Faith and Losing my Keys

         Keys are easy to lose. They never used to be, back when the only thing I had to do after a busy day of working or going to school was feed myself, fill Buddy's food dish and do whatever I wanted. Then I had children and those children grew older and decided to have a busier social life than I do. So after a busy day we have an even busier evening of running around to dance lessons, PTA meetings, and trying to have dinner together at that table. 

       Now, it's easy to lose my keys. I leave them on the piano, on the table, in my coat pocket, on the counter and hero hottie's favorite (this is sarcasm) in the front door. Yes, they're easy to find in the front door on the way out to the car, just not the safest location for obvious reasons. 

       I should have a key hook to hang them on but all my key hooks are full of a variety of keys I either need, I might need, or I'm not sure if I should throw them out because what if I do need them? Is that clutter or just fear? I have a padlock on one of my kitchen cabinets that has been there for a few years because I lost the key and my oldest child when she was young thought she could lock me out of the drawer by attaching it to the handle. Much to her surprise it didn't function the way she thought and I haven't removed it since the cabinet is so old and I'm afraid the drawer handle won't go back on.

       The only other thing I lose with any sort of regularity is my faith. And I suppose misplacing keys and losing faith are very similar. I don't lose them all the time and I find them in odd places when I do. 

       When I was younger and the world was about me, (I'm not being arrogant but how many teenagers think beyond just their dreams and goals) then faith was easy to find. Yes, bad things happened, especially long ago in that thing called history but that was so yesterday. When you're busying picking colleges, and driving around with friends, and having fun, faith is easy. 

      And I suppose that's a very common theme with people in religion circles, faith is easy when every thing is all right with the world, it's a challenge to find when you really need it. I don't subscribe to any particular denomination, so don't worry, this blog entry isn't about buying the correct ticket to get to heaven. (I think every religion has their own ticket booth) This blog is simply about having faith, losing faith, struggling with it and finding it. 

      I think most people wrestle with this one, even if they never lose or misplace anything else in their lives. Even if they insist that we simply vanish into nothingness when we die, they still had faith, they just lost it and they're ignoring that one missing thing from their life. I know many people that struggle to find it, they sit in church pews every Sunday and try to find it in the words of the man preaching up front. But faith isn't something that can just be passed around. 

     I have friends that try new churches every few weeks because they haven't found it yet. But faith isn't something that can be found in a building. You may find it while in a building, but just being in a building, no matter how holy, is not going to give it to you. 

      I have relatives that base their faith on allowing one head religious guy be their guide and when they find out the horrors that have occurred in that religion they rather ignore it than have to find their own source of faith. 

     Sometimes I find faith, usually right in front of my face when I witness a miracle. Which I believe is most of life, even if I don't understand it. But when horrible things happen, when evil is allowed to win the battle, I lose it, just as easy as I misplace my keys. So very close but I can't find them because I can't see where I left them. 

     I won't be able to end this piece by saying I finally found my faith hiding underneath some fake Easter grass and I never lost it again. That would be a lie. Last Sunday I had it, briefly, just because I realized other people struggle with the same issues as I do and then the next day I was once again filled with fear for the world and my children's future and I lost it again. 

    I read Guidepost magazine and Chicken Soup for the Soul books because they feature people who found their faith and their stories end well. I have to admire people that find something I'm constantly seeking. Even though I have a sneaking suspicion that after 'the end' they might lose their faith again and have to send out a search and rescue crew to find it.

    I know some religion figures would chastise me for being weak of faith and trust. Perhaps I am. I have high ideals for the way I feel people should act and treat each other and it's a real disappointment that it's not a better world for my children to become adults in. I get frustrated with the mean and boorish attitudes of other people. I know I'm not perfect and I make mistakes like crazy. It is one thing I'm good at. :) 

     But I try.  

     I have to say that if we've all lost the same thing, you think by now we would have found all its hiding places. But like my keys I'm continually surprised by how often I can lose it and what weird places I will find it again. Sigh. I need something to store my faith in, and I probably do, it's just cluttered with all my fears. Just like key hooks that are too full for the important set of keys. 

