MY AVATAR

           No picture attached here.  What you have to appreciate is the line drawn cartoonish creature on the right side of your screen.  That is what I have adopted as my avatar going back quite a few years.  This is the work of our second son.  This depiction of me is much more than just a little joke that is produced in a light hearted moment on the occasion of some calendar highlight.  You know what I am talking about, I'm sure...Birthday, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.  I can't clearly remember the year nor the occasion, but I have treasured it from the start.  It is from that moment that I knew that this is the image that resides in my loving son's soul.  For that reason, I have adopted it in my deep soul domicile as well.  That's why I call it my avatar.

          Since this avatar is an embodiment of my identity as it dwells in the heart of my son, I keep it in the warmest corner of my creative spirit.  Notice that this expression of who I am includes two elements that are now nothing but figments of creative imagination.  The spirit of alcohol has become nothing but a mnemonic symbol, a reminder of joys past.  Joys that, as we all know, are better carried in our soul as lessons learned and as elements that help us to find deeper joys in the present.

          Note that there is no expression of tobacco.  That is a singular truth about me.  I have never indulged in the smelly practice of burning sot-weed before, during or after the moments of joy that high class whiskey releases in the heart of the imbiber.  

          I am glad that I have this artistic embodiment of the relationship that exists between me and the intimate creatures with whom I share the the deepest meaning of life.   I have written this in the hope that you can find something in the story that will bring something valuable to your life.

BTW, it has been 7 years since the last drop of alcohol has passed my lips.  Not bad for an "old guy", right?

I BEG YOUR PARDON -- RESTITUTION

NOT A JOKING MATTER

Every now and then we narrate experiences that cause personal reactions that differ with the ones that we know.  The interesting part of the meeting of the two positions is that we have to be honest about the value of each.  Since it is rare that each side of the truth is absolutely equal, an honest weighing of them is essential if any progress is to be made in life.  I therefore have to make you all aware that my opinion about marijuana has been called into question by some of you and outright condemned by another.  That's three.  The condemnation was from the very first.  If I apply the soup kitchen cockroach theory, "if you see one, you know that there are a lot more where that one came from," -- or the "silent majority" -- it is imperative that I beg pardon from you all.  

I admit that over the time of the "365 Thoughts..." blog I have made some humorous and cavalier remarks about marijuana and alcohol.  At my age I should know better.  I am not without knowing the destructive effects that are caused by these two drugs.  In my professional life I have had to discipline severely victims of addiction to the one or the other.  Having been enlightened by those memories should have made me censor myself before offending you with wise cracks about how I enjoyed the use of the illegal weed in the shadier corners of my past.  

It is true that as we go forward into the years, what we leave behind often becomes the grist for our humor mill.  The narrow escapes from exploding firecrackers; the “near misses” while driving the family sedan; the sneaking into the movie theatre without getting caught and finally, in my case, the story of the window I broke with a snowball and was able to escape retribution.  To the degree of immorality that these adventures may be, they do stay away from causing the ruination of lives.  They somehow float around in the backwater of our minds while making an occasional appearance when we are exchanging past foibles.  I made the mistake of including marijuana and alcohol use among those that might be categorized as “harmless.”    Please forgive me.
With a sinner's past like that, I need a saint's future.  If I get it, you will not have to cry at my funeral.