Child Eyes

      Just this afternoon I was out shopping at our local supermarket. Looking specifically for "Healthier" foods for my pregnant wife who sometimes forgets to take care of herself and thinks that milkshakes count as a Dairy, a protein and a vegetable when full of cocoa.
      I had decided to take my daughter for the ride so my wife could have a few minuets alone to read and my daughter could get out of the house and have some fun time with dad. She was a great sport as always about sitting in those excruciatingly comfortable shopping carts while I walked around looking for something that my wife would actually eat.
      While I was browsing the many shelves and bins my little girl would frequently point out things that she thought looked interesting. Often times it was candy or the occasional small toy though in one instance that made me smile, it was a box of rodent poisoning which attracted her because of the picture of the mouse on it. Whatever the items were I began to picture in my minds eye what it must be like for a small child of her age to be shopping in such a fashion.
       The first thought that I had was of her looking first at a bag of star-bursts; full of color and bright advertising and then her deciding to point out this item to her father in full confidence that he would agree with her selection and put them into the cart. What horror she would experience -I thought- as the grown man would (In slow motion) shake his head and then walk straight to the produce section of the store and begin to load up on cucumbers, bags of salad and if she were lucky; maybe some oranges. "What a fool!" She would be thinking "Doesn't this guy know what he is doing?" "Why is he getting those weird looking green things instead of those candies? "Doesn't he know the latter will taste much better?"
       I wonder what she is thinking? I mean, looking at it from her perspective I probably look like I have extremely poor taste in food. She can in no way understand why I choose cucumbers over cutie pies nor potatoes over pop. I sure do love her.
       I think this teaches a very important lesson. Some times I think we have our "Child Eyes" on. Like when you have a desire to run out and buy some shiny new something or other and you forget the wisdom of staying out of debt. Or when you run around chasing "fun" thinking you will end up with true happiness. Parties are like candy; they can be sweet but they will ruin your pancreas and make you crash after the initial rush. There is wisdom the the nutritious lifestyles of the old and mature. They may not be flashy and Red Bull oriented but they have piece and longevity. Remember that my daughters "Child Eyes" were drawn to the rat poison just as they were to th candy and toys and she would have eaten it in a minuet had I let her.
       So let's be careful about our child eyes. Practicing The Art of Dedication let's dedicate ourselves to the cucumbers of life and think twice about all that junk with the cool wrapping; remembering that a little candy is okay.

      

Zombie America

     Did your mother ever tell you that "You are what you eat?" Maybe not? Maybe it was your nearly bearded aunt Deborah?
     Well to tell you the truth I can't really remember who it was that told me that either but I do know that I have heard it more than a few times.
     As I have lived and watched the trends come and go in our fair country there have been many that startle and in some cases frighten me. One of those trends fitting both descriptions is the rise of "zombie culture". To many this may seem a very small and unimportant form of entertainment. To me I feel that when you begin to consume too much of something you begin to display and in some cases emulate that very thing. So in this case America is being spoon fed zombies by so many different sources that it is actually beginning to seem like a zombie in and of it's self. Many times I have thought about the state of the economy and the nation as slowly rotting away and although many may see it as far fetched I believe there is more than just a little connection between America's never ending lust for more zombies and it's rotting morals, rotting economy and down right rotten politics.
     Now I am not a person who is against things that are a little fantastic and somewhat nerdy. I like video games. I read Eragon, Lord of the Rings and even Harry Potter heck I've read all of the Fable Haven Books as well. I think that if you throw a Zombie in a story to spice things up that's great. Even a full fledged movie or two about Zombie apocalypse is a fun idea to re-do the whole water world disaster or Equilibrium plot line. My issue is the now multi lingual multi marketed muli everythinged state of Zombification that our young people are actually passing through. When did America start sacrificing good quality entertainment (and key chains!) for the mindless rotten flesh of the undead? I think the last ten games that have come out for any gaming platform all have a "Zombie mode" if they are not just flat out about running around mindlessly blowing up chopping down and splattering zombies. These children and young people playing these games our our future leaders and business owners not to mention fast food hands. Heck the guys we have voted into office right now can hardly do their jobs WITH their brains what happens when our next generation get's elected by their fellow "Zombie parade" buddies and tries out being president thinking they want to eat brains?
     I think we should take a stand and not participate in the Zombification of America. Lets not kill lady liberty before her time I don't think she will look very good as a walking corpse. Don't let your children play zombie games or watch zombie movies or buy zombie key chains! It will literally rot their brains; and who knows, once theirs is rotten maybe they'll stagger around looking for some. If you are a person who likes Zombies and can't get enough of them; to you I say diversify your entertainment portfolio, look into the classics. Read Frankenstein; a true classic with a different view of an undead monster that will actually sharpen your mind and give you natural compassion and intelligence. Zombies are one of those cheap life experiences like Poke' Mon and McDonald's or Wal Mart and it's no co incidence that all of them are loaded. Cheap entertainment sells. Just like cheap food cheap diapers and cheap socket wrenches. Dedicate your time to something more constructive. Master "The Art of  Dedication".

Art of Dedication?

      I know that starting something out with a disclaimer is like writers bad luck but I feel it appropriate due to the nature of this blog.
      I don't do this... Internet stuff I mean. I don't do the face book thing and I don't like to follow my friends and relatives every little moves in life. I don't care when so and so's baby makes a cute face on some special or otherwise silly day and I don't find a need in my life to hold on to fly by friends. This blog is not an anthem to the needy, nor is it my attempt to secretly make public my venting and raving of the injustices of the world.
      I am writing this blog because every once in a while a piece of information enters my head and I feel a need to put it on some form of medium. I have always loved to write and I guess in some ways it's my form of art; though that particular word tends to annoy me. I think it's because the word "Art" is used by many people as a phrase of justification. So if you throw paint at a canvas in a drunken rage then perhaps you can feel justified in your actions leading to the actual "Art" because in the end you made something more or less beautiful.
      You can comment on any post of mine and say what ever you like. Nothing I say is gospel, nothing I say is a direct message from the greater powers of the universe. If you like what I say then that's great. If you don't that's great. I don't really have an opinion on your opinion but you are free to have one of mine.
      I can't guarantee that all my blogs will be serious and I'm not going to only post silly fluff. I'm going to post those little scraps of mental paper that get stuck to the windshield of my mind on a rainy day and can't seem to come off when I turn on those pensive mental wipers.
     I hope you enjoy at least some of what is floating around in my brain. If you find something in my writing that corresponds with you or your life style; just know I may not really be writing about you and if I am try not to take it personal.
    Oh and the reason I named my blog what I named it is because I think about dedication a lot and how to dedicate myself better to the important things of life. I am not perfect or even close to true dedication but i believe some day I will become truly dedicated. So here is to the elusive Art of Dedication.