    

     I hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter.
    

Ten Tips for Surviving the End of the World (B Rated Movie Style)

Since we're inching closer to 2012 with every passing day; cable channels seem obsessed with showing B- rated doomsday movies and documentaries on people that have predicted the future after the fact. Add the daily news; which is filled with wars, massive crop failures, natural disasters and 'safe' doses of radiation to the mix and I think we could all use ten tips to survive the coming years.
(This is a satire piece. I'm not an expert in surviving zombie attacks or supernovas and shouldn't be taken too seriously.)

1. In an event of a global extinction event, such as asteroids, fire balls, solar flares, etc. above all else stay away from national icons. They are always, no matter what, the first things to be destroyed. If you're in France, stay away from the Eiffel Tower, it will be wiped out. At the Taj Mahal, forget it. Mt. Rushmore, buy a postcard and leave. And if you are in San Francisco, please, please don't go on The Golden Gate Bridge...unless you like to swim.

2. Find the biggest, newest truck you can to make your escape in. In B-rated movies, the survivors always drive the coolest pick-up trucks.(No one drives away in little tiny Volkswagen bugs.)Trucks make you look awesome as you're fleeing for your life. The only downside is that they use up a huge amount of valuable gas. But bonus point; you can run over zombies with them.

3. There is no reason to skip putting on your make up, styling your hair or shaving. People in doomsday scenarios always look good, even after they haven't taken a shower or brushed their teeth in over two weeks and they left all their personal hygiene supplies at home, in the rubble. First impressions are still important and you don't want to be mistaken for a zombie or a bad guy. (for some odd reason bad guys in these movies always look gross and oily, but never use this as a guide; contrary to what you've learned in movies)

4. During the end of the world, lights still work on the street, in buildings, in abandoned stores full of food and at gas stations with working pumps. But if they aren't turned on; this does indict that you should steer clear of this area. There are either zombies waiting to eat you, cannibals ready to eat you, packs of wild dogs ready to eat you, or little old grannies ready to eat you. Either way it's a clear sign that you will be dinner and you should probably just leave, quickly and quietly.

5. Always, always find someone that knows really awesome kung fu or some sort of street wise fighting style. At some point your gun (you do have a gun, right?) will run out of ammo right when something horrible is about to happen. Having a buddy that can Matrix the bad guys will save your life at some point.

6. Viruses have a tendency to kill regular old Joe's rather quickly but if it infects a scientist it usually doesn't kill them until after they discover a cure. So perhaps a career change now before the end of the world might be a great idea. Think scientist. Somehow, this protects you from the horrible, wrenching death that kills other people instantly. (Small downside, in a lot of movies they are the ones to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of humanity. Just something to keep in mind.)

7. Do not go to the top of the tallest building in the city and greet the aliens. Offering them signs of peace and hippie music or keyboard notes might not work that well for you. Instant vaporizing is usually the reaction. Try beer and BBQ ribs instead. Maybe a large coffee. I'm sure they're tired after traveling light years across the universe. That or run and let the other idiots be blown up first. Or barter, give them our politicians in exchange for not being laser gunned.

8. Dogs are great pets. They're part of the family but in the movies they will always die. But they will give up their life to protect the family. It will be a noble and honorable affair but they will die. So just be prepared. In the meantime, until their sacrifice, keep them away from other people. Otherwise, they could end up being the BBQ ribs offered to the aliens.(If you have a cat, forget it. He won't save your life. Cats are not loyal and will run away. Maybe keep one around to sacrifice to the aliens, though. Just an idea.)

9. If you are a single guy, you will run into the hottest chick in the entire world and she will want to hang out with you. Not only that, but even if you are the nerdiest dude ever and never left your parent's basement before now, you will get lucky. And she will be so grateful for saving her life that she will even stay with you after the disaster. (I would say that it works the other way around, but apparently in B-rated disaster movies only hot chicks survive. Sorry.)

