Saturday night. I have playoff football playing in the background. I have another wheelchair I need to put together, but keep avoiding it because it is going to be a pain in the butt. I know better than to put things off that need to be done, but it is supposed to snow tomorrow here in Charlotte which means the city will be closed down for a few days. I believe it is going to be a lot of ice so I have no reason to drive around in that crap. I trust myself but I have zero confidence in the other drivers here in the South.
Sad to see Bob Saget pass away. We all grew up watching full house. I still remember seeing Bob do stand up comedy on HBO for the first time. I was blown away at how dirty he was. He was way beyond controversial. A few times I was even thinking ”Damn you can’t say that”, but he did say it and I loved him for it. I love people that say whatever they want. The ones that are always offended can piss off. You’re boring. Nobody wants to walk on your eggshells.
Bob had a chance to make a lot of money being a TV Dad and he took it. Can’t fault him for that although some do. It is different times now though with Instagram, Tik Toc, twitter, and all the other ways dumb drunk kids tell on themselves. Thank God there were no video cameras around when I was young although I was able to make myself memorable most times without pics or video. Only 1 FknBucky on the planet and you knew when you met him. My goal is to continue writing this year and find ways to get my blog out to the masses. It starts with writing more. I get ideas for blogs, but have been lacking in the follow thru department. You can’t chase dreams sitting still.
Whatever it is you want, you have to go get it. Everything is achievable if you are willing to put in the work. You don’t get to live your dream if you crush 12 beers every night. Well unless your dream is to crush 12 busch lights every night. Then you’ve made it friend. I hope your dreams are a bit bigger than this. I mean if you want to dream go for it all!!! 18 Busch Lights a night!! I believe in you. The truth is you have to be working when others aren’t. No matter what it is you desire, I guarantee you there are 100 other humans on Earth chasing the same thing. When you quit at 5 pm everyday, there is someone else pushing till 6 pm, 7 pm, all night.
My dream is to travel and write. I am going to make it. I see myself doing it already. If you can’t see me reaching all of my goals you don’t know me very well. I get down on myself, have hard times, doubt myself, and say F it I’m done. I don’t though. I don’t quit, I have my pity moment and then I get back to the grind. I’m thinking I wrote this blog for myself. I needed a kick in the ass. We all need an extra push from time to time. That is why great friends are important to have or a wonderful wife that is willing to physically harming you to make sure you get out of bed and chase that dream…..
RIP Bob — I’m willing to bet wherever Bob Saget is, he is hitting on Betty White right now. Play on Playa!!
I want to share a story with you today. A very important one that I hope will open your eyes, your heart, and help motivate you to count your blessings instead of constantly wishing for more. There is a club that no one wants to join. There is no name for it, it has no leader, and it is guaranteed that all members wish they could unjoin. It is a club of tragedy. Accidents that change the body is the cost of membership. I became a member April 1st, 2002 and have been dealing with it every single day since. This isn’t my story though.
I volunteer because I am able to help and I know that. I offer my everything to the people I talk with at the rehab hospital. I will answer any questions no matter how personal, help with any equipment they may need or want to know about, and I’m happy to talk with family members that want to learn/understand how to best help the loved one that is going thru this physical nightmare. I’ve probably talked with at least few hundred confused/scared people over the years and I’m very proud of that.
Travis and Staci Hoyle gave me permission to use their real names in this blog. Travis was injured a couple months ago and is currently using a wheelchair. I want to express one thing here very strongly. It isn’t your business how it happened. Don’t ask. Ever. It is not okay. Don’t say I’m one of those people that just blurt it out. Travis will tell you if he wants to. Instead do something easy. Talk to him like you would without the chair. He is the same person today as he was 6 months ago. Bust his balls, call him ugly, give him a hard time about driving a Nissan, or whatever else you normally do.
