It’s so strange that TV viewing is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 a year. Basically it’s the norm of our society.  If we don’t like something we see, a simple click of the remote control helps us to peruse the several hundreds of channels our cable company or satellite dish has to offer.  Who would’ve thought that technology advanced to the point where we can watch TV at all hours of the day.  I often contemplate what would have been if this was available to us forty years ago.  If I grew up with this type of TV viewing would I still be the same person as I am now?  And if this was available way back when, just think how much more advanced TV viewing would be at the present.  Completely mind-boggling.  I’m glad at the fact that I grew up at a time when there were only three channels to watch on a black and white TV screen that had sign on and sign off times.  It made me appreciate what I have now and the experience of seeing the evolution of TV is priceless.  I try to explain this to my children but the concept of even a black and white TV has their mouth agape with a dumbfounded stare to boot.  I like how TV viewing is progressing and can’t wait to see what the next thirty to forty years will produce.  Now if we can just get a flying car produced during my lifetime, I’ll be most happy.

It’s a wonder that everyone, and I mean everyone, is knowledgeable about a variety of things yet not a true expert on all of it. I’m not talking about math or science or history or even english, I’m talking about the everyday things like plumbing, electrical, carpentry, auto mechanics, computers, pets, movies, comics, books.  The stuff that we deal with day in and day out.  Sure we know just a little bit about these things just to get by but we’re not completely and precisely well read on it.  And why should we?  If we know the right amount to get us through whatever we’re going through then that’s fine.  Me, I like the idea of knowing just enough to carry on a conversation but not to the point where I need to know everything to write a dissertation.  What’s interesting about me is I like learning new things even if it’s just a small portion, but I noticed that I tend to try to learn the most inane things…especially from movies.  I learned to roll coins between my fingers because it looked cool when Val Kilmer did it in “Real Genius“.  I learned to open a Zippo lighter very stylish like how George Clooney took out his lighter in “Out of Sight” and even learned how to do hat tricks like the way Andrew McCarthy did in “Mannequin“.  The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles“, the old version and not the remake, taught me how to twirt a nunchaku in a way that I’ve never seen in all my martial arts training.  The point is, we all say the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none” like it’s a derogatory thing but the truth of the matter is that it’s great.  It shows us that we are all willing to be enlightened on a cornucopia of subjects and not limited to one thing.  There’s a whole world out there that we don’t know about and it’s good that we’re trying to explore it a little at at time.

Change is inevitable, that’s a fact of life. Some are for the better and others for the worse. With so many changes occurring in our lives you would’ve thought we’d be used to it by now. I for one should be more accepting of change. I grew up in a time when I saw the evolution of video games going from Pong, to Donkey Kong and finally to Batman Arkham Knight. The game systems went from Atari, to Sega, to Dreamcast, to Nintendo, to XBOX One and PS4. I grew up in a time where I watched TV on a black and white screen and then to color, tv tube transistors to flat screen, from three network tv stations to thousands on cable, sign on/sign off to 24 hour viewing. Phones went from rotary, to buttons, to cell phones and to finally Apple watches. I even saw the evolution of computers on a grand scale, from the big clunky Texas Instruments model on down to the ultra thin HP and Apple laptops. With so many changes I’ve witnessed, you’d think I’d be used to it by now. But I’m still like everyone else when it comes to change. I’m apprehensive about it because of all the unknowns that come with it. We all like to be in control on some facet of the changes that occur to us but most of the time we just have to let the dices roll. The reason I’m talking about this is because I’m going through a change at the moment that will impact my life. Yeah I’m scared but I’m way more energized and encouraged at the endless possibilities that may come from it. For me it’s not a question of “if I should make the change” but more of “how soon can this change take effect.”  For the first time in my life, I welcome the chance for a change regardless of the outcome; I think that when life presents you with opportunities and your intuition urges you to seize them then you’d better listen. So with my faith in God, here’s to more future opportunities to come and hopefully a change for the better.

When a family decides it’s time to bring a pet into the mix, the energy and excitement levels go through the roof. We try to figure out what type of pet that we want, a dog, a cat, a bird, etc… Once we determine that, then we go into breeds; all of a sudden we become top notch researchers and read up on all the possible breeds that interest us. We take into account, the size, temperament, ailments just to name a few. We look at all sorts of pictures on the internet and in books and even go out of our way to try and meet people that own the pet that we are looking to buy. But when all is said and done, this is all for naught. In reality, when we go to the pet store, pet show or pet swap meet, our eyes initially train on the breed we want but suddenly get pulled in every which way. We get bombarded with other various breeds along the way and all that research goes down the drain; I’ll even wager that every family member will be drawn to a different breed that somehow piques their interest.

Eventually there is one breed that all the family members can agree upon and that is the one that instantly catches our hearts. It’s a feeling you can’t describe; we all see something special and we know that this is the “one” for our family. Now did we initially go looking for a new pet? Yes. Did we do our homework before acting? Yes. Did we go with the intention of purchasing our intended pet? Yes. But what it all boils down to is that the pets are really shopping for new owner to love and care for. They put on a show for the family that they feel best matches their personality. They are the ones doing the shopping, not us.  So when you think about it, when you really think about it…we don’t choose our pets, they choose us.

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?