10. And finally, if the disaster is total global destruction, such as a supernova, when there wouldn't be a solution to solve the problem before the entire human race and every creature on the Earth is annihilated, then at the very last moment when every thing seems lost and hopeless, the scientist, usually the one who brought the problem to every one's attention, slaps his forehead and says "Duh, that big blob on my scientific papers isn't the final equation of the end of the world, it's spilled coffee. I was wrong. The world isn't ending."
And then every thing is just peachy. The characters go home and watch the final episode of Dancing with the Stars and to check out the status of their friends on Facebook.

So, just to wrap things up...Remember, get a cool pick-up truck, find the hot chick, avoid dark places, and don't greet the aliens. And if all that fails, well you better hope Bruce Willis is ready to sacrifice himself on an asteroid for humanity or we're all doomed.

Lost Bunnies and Missing Dollar value

        Today's blog is brought to you by the word frantic.
       ' Frantic'

       
       Oh, goodness. What can I say? I started the week off by waking up late and only by kicking into frantic mode being able to pull off the seemingly impossible feat of getting the kids to school on time.
       We only had twenty-eight minutes to eat, get dressed, and drive to school.
       People with children will understand that a miracle has occurred.
      
       The week hasn't slowed down since then and the frustration level keeps building. Meditation has totally lost this week; beat down and held hostage by tension, frustration and a general sense of fear of the unknown direction of the world. I'm sorry, but I have issues with the EPA talking about upping the safe levels of radiation. Because then that makes it safe? I'm sure any high school science teacher would have issues with that logic too.
       I'm sure that it's not just me feeling this general sense of uneasiness. The entire world seems to be waiting in the corner ring, ready for the signal, the crowd going wild. But no one knows for sure who they're cheering for.
      Near fist fights between fifth graders, depression in everyone I know, and rude people at that store seem to be the theme of the week. Yes, these things happen at other times and it's not hard to find people lacking in manners at the big box discount stores but this week it seems worse, like everyone is on edge.
      Is worry flammable?

      Last night a mini herd of plastic bunny rabbits decided to escape and roam the neighborhood. Unfortunately, they left the owner of them in tears. Heart breaking, gut wrenching tears and even though I have told this wonderful child of mine to keep wandering toys closer to home, some lessons are painful to learn.
     Still, deep sobs are hard to ignore and shivering in the cold because spring here can be rather chilly, I was out in the dark with a flashlight trying to find little plastic toys. I didn't have any luck and tear stains on chubby cheeks was the sad note of the night. (Sigh.)
      This morning the bunnies came home and for a few hours this crazy, 'doesn't make sense' world was in balance again. The sun is shining and life is good.
 
       Too bad as an adult fixing things is never as easy as finding lost toys. And our lessons are never as simple as learning to keep track of our toys. We have to make sense of a world that to this generation has never seen as crazy. We have massive uprisings in Africa and conflicts that aren't considered wars even though we're using war planes and missiles and fighting. I guess my dictionary is different than the people in charge.
      We have radiation from Japan traveling the winds and now waters around the world and we're told not to worry. I hate to worry and I try not to think about something I can't see anyway, but I have children. Tell me not to worry.
     I listen to the 'newscasters' on the news and the politicians that tell me that the American dollar is strong and enormous debt problem isn't something to worry about but I go to the grocery store and my dollar must be missing something because one trip cost me more than the time before and I have less food in my cart. But I'm not too worry? Will radiated vegetables cost less or more?

     I need to find a bit of positive to end with but this week it's a bit difficult to find a sense of calmness when the world is in frantic mode and you feel like your choices are either trying to keep up or be dragged underneath the wheels. I will take a deep breath and remind myself that worry doesn't give me more time, it's actually a thief of such things and prevents a person from focusing on the important things in life. So tonight I will pay extra attention to my children at the dinner table, remembering that today was actually a great day because lost bunnies found their way home.