The magic of Fall.

It hit. It is here. My favorite time of the year. Jacket wearing, blustery wind, leaves blowing across a mowed and manicured lawn. It is Fall and I love it.
Today the temp will be only 59 and the wind is blowing in from the northwest with gusts of 15-20 miles per hour.
I feel invigorated by the change. It is my favorite time of year in Michigan as I have stated before.
The leaves will soon begin thier annual change of color leaving behind a rainbow that is a perfect picture of expressing life is good.
You cant help but feel good by weather like this. It puts bounce in your step.
Take time to enjoy your first real taste of Fall this year!

A magical mystery of sorts.

For those of you who are not from Michigan, you should know that we have two holidays that most other states do not celebrate. In fact, these holidays are celebrated by thousands and thousands of people. Perhaps as many as a million or more each year take time off of thier jobs to attend the rituals associated with these holidays.
And these holidays inspire retailers who have joined in with new and exciting outfits and accesories to accompany the holidays. Some stores dedicate enitre departments of thier store strictly in support of this festive season. Other than Christmas no other holiday compares to the excitement nor the dollars spent.
October 1st and November 16th are days that are etched into the brains of Michiganders forever as well of those who have been in this state during our holiday season.
Interstates are clogged with processions of trucks, suvs and cars. Campers and motor homes join in as well.
Children are taught at a very young age about the rules of the celebration and must pass a test in order to participate. As you can tell these two holidays are taken very seriously here.
Construction companies, factories, and schools all take the holidays into consideration in the planning of attendence and schedules.
The celebrations are conducted outdoors during the daylight with nightime reserved for the retelling of each attendee's experience with great detail. No incident is too small not to be relived and retold time and time again upon each person they would come into contact with.

What two holidays would give such tremendous pleasure to so many that is not associated with a religous happening? What could possibly come so close to a religous experience for so many?
There is a magic in the mystery. Can you solve it? If your from Michigan. No fair giving it away!

Perchance to Love Again

Today one of my co-workers asked me for advice. Advice about women. Now, before you piss your pants laughing, read on.

The man that asked for advice is my age or very well near it. His problem with the woman in question is one that has puzzeled us all for all long time. He has been searching for the perfect mate to love and does not know anylonger what is real and what is fabricated or shielded from him.

Like me he has been married twice already and is now seeing another woman looking for the same things....the same qualities that he looked before. Looking for those things we all seem to want but very few find. Dedication, passion, trust, and the famous "too numerous to mention."

For those of you who have found those things all in one person. Congratulations. For those that are still looking perhaps you should stick around for the ending.
I offer to you a different side. That being a side of constant contemplation of what love is.

My own perspective of love has changed over the years as I have grown older, as I have now gone through two marriages.
With each passing of those relationships I learned and I grew. I questioned not only the motives behind each break up but threw blame primarily on me both during and afterwards true or not.
Blaming myself so that I would spend countless hours contemplating how the next time I could make it better. How I could perhaps find if even by chance the perfect mate.

Carolyn and I have now been together nearly 7 years. Could she be the perfect mate? Could I
be hers?
Certainly this time the relationship grew easier for me than the previous two. Was it because we knew each other for 4 years prior for a total of 11 years?
What advice could I give another man in his search for his perfect mate when I dont know whether I have found mine or not. The advice is not easily given by most if put in the same situation. The answers most would give are pale or even avoided by most.

My answer to his question and what I hope is good advise actually came to me from conversation with my eleven year old earlier this summer. A reference to my age was involved of which I calmly stated that I was old. John-Taylor quickly offered a rebuttal. "Your not old Daddy! Now my Mom and Mark. (his step-father) Now that's old." At the time a broad smile entered my brain but never my exterior for my son to see. That night I ran the conversation over and over again like a video tape. It was late into the night when everyone else was asleep that I realized that despite my faults my son saw a totally different picture of me than did his mother or even myself. And in that small conversation came a true test of love no matter the who, what or when.

"Love is not finding the perfect person but seeing an imperfect person perfectly."

Thats the advice I gave my friend at work today. All from a conversation that started with my son.

That type of magic is some I could always use some more of.

Friday Night Lights

Two weeks ago I attended the opening night of my old high school's football season. I had not been to a home opener for more than 33 years. I knew no one on the team. I just thought it would be neat to hear my old uniform number called on the P.A. system and was curious if a tall langly looking teen was wearing number 23 again.
Needless to say the changes were many.
A new football field at least to me as the location had changed to just outside of town instead of downtown next to Thread creek.
The booming voice of the announcer on the p.a was absent. Back in the day the principal of our school's deep baritone voice could be heard over booming speakers set up on both sides of the field. Instead we could barely hear Donald Duck in drag over a nearly non-existent speaker system.
In fact the public address system was so poor I'm sure that better sound could have produced by simply standing on the press box and shouting to the crowd.
I found this totally embarassing but not because I am a former broadcaster or because I was the public address announcer at this same high school more than thirty years ago for the junior varsity games but because the President of the school board is a broadcaster as well. Mike is a former radio guy and now is one of the local anchors of the TV station in Flint Michigan. Why didnt someone check out the equipment days before the game to make sure it was working properly. Squeaky voiced student or not that night, the annoucer that night deserved as did the crowd better than what they recieved. Besides the new athletic complex was named after our old school principal and former P.A. annoucer for goodness sakes. This was a travesty.
Other changes were evident as well. At least for this game. There was no longer a marching band. Instead 8 young high school ladies dressed in purple and black camo attire tried to dance to music they could not hear over the poor sounding p.a. system. Cant dance if you have no music. They quit after one song with looks of disgust and disapointment on thier face.

Besides misssing the marching band our school colors are blue and gold not purple and black.

Some things were the same despite my grouching to myself.

Cheerleaders led a non-enthusiastic crowd in cheer after cheer. I managed to eat a partially warmed hot dog with mustard that I had gotten from a crowded concession stand of band boosters. In fact I ate two. I figured with no marching band that they needed the help.

I scanned the field looking for my number on the the back of a uniform. I did not hear it on the broken speakers during the line up introductions. My number was missing. No where to be found. Not on the bench. Not on the field. Not even in the stands per chance on the back of an injured player who was sitting the game out. My number no longer existed. The result perhaps of them retiring my number to tell me I should retire from attending games at my former high school to feel nostalgic.
I decided tha I would leave the game at halftime with our team trailing in the score. Dejected that I would not hear my number called ever again.
On the drive home I would stop at a local grocery store to grab some milk, bread and deli meat for sandwiches when suddenly I heard it. "Number 23" I could not believe my ears. MY NUMBER.
It was being announced. I scanned the crowd looking for a tall skinny kid with a football jersey anxious to get a look. Perhaps my trip would not be wasted at all. I was suddenly pumped with energy. My heart was pounding with excitement. Could it be. I was almost speechless.
All of a sudden a small elderly woman nudged me in the side and said to me "thats you!". I remember thinking how would she know me from my playing days.
I collected my senses and pressed forward through the crowd. "That's me" I said. " I will have a pound of hard salami and a half pound of roast beef please, sliced thin".
It is sometimes amazing what a little magic will do.