The Emerald Rose

   (Thanks sims, you always come through when I need you.)

         My friend “sims” (the way he likes it spelled and to be known as) sent me a comment on my last blog when I was asking y’all (oops! I dun bin down here in the “Redneck Riviera” too long, sorry!) what momentus topic I should consider expanding on for my 400th blog posting. You can go to my last blog and read the whole thing, but the title of this 400th blog is his suggestion, and the more I thought about it, well,…the more it is the “right” thing to write on. First sims full comment;

                  “If you were in a place where financial difficulties did not cloud and obstruct your vision, hypothetical case, what would you love to be doing with your time? This must not be tied to money in any way – in other words, that million dollar sports car or trillion dollar yacht cannot be in your reply. For example, personally I get major kicks out of inventing new things with software. For me to do so I only need my mind and a low-cost machine. For me, the creative process of discovery is a real kick.

Another way of putting this is – what defines enjoyment and satisfaction for you?”

         He’s right, this is the real “stop and smell the roses” of our lives. When I owned my own Country Western Night Club in the ’90’s there was one song that stuck in my head. The lyrics went “I’m in a hurry to get things done,..rushin’, rushin’ ’til life’s no fun” How true,…sadly.

       What defines enjoyment and satisfaction for you? I guess I would have to say, much like sims, anything of a mentally creative nature that I leterally can breath life into.

      For example, yesterday, there was a convergence of things, and by the time I got to the Pub for my Vitamin “G” both feet were a foot off the ground, and I was all smiles, and happy. (Been a long time since that happened!), and here’s why;

        1. I manage property and with this economy, a real shitload of greed and avarice is out there, and a “screw your buddy and cover your ass” mentality are a segment of my every days “clients”. Well to shorten this up, a lot of them just stopped paying their bills, putting more pressure on those who , while struggling ARE paying their bills. Several months ago, over a pint with a friend of mine who is an attorney I was “brainstorming” about how to turn those “bad guys” upside down, and kick their ass. Having been in business for years I said, “What about making me the ‘recievor’ for their income, with the authority to simply pay the bills to us and their fellow owners they owe whether they like it or not?” I made him check it out in all those dirty dusty old law books the next day. “Well, I can’t find anything that says you can’t.” He tells me. “Good let’s do it!” I replied, “I don’t care, let’s just try and get it done.” to the myriad of subsequent reasons he said we couldn’t do it. But I prevailed and for a few hundred dollars he put all the motions and supporting materials together and filed them with the Court last fall. Yesterday afternoon he calls me from the Court house and says “You know that “receiver” idea you had me put together and file? Well there was a hearing last week, the Judge said he never heard of such a thing, and continued the hearing until today so he could research the law on it, and guess what?” “So what already, it’s one of those days.” “He approved it and signed off on the order. You now are the legal receiver of this guys income and if he try’s to “sneak” any out for himself without your permission, we can have him placed in contempt of Court and thrown in the slammer”.  NOW I can make some of these greedy bastards face up to their debts and take the heat off my other clients whom they left holding the bag. Yea Justice system!

    2. Shortly after that our Administrative girl comes into my office and says , “The new magazines just came in the mail, you want them?” I always get all the trade magazines and read them , trolling for ideas, concepts, that kind of stuff, so I took them and started perusing them. The “major” one that everyone in the industry reads (35,000 a month circulation) is your typical full color, “slick” heavy paged item. As I was thumbing through it I got to the middle of the magazine, and my eye catches something under the heading of an article. …..SHIT, it’s my name!! They published my article from early last fall that I just “dashed off” in less than an hour one morning over coffee at 6 a.m. FIVE WHOLE PAGES OF IT, WITH MY CHARTS AND EXAMPLES, ( and not a word changed to boot!) Now I’ve written articles for newspapers, local magazines, published my own little newspaper (The Rose City Gazette, a 32 page monthly as my communication vehicle when I owned the Country Western place, and had a circulation of 20,000, and it paid for itself with ads we sold) BUT this is my first NATIONAL publication, in my trade, read by all my peers, Companies and Associations looking to have people with my credentials and qualifications on thier payroll, and if it gets enough comment then I get to publish some more articles. (I should say, NO money in it, NO fee or NO stipend, just the overpowering high of seeing YOUR words, YOUR concepts, YOUR explanations, and YOUR writing in public and in print,…what a rush!!

      3. Saved the most impressive for last. Actually got off my ass, and joined a gym (yeah it cost money,…but) and am looking forward to going at 5 in the morning and doing an hour or so on the tradmill (each one has it’s own 12 or 14″ TV and you can change channels watch whatever you want (Right now I’m into learning and dealing in the Stock and Bonds scene so all the financial news at 5 am is right up my alley, a “10” on my “learn while you get in shape” theory!! (I can’t stand just “walking” around for an hour I need to learn and “workout” my mind as well,…multi-tasking! AM I a man of the “New Millenium” or what? Proudly came home told my wife I finally did it, and I was going to start the first of the week. Her first question? “You’re not going to wear those obscene shorts and hanging out clothes there I hope.” “Why , what’s wrong with them, they’re comfortable and loose and all like that.” To which I get the universal female reply, ….”Men!! I’ll take you out this week end and get you some proper gym clothes.” (Hey folks, we’re not talking front row seats at Buckingham Palace, it’s a sweaty old gym, who cares?)

       So the short answer to sims query, and the “monumental subject of my 400th blog on the World Wide Web” is,….I like to create, make something out of nothing mentally, write, share concepts, pose ideas, solve problems, teach others how to really think as well, and the pure enjoyment and rush of it being “my creation” ,….that IS what defines enjoyment and satisfaction for me,…personally. How about you?

      P.S. But as the man said once , “Money is the root of all evil” , to which another wise man once said, “…..but you gotta have roots.” 🙂

-30-