The Hoyle’s have a tough road ahead. It isn’t impossible, but it is hard and they will need that 4 wheel drive of his F150, (it is actually a 2004 Nissan 4×4 Supercharged) to get thru it. “Travis made sure I corrected that.” I have no doubts that they will. This is a strong family from what I have seen. Leave your pity at home. Nobody needs that crap. Bring your happiness, smiles, never give up attitude, and instead of asking for details on what happened say ”I know you got this and I’m here if you need anything.”
I see strength, fear, and determination in Staci and Travis’s eyes. It is okay to have fear because everything is new and we fear what we don’t know. The strength they have has nothing to do with lifting weights. True strength is in a persons mind, it is strong to accept reality, it is strong to smile first thing in the morning and say I can do this, it is strong to remember you’re not the only one going thru this, and most importantly it is strong to acknowledge other people are hurting as well. Pity parties are stupid and worthless so have a strength party. Challenge everyone around you to use the strength God gave them to overcome this obstacle. Once again I will say I have no doubt they will overcome this, but friends and family have a HUGE role to play to make that happen.
Unfortunately bad things happen to great people all the time. It is unfair and makes me want to scream at nothing sometimes. 20 years of membership and yes sometimes I still have moments of extreme weakness and anger. The key is to not live there. Accept the emotions, work thru them naturally, and get back to living your best life. Avoid the ”what if” hole because it simply leads to depression, anger, and regrets. What if I didn’t go, what if I didn’t stop for coffee, what if I didn’t date her, what if what if, and more what if. That is pointless because no matter how much you torture yourself it will not ever change the outcome.
You don’t have to be Travis and Staci to use the advice above. Everyone has hardships in life, hardship plays no favorites, and facing it head on is the right course of action. There is a benefit for Travis on Sunday. I’m told the 300 available tickets sold out very quickly. Money is always welcome and helpful, but kind words and genuine caring is fuel for the fighting spirit alive inside of Travis and Staci. This is not an easy road, but once again it is not impossible. The only thing different is Travis got a lot shorter and won’t be running up any stairs for a while.
Remember as this battle goes on that smiles and laughter are okay. In fact they are a must. Focus on the things that make you smile. Watching your kids succeed at anything. Holding your partner in front of a fireplace on a rainy night. Laughing with your friends while telling old stories. One of my best friends growing up and I would always yell when Welcome Home (Sanitarium) by Metallica came on. It is a random thing, but after my accident while having a tough moment in life that song come over the radio. I was instantly transported back in time and smiled gratefully that I was still alive to enjoy that memory. It is okay to be happy while dealing with tragedy. To this day every time I hear this song, I’m instantly 19 years old again, yelling at the radio with my friends while drinking a Busch Light.
It is easy to find reasons to be unhappy, mean, and ungrateful. True strength is when you put all those aside and find one reason to smile. You only need one. Kids, wife, family, friends, pets, food in your stomach, warm place to sleep, and so on. You can choose to be happy in horrible situations. In life when we are forced into situations beyond our control it is important to concentrate on the one thing we always have control of. Your Attitude. It is easy to smile at the end of the trip, but more important to keep that smile and positive attitude going during the journey no matter how long it may be.
I hope everyone who reads this will share it. You never know who needs to hear the message above. If you can donate money please do and then share this message. If you can’t send money I only ask you share this message so others will see it and be able to help.
Count your blessings. Be grateful for the people in your life. Truly grateful for them.
FknBucky
READ * THINK * LIVE FREE
We still need Justice for Ryan Cooper. Please come forward if you have any information. As Russell Crowe said in the Gladiator “We will have our vengeance, in this lifetime or the next.”
Justice for Ryan Cooper. I don’t understand why they haven’t found the person responsible for this insane evil act, but I’m still hopeful they will find the pricks.
The crazy part is I started this blog about four weeks ago.
I have a dozen blogs that are 80% complete. I just need to final edit them, but I get distracted and 4 days later whatever I was writing about becomes old news. A friend sent this article to me wondering if I would write about it. That answer is yes. I don’t know much for details, but this story is true, just happened, tragic, and yet romantic in a weird way. It shows the sacrifice one human is willing to make to ensure the safety of a stranger. I want to say this next point and regardless of your political position I hope you feel the same way. Those 13 service members should NOT have died in Afghanistan. It makes me sick that the incompetence of old people in power caused the needless death of those young military members.
