Held Hostage at the Gas Pumps

Driving home from work today, I looked over at the many gas stations I was passing by.  And I thanked the Lord while doing so.   Going up again, gas in Mobile hit $3.49 today.  And the so called experts say we have not yet seen the end of it.  Does anybody else feel like a hostage right about now?  We have to go to work, get the kids to and from school, go to the grocery store, and on and on.  The gas powered automobile is a family member.  It is a part of our lives.  It may be time we all held an intervention for this much beloved family member. 

I drive a Dodge Durango.  Yes, a gas guzzler.  In my defense, this was the first really nice vehicle I have owned in my entire life.  I’ve had new cars before, but most were smaller or small truck types.  I was making a little money at work and I splurged a little.  Plus, I couldn’t resist the rear seat DVD player for my daughter.  I love my Durango.  Love or not, she stays parked a lot more now than she used to.  I have a store and a pharmacy nearby, and I walk when I can.  I have cut out all unnecessary trips.  I have reconsidered my summer plans.  I hope my world is better for it.  But mostly, I refuse to be terrorized at the gas pumps.  I buy what I need now…not what I want. 

Gas prices are not going down until we all make changes to the way that we live.  Starting with a message to those OPEC terrorists in the middle east.  We have to show them that they need us…we don’t need them.  Is that an easy thing to do?  Of course not.  It means reanalyzing the way we live, the way we prioritize.  If you don’t have to go….don’t.  It’s as simple as that.  Gas company profits will shrink…Wal-Mart stock will go down…restaurants and movie theatres will struggle…the tourist industry will all but crash (Mickey Mouse will be lobbying loud and long on Capitol Hill).   But those are the things that start to get the attention of the so called elite.  Start hitting their wallets as hard as they are hitting ours. 

Here is the upside (or downside depending on your point of view).  You’ll have more time for your family.  You may have to cook an extra meal every now and then instead of running down to KFC or McDonalds.  You might actually get a little healthier if you can walk to the local market instead of driving.  You’ll catch up on all your favorite TV shows.  Well, you could.  I’m a homebody anyway, so this is fairly easy for me.  For some people this new way of life would be nothing short of tragic.  They believe that anyplace is better than home.   But they’ve never had to deal with the gas prices that confront us all now.  They will feel the effect most of all. 

Do I believe oil reserves are dwindling?  Yes.  Do I think we are in crisis mode yet?  No, I don’t.  I think we are in the “supplying our wealth to the terrorist” mode.  They are building lavish palaces over there.  With our money.  Think about that when you are driving around.  We are enabling the very people who want to kill us and wipe us from the face of the earth.  Talk about ironic.  Time to wake up.  Get off the streets America.  Go home. 

Guilty As Charged!

Hi and welcome to my new blog.  I have been debating over whether to start this again or not.  So I thought I would give it one more try.  I used to have a blog on yahoo 360 and I really enjoyed it, but I kept having problems with blog entries disappearing, spam, and I even had my password hijacked.   So I went to Myspace and I still have a profile there, but their blog system is tough to work with.  That’s pretty much how I ended up here.

Anyway, this blog will be about whatever I can think to write about.  Movies, Sports, and Politics are all things I’m interested in, but I want this blog to be more than that.  I want to talk about family, religion, and being a weekend Dad also. 

The opinions are mine and they can sometimes be harsh.  Hopefully, they will also be heartfelt and entertaining.   Thanks for checking me out.  Be sure to buckle up….It’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

 

Holding Hands

Being a weekend Dad, I think you have a better appreciation of the things your child brings into your life.  It’s almost a little like being a Grandparent.  Your child is with you for a time…then they go home.  Your first thoughts are very Grandparent like…”aahh, the peace and quiet”.  Your second thoughts bring you back to reality…”man, it’s too quiet around here.”  Being a weekend Dad, everything is amplified.  The hugs are more important, the talks mean more, the giggles are priceless…the silence is deafening.

As my daughter slowly (please be slowly) makes her way from her early childhood to those ever increasing “growny” stages, I see the changes.  I don’t deal very well with them yet…but I see them.  Having been invited to join her for lunch at school last week, I saw them first hand.  I won’t ever forget that look she gave me as she rounded the corner and saw me standing there.  Almost total disbelief and elation all rolled up into one big smile.  She hugged me and quickly grabbed my hand, possibly afriad that I might try to escape at any minute.  The thought did cross my mind…briefly.  That’s when it happened.  She realized that all of her friends were watching us…holding hands.  She swiftly jerked her hand from mine and then maturely said, “Just follow me, Daddy.”  Being the good soldier that I am, I followed orders.  The meal was great.  PB & J’s, cookies, and grapes.  I was right at home.  And the other kids were very receiving of me as we discussed such major topics as favorite Wii games and who was last out at dodgeball that day.   Lunch was soon over and I returned to my car with a whispered “I love you” and a quick hug.  The thing that lingered however, was that pulled away hand hold. 

I swear holding hands with that child is my anchor.  It’s the first bond when words can’t be passed, starting with those tiny little fingers all curled around just one of yours.  You think you are doing it for them.  You are providing a comfort.  You are calming their fears.  You are entertaining them with that little hand-holding swing while you walk together.  But the truth is, they probably don’t need it half as much as you do.   You find it calming your fears of not being able to be with them.  It comforts you and lets you know they are happy.  And being of childlike mind, I kinda enjoy the swing game as well.  

I know they have to grow up and part of being a parent is learning to let go.  Don’t mean I have to like it.

Later