force none-the-less.

Well, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, can't the same be said of the so-called Spirit World?

We can't see Spirits (at least most of us can't LOL). Yet, there are times when we can experience their effects.

Strange, unexplained things happen to us all of the time.

Sometimes, it may be nothing more that an intense feeling of a presence of someone lost long ago. Or, perhaps, just when you've given up hope of finding your keys or cell phone, intuition makes you look in one, last, unlikely place and, voila', there they are.

There are also those times that we classify as divine intervention, i.e. the moments when a more logical, worldly explanation simply won't do.

My mother shared a story that embodies this notion: Many years ago, when my younger brother was an infant, he began to choke on his food. My mother couldn't clear his passageway and the situation turned dire. She claims that in her most desperate moment, her deceased father appeared to her and instructed her to hold my brother by his heals while smacking his back. This did the trick as she was able to dislodge the food and he began breathing again.

Of course, the logical explanation was that she performed the right procedure to clear the obstruction. What is not so easily explained is how she got the knowledge to do so when she had no previous idea how.

Perhaps, it was just the wind . . . 

Today's MOSTLY TRUE SHORT STORY: Do I Get To Ride in the Limo?

In a recent conversation with a dear friend, the topic of Gay Pride came up. It was also the day our village's Gay Pride celebration, so the discussion was both topical and lively.

At one point, I mentioned to her that I had recently seen an interview with a gay man who professed that he had known that he was a homosexual by the time he was 4 years-old. Not having raised a child of my own, I asked my friend, who has an adult son, if she felt it reasonable for a boy that young to be that confident in his sexuality.

While not necessarily disputing the young boys claim, she related to me a story of her own son as a child to answer.

My friend's sister is gay and was marrying her partner. She decided that it was time to tell her son, who was about 8 at the time, that his aunt and her girl friend were about to marry and that they would all attend the wedding together.

Prepared to answers any questions about the union of two woman instead of a man AND a woman, she got this response:

Oh, cool! Does that mean that I get to ride in the limo?!

How wonderfully innocent! There was no confusion or judgement, only acceptance. At that time and place, it was irrelevant to him that 2 women were being joined. The only truly important thing was whether or not he got to ride in the limo.

There is a lesson to be learned here; what 2 consenting adults choose to do with their lives is THEIR business. And, we should support that choice. Our only concern should be if we get to come along for the ride. . . 

Today's MOZEN: Universal Health Care NOW

 

I rarely write or talk about my own health issues. We all have them in one form or another. Besides, I am an old-school football player who comes from an era that if you suffered a compound fracture of one of your fingers, your coach told you to spit on it and get back in the game. So, it's simply not my way to complain.

But, I feel like in a case that I just experienced with the Health Care System, I should share it.

Here's the back story:

In recent years I have suffered with severe bouts of GOUT. I'll spare you all the intricate details and just describe it as a form of arthritis that periodically attacks virtually any joint in your body (*see below for a link with more information). It's a genetic disorder that causes one to retain Uric Acid, normally passed in a person's urine, causing crystals to form in the blood and creating extreme swelling in the joints and pain that can be reasonably described as excruciating.

Personally, I tend to get it in my ankles and knees. It can last anywhere from a week to a recent bout that I had of 6 weeks!! Simply put, the pain gets so severe as to be incapacitating. In other words, IT CRIPPLES ME. I cannot walk so I cannot drive, etc., etc. And, since I live alone, completing any task around my apartment without encountering mind-numbing pain is virtually impossible.

A strict diet that limits the amount of food containing the substance (Purines) that creates Uric Acid helps. However, when it kicks, you need DRUGS. My doctor prescribes Colcrys. And, it usually provides relief within a day or two of its administration.

Now, here's THE ISSUE: I'm on Medicare with a drug plan administered by United Health Care. After a recent bout of the disease, my MD prescribed the usual dose of Colcrys - as he had for the previous episode. And, ALSO as was the previous case, THE INSURANCE COMPANY disputed MY NEED for this essential drug! Therefore, while it goes back and forth for DAYS, I sit at home, waiting in EXCRUCIATING PAIN. If it plays out like the last time, the Insurance Company will pay a PORTION if what is a very expensive substance - but, only after days of suffering.

As strange as it may sound, I'm lucky. Gout won't kill me - at least not directly. I just have to deal with the intense pain. However, there are others where a delay like I experienced can literally prove deadly. I had a very dear friend's son die after a lengthy battle to get treatment for his colon cancer. The check game the day AFTER he died!

Folks, it's always someone else's issue until it happens to us. Well, believe me, it will happen. Sooner or later, it will happen to all of us.

So, let's stop screwing around - FIGHT THE SYSTEM - PASS UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE NOW!!

*https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gout/symptoms-causes/syc-20372897

Today's MOZEN: All You Have To Do Is Get Home

Whenever I finish my shift at work on W57th St. in Manhattan, the first thing that I do after entering and starting my car is take a deep breath and remind myself verbally NOT to get caught up in the rat race that is commuting to and from NYC. Despite the fact that I've been doing it for over 20 years, I still make it a regular ritual.

Why?

Well, for me anyway, it is important that I bring my mind under control before I deal with the lunatics driving on the West Side Highway that have virtually none.

It is not unusual to find cars zooming by at 80-90 mph on a City highway that is designed for people to do 50! And, motorcycles often wiz by you at speeds in excess of even that.

So, I use this simple mantra, literally saying out loud: Frankie, don't go there. All you have to do is get home.

This may seem overly simplistic but for someone who's nature is to be ultra competitive it is absolutely essential. It takes some work, especially in one of, in not THE, most competitive cities in the world to find emotional stability. That's why the path to Mindfulness is called a practice - it takes effort to keep things in perspective. Freaking out, using foul language, flipping someone the bird, or cutting another car off in anger may work in the short term (i.e. venting can be cathartic) but in the long run it just makes us as ugly as the person we were so angry with in the first place.

Remember, Karma is more broad and complicated than just what goes around comes around. Every moment of our lives, not only every action but every thought, in a sense, contributes to the so-called Wheel of Life. If we contribute positive thoughts and deeds, the world in general is a better place for EVERYONE (not just you).

So the next time some inconsiderate asshole obliterates you on the highway, instead of responding in kind, try waving and smiling. It's hard not to react (or, OVER react). It's easier to meet anger with more anger. But, that doesn't make it right. Besides, you may be pleased to see the surprised reaction on their face when you do so. It's sure worth a try.