Today I want to talk about Joaquin Romero. You’ve never heard of him. He worked at La Jolla Zip Zoom Zipline in North San Diego County. He was 34 years old and certainly didn’t expect to die as he got ready for work last Saturday. None of us do, but the truth is, at any point of everyday the clock could run out. Stop spending time on trivial BS. Stop hating people you don’t know and in fact stop hating anyone. It is ALL wasted energy. Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and any of the others don’t care that you hate them. They sleep just fine, but you allow them to live rent free in your mind. Someone please tell me how hating Donald Trump all day makes your life more enjoyable. I’ll wait.
Mr Romero was helping a young lady get hooked up on the zip line when she started slipping. He grabbed her harness in an attempt to steady her, but it was too late and they both went about 100 feet down the zip line. This man you’ve never met decided to let go. He knew the 70 foot fall was going to kill him, but he let go anyway. He knew the line would most likely not hold the weight of both of them and made the ultimate decision. This wasn’t like Hollywood where the actor gets back up, but real life where you have no extra lives.
This type of sacrifice blows the mind. I can’t imagine being faced with that decision in the blink of an eye. One moment thinking about how you’ll grab some beers after work, hopefully run into the cocktail waitress you have a crush on, and the next moment you are about to plunge to your end. In a few seconds you find yourself hanging 70 ft above the ground on a cable that can’t hold two people. You can’t call timeout, try again, scream you’re sorry for any past mistakes. Nope, you just let go and fall to your death.
It reminds me of soldiers that jump on a grenade in order to save his brothers next to him. Think he checks to see what color the other men are before making that final jump?? The picture is Kyle Carpenter. He literally jumped on a grenade. The least you can do is to remember his name and recognize people like this exist in real life. This is a debt none of us will ever be able to repay. You can’t even let someone go in front of you at the Walmart check out when they have 2 items and you have a full cart.
There are clearly great people in this world. All around us. You don’t know someones story or history. How many friends do you have?? How many of them know everything about you?? Do you know everything about them??? I’m going to say very few. You’re too busy to listen to someone else’s story. We get so wrapped up in BS that we forget what it is to simply be a good human. The young lady hanging on the zip line that a stranger killed himself to save, do you think she asked who he voted for in the last election???
I talk about Mr Romero and his selfless act. It is insane to think about. I wonder if he was vaccinated?? That is a joke. We have all these nurses, police, firemen and women, grocery store workers that were held up on this pedestal during the lockdown months. They got up and worked every day while others got paid extra money to not work. They didn’t get a bonus. Every couple of days some D-Bag politician would get on TV and talk about how much their sacrifice meant to the rest of us. Liars. They didn’t give a crap. Those same ”heroes” are now the enemy and being fired for not getting the vaccine. It makes me sick to think about.
You have to ask yourself one question. Do I have the strength to sacrifice myself for others?? It doesn’t have to be death. That is only good for one moment. Start small. Sacrifice your time. Listen to someone that doesn’t have anyone to talk to. Cook meals for homeless people on Thanksgiving. Be a foster parent to kids or dogs. Maybe both. Stop and pick up the litter you see. I watched a guy tonight walking his Golden Retriever that was munching on a plastic plant pot. I passed him with Annie, looked back at the street, and sure enough his dog dropped it and he kept on walking. I turned around and picked it up myself because I have character.
Sacrifice your money. Give to those in need. Pay for someones lunch. Do you know how great it feels to randomly pay for someones groceries that are obviously in need of a kind gesture. You got $70 to blow at the bar Friday and Saturday, but no money to help a struggling family??
Start small. Let a car merge in front of you on your way home. Talk to the elderly person two houses down like they are the only person in the world for an hour. Take your dog to a new park or on a walk instead of just opening the door and shoving your fur friend into the back yard. Buy a couple greeting cards and send them to old friends you haven’t talked to in years. Friendships are precious gifts so never take them for granted. In fact one could say ”Be thankful for the friendships you have”.
You have all the power to make your day and someone else’s wonderful. Use it.
Justice for Ryan Cooper. No one will forget him and we will search for the person/persons responsible forever. The truth will come out and you will be held accountable.
When I write these blogs I have a thought in my head that I can only get out by putting the words down on paper. I think about things constantly as the world around me changes I analyze everything in real time deciding how I feel about it. This is just the way I’m wired I guess and it isn’t changing at this point. The reason I say that is because yesterday was a roller coaster of emotion on my 8-9 hour drive to Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with my brothers family. I lived here for a good amount of time before I moved to Charlotte so quite of people in this small community know me as the better looking, smarter, definitely more intelligent brother.
I witnessed a semi truck drive over a car in Atlanta. I was on the phone with a business, when 2 lanes over (6 lanes at this point) a car tried to drive under a semi and was driven over. My immediate response was ”Oh My God” and I’m quite certain people lost their lives. It looked really bad, my heart broke for those involved, and I thought of their families getting ready for a fun holiday tomorrow/today with family only to have it become a tragedy. I drive A LOT. More than any of my friends. I’ve driven from Coast to Coast and from Canada to Mexico at least a dozen times. I am baffled by the horrible driving I witness daily.
Two hours after witnessing this accident I was caught up in traffic slowing to a stop and for the most part doing 5-10 mph for over 30 minutes. I finally got up to where the accident was only to see it was on the Northbound side of the Freeway. The only reason I was in stop and go traffic for 30 minutes was because looky-loos had to slow down and look at the crap sandwich on the other side of the freeway. I made a very sweet video about my feelings during this situation. If cursing offends you please don’t watch it. I believe in the 33 second video only 2 words are not cuss words. It is mostly for shock value and I hoped it would give my friends a laugh.
I made it to the exit in Southern Alabama and was only about 7 minutes from my LA (Lower Alabama) home. I pulled up to a very familiar intersection where lots of flashing lights were going on as the fire department was out directing traffic and not letting people turn left. I was going right at this T intersection, but still rolled down my window to confirm that was okay. I asked ”Can I go right??” and got this response from a sassy firewoman ”I don’t know, can you???”.
Clearly she knew who I was. FknBucky is famous. Thought you knew. I asked if my not as good looking as me brother was at the accident and she replied ”yes”. I asked if it was bad and she again said ”yes”. Little Brother has been on the volunteer fire department for almost a decade now and has seen a lot of bad things. Being this close to the freeway he has seen things most of us pray daily we will never have to witness. This part of the blog is going to be hard to read. People need to understand the consequences of doing stupid crap in a car.
The driver of the car thought it would be a good idea to pass other cars on this two lane highway. Accelerating to well over the speed limit the driver pulled out in the oncoming traffic lane and started to pass other drivers. I know this stretch of road and there is a town in about 10 miles. Even if they could do 80 miles an hour the whole way a person maybe would arrive 45 seconds sooner, but I’ll let you judge if that 45 seconds was worth the gamble. What is the wager Bucky?? Well, if you win you arrive to the 25 mile an hour zone and stop light 45 seconds sooner than if you had just drove the speed limit. If you lose people in your vehicle die.
While passing the cars it is believed a car came at this car so to avoid a head on collision the driver had to swerve quickly back into the correct lane. When they did this at extremely unsafe speeds this driver drove straight into the back of another vehicle. The vehicle lost control, flipped and rolled, and got all kinds of smashed up before finally coming to a rest. There were very bad injuries to the people in that all vehicles involved. I know of a similar accident where all 4 teenagers in the car were decapitated. Easily avoidable incidents like this happen way to often. In fact a few years ago about a couple hundred yards from my brothers house a group of kids were going to fast, swerved to miss a dog, lost control of the vehicle when it hit a concrete power line pole, and two 15 year old kids died. I wrote about that in a blog the day after.
