In this day and age we all tend to be cautious; we’re hesitant on trying new things, splurging on the stuff we want or letting loose and being silly. Let’s face it, most of us “play it safe” and that’s okay, but I’ve learned that sometimes you just gotta take a “leap” of faith and dive into the unknown. The phrase “Look before you leap” was stricken from my somnolent memory, that was in auto-cruise mode driving down the freeway of life, and replaced with “Take a leap of faith, who cares what happens.” Etching this new motto into my subconscious was extremely liberating; I soon realized that the results could yield unseen rewards or terrible outcomes but that’s the dice I roll. Being content was not a way of living for me, it felt like I was dying inside. There’s too much out there that’s yet to be explored and the only way I could become alive again was to jump into that mysterious abyss and see where I end up. I was reluctant to make this move but my inner gut was the driving force that helped me go forward. I liked the fact that the steps that I’ve taken this year to better my life, my career and my family is out of my hands. Placing my trust in God and seeing where He takes me is truly invigorating and quite frankly scary as hell (no pun intended). So far there’s been a snowball of activity occurring when I least expected it; and it’s all positive. Now hopefully the rewards will produce the desired outcome. Life’s just way too short and full of unpredictability; I took a chance, will you?

When I hear stories of parents living vicariously through their children, I chuckle inside and a big smirk appears on my face. I do this because I know that for some reason, whether it be circumstance or choice, that those parents did not have enough time in their younger lives to attain their desired dreams. As a parent, I’ve learned that what we don’t accomplish in our lives, our children will be able to do so…how do I know? Here’s my crazy theory that’ll explain everything.

We all grow up in life wanting or desiring something so bad that we dream about it everyday…for example like being a rock star, a famous actor or professional athlete. But like most cases, we’re all unable to satisfy that goal. When that happens, that unfulfilled trait (I’ll call it UFT) gets coded into our DNA and stays there laying in dormant. The longer that UFT stays in our system, the more complex and stronger it gets; it almost becomes like a “super gene.” For those that have children, this “super gene” gets passed onto them; as they get older they tend to gravitate on a path towards that dream that we were deprived of.

Now if you only have one child, then it’s a crap shoot because your child has 2 “super genes”; one that is yours and the other your spouse’s. The more children you have, the better chances of your dream being achieved. Your child will have all the strengths and characteristics needed to be one step closer or even lucky enough to grab that brass ring we so desired. If they don’t satisfy that goal, then that UFT stays dormant within them and gets passed onto their children. By this time, that UFT becomes a “magnificent gene” and their children will finally be what we so desired. So take heart, I know that we live our dreams vicariously through our children, but if it doesn’t happen…eat right, exercise daily, visit the doctor regularly so that we can live long enough to live vicariously through our grandchildren.

Ever had one of those days when you just say “Why me?!”  or “When will something good ever happen to me?“.  It always seems that some people have all the luck and things just fall perfectly into place for them. They put up no effort and it easily falls into their lap while the rest of us claw our way through the muck just to get a sample of what it could be like if we were blessed with good fortune.  Yes I’ll break down every once in awhile and have a “pity party” all to myself; I’m entitled to one.  Life’s unfair, I get that…but does it have to always be the case for the things that I dream of or for things that I truly want.  Working tirelessly with grim determination toward my dreams can be a reward unto itself…at least I have a dream.  Some people go through life content with what they have and where they are, that’s fine.  But don’t you think that striving for something, heck anything, makes life worth living for. Maybe all of my trials and tribulations will make me appreciate everything when I do achieve my dream.  Yes, I did say “When I do achieve my dream“; that was no mistake.  I’m an eternal optimist when it comes to my dream; you have to be otherwise what’s the point.  So I guess when my life starts to go sideways and veer onto that rough terrain; I just need to “cowboy up” and go along for the ride.  Like that saying goes, “When life hands you lemons, make chocolate cake and keep them wondering!”

Normally I don’t take stock in what my daily horoscope has to say.  Usually it’s just a footnote when I peruse the internet, but lately for some reason that is the first thing on my daily agenda.  Be it coincidence or divine intervention, I’m hoping it’s the latter, those words hold meaning.  On March 2nd, 2015, there was nothing interesting on the internet…yep, nothing earth-shattering…so I decided to take a glance at what my horoscope had to say.  I click on Capricorn and the advice that was given pertained to what was going on in my life.  I chalked it up to mere coincidence and explored my usual sites.  The next day, I checked out my horoscope again and the words once again reflected true to nature, “Nah” I thought just pure dumb luck.  The following day my eyes shot past important things and straight to…yep, my daily horoscope.  The advice for that day once again pertain to all the goings on in my life; I looked over my shoulder just to make sure that I wasn’t being punk’d by Rod Serling.  Since then, my daily horoscope is the first and foremost thing that I have to check out first thing in the morning.  As of this writing, as zany as it may sound for some strange reason…no scratch that…some divine intervention, my daily horoscope reflects what is currently happening in my life.  Something inside me doesn’t want this to end because it’s as if I have my own private therapist guiding me on my life’s journey.  But like all journeys, this’ll come to an end and I’ll go back to being cynical about horoscopes;  until that happens, I’m just going to enjoy the ride and hope that what my horoscope says comes true in the upcoming weeks.

When we’re growing up we all saw our parents as invincible; nothing could hurt them, they’ll never age, they’ll live forever. As we got older they became a little worse for wear but still kept going strong. The years rolled by…hours turned into days, days into months, months into years; and just like that, 10, 20, 30 years have passed. Our parents now showed signs of age and every little ache, injury or illness became that much more life-threatening to their well-being. Their invincibility demeanor had now dwindled in status and our perception of them changed.  As their offspring, it was hard for us to see them as anything else other than “Super Dad” or “Super Mom”.  Eventually the roles became reversed and we became their support, their protector, their care-giver.  We worry for them non-stop, 24/7; and it’ll never end until it ends. But that’s the journey we all endure for our loved ones, our family…it’s a thankless job that comes with a priceless reward…and we would do it all over again if we had to.