I would much rather write a blog about being thankful for all the good in your life today. The truth is you should be thankful for everything. Instead I’m awake at 4 AM with this on my mind making it impossible to sleep until I get this out of my head. Just slow down. I see cars everyday that weave from one lane to the next cutting people off, passing on the right, and just driving like an asshole only to take the next exit. If this is you – KNOCK it off. If you constantly gamble the lives of people in your car and the lives of people in cars around you it is only a matter of time that you will lose the bet.
Life is beautiful. It is a gift. It is fragile and NOT guaranteed. It could be over too soon, but gambling your life on the way to Walmart is simply stupid. I write about this with a heavy heart, but if one person thinks about this blog, takes my advice to slow down, and not drive like an idiot it will be worth it. Please share this message with people you care about. The families of all the people involved in the accidents yesterday should be having a great day cooking a turkey today. Instead they are in shock, heartbroken, and possibly planning a funeral. 45 eff’ing Seconds…….
FknBucky
READ * THINK * LIVE FREE
Please take a moment to thank the volunteer Firemen/Firewomen and the volunteer Ambulance folks. They see things no one should have to witness and give their time to take care of others.
Justice for Ryan Cooper. We will not stop asking questions until they are answered. I am 2,000 miles away, but I still keep an line of communication with friends in Traer. They are as passionate and pissed off today as they were the day this happened. You can’t hide forever and the truth will come out.
I am what I would consider well traveled. I have barely scratched the surface on how much I want to travel as I would love to never spend a day in the same place. I thrive in this situation. Multiple times in my life I’ve gone on road trips across the USA without a plan. I would drive until dark, find a hotel, and then crash for the night. In the morning I would go to breakfast and ask locals what was cool around there to go see. A kind conversation with a local will always yield some great advice on what to go see. This is what we would do. Spend the day checking out the natural beauty of this world in a town I’ve never heard of and will most likely never return to. Once done we would drive a few hours until dark and repeat the same process. Here is a HUGE sentence so pay attention: ”You are not that busy, life is not that crazy, and whatever you are stressed out about is not impossible.”
For unknown reasons humans tend to build these imaginary walls around them and then complain they can’t get out of the box. You built the walls. You only have to decide to knock them down. Once again I say to you ”It is that simple.” STOP wasting time and days on things that don’t matter. You don’t get it Bucky, my problems are way harder than everyone else’s. To that I say Bullshit!! I can’t pay rent, Bucky. So what is stressing out about it solving?? Nothing. Get a part time job. Cancel cable. Stop stressing and start doing. Okay I’m getting off topic here. Doesn’t make it mean less though. Print this paragraph and staple it to your forehead.
My point today is don’t waste precious time. We don’t know when this amazing journey called life is going to end. I live in an apartment building close to Uptown Charlotte. It is nice enough, rent is fair, and over the last 6 years I’ve had a good number of next door neighbors that I talk to when I see them. My current neighbor is Chris. The day he moved in I was stealing his power. I had a power chair that needed charging in the back of my van. Instead of dragging it out, I used an extension cord, and plugged it in to his patio outlet. In my defense that apartment had been empty over a month so…. I came outside to see my cord unplugged and thrown back over the wall towards my van. My first thought was okay somebody moved in. I knocked on his door and apologized for stealing power. We talked, he explained he didn’t know what to do so he just unplugged it, and then gave me permission to use it anytime I needed.
His name is Chris and he died a couple days ago. He jogged daily and had a beautiful white mutt that he would take with him. Always a kind word and we would chat for a couple moments when we ran into each other in the hallway. Chris was only 26 years old. He was running a marathon which was a hobby of his, and collapsed near the finish line dead. I’m told his mother and step-father were at the finish line of the marathon and witnessed him collapsing. There was absolutely nothing anyone could do. He was just gone in an instant without warning. I can’t think of a more unfair situation. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, how many cool toys you have, or how long your bucket list is because when your ticket is punched, that is the end.
Chris’s death has to be insanely hard on his family, but I hope you, me, and everyone can use this tragedy to remind ourselves to stop waiting for the right time to start living. You have to start today. Right now. No more excuses. Writing is my passion. I love doing it and hope one day I will be good enough to make a living doing it. If you want to help that dream come true please give me 5 stars, sign up to have my blogs emailed to you when I publish one, share it with other people you know, and make comments below.
I didn’t know Chris super well, but I guarantee you that I’ll never forget him. I will use his story to fuel my drive and my relentless pursuit to make my dreams come true. To come full circle and tie in the beginning of this blog with the end I will tell you this. Traveling as I have, talking to people like I do, and just enjoying new people I am bound to know more tragedy. Learning wisdom from other peoples lives is a tool for a more enjoyable life, but you have to be willing to accept the message. Chris died at 26 doing everything right. If his story doesn’t light a fire in you I have no idea what will. You have complete control in your life. Make decisions your 80 year old self will be happy about. No ones turns 80 and thinks ”Man I should have wasted more time stressing over dumb crap.”
I don’t have pictures of Chris so I added one of Annabel. RIP neighbor. A true tragedy.
Learn to enjoy your day instead of constantly bitching about the long line at Walmart, the President, your kids, the neighbor with a loud car, or whatever else gets your panties bunched up. Life is either awesome or sucks. You get to decide. Choose wisely.
As mentioned before I will ask anyone that knows anything to please talk with authorities. Ryan Cooper was one of the kindest humans to be on this planet and his time here was cut short by some horrible person. I have other adjectives, but won’t put them in print. He deserves justice and I truly believe those responsible will be found and punished.
I look at the world objectively I think. I see things and think about them, analyze movements, differences from one time to another. I have a few friends that I’ve made along the way that can read situations and people as if they have a huge blinking sign above them. I’m kind of good at this sort of thing, but the few friends I speak of don’t even know they have this gift. One of them is a friend from high school and none of you would believe me if I told you who it was. I am in awe of it.
It is fall. It is cold. There are leaves everywhere. The ground, the road, sidewalks, my patio, and simply everywhere. I took Annie for a walk this AM and looked at all the leaves on the ramp we take everyday to the neighborhood we walk in. I remembered playing with her last year when she was about 6 months old. She loved the leaves. They crackled and I threw them in the air like bubbles a small child would blow. She would chase them around jumping and playing like those leaves were the coolest thing ever. It was fun, innocent, and a memory I have now. I didn’t think much of it until I watched her run up that ramp for the 900th time today and pay no attention to those leaves. One year ago they were the greatest, now they are nothing.
It happens to all of us. Things that were a must have one day become trivial and needless the next. A certain set of legos, a pair of shoes, a car you just have to have. As we get older we experience less “new” in our lives. We allow it to happen and it starts out very slow. Growing up there are lots of news. New toys, new friends, new experiences, traveling, sex, relationships, clubs, bars, drugs, drinking, and the list can go on, but at some point things become the same. The same friends, the same relationship, the same bar, the same job. You drive the same route to work everyday passing the same yellow civic on their way to work at 7:45 AM.
I think people get bored. The adventure of life is gone. I fall into this trap. Maybe that is why I moved across the country to a state I’ve never been to before at 38 years old. I am addicted to the adventure of life. I want to see everything, talk to everyone, and understand every culture there is. I dream of sailing around the world, putting the anchor down in some place I’ve never heard of, and then making lifelong friends that live there. I can’t think of a better way to live. I would leave today if the opportunity presented itself. If you’re a female (at birth) and this sounds like send me a message and lets do some crazy shit. ha.
Some people thrive in a structured environment. I think I thrive in chaos. I love people and things that are unpredictable. The world isn’t filled with people like me, but with those that follow the rules and do what is normal from what I can tell. Truth is most people have the ”action” gene in them, but it gets drowned out by the sounds of Get a Job, Raise a Family, Pay your Taxes, and all the rest of the noise drilled into our heads as we grow up. I’m not sure what the point of this blog is, but I felt like writing about it. I guess it is just important to remember to throw some leaves in the air once in a while. Be unpredictable. Give someone you hate a $100 bill.
Don’t worship money or possessions as they mean nothing. Nice to have nice things, but you can’t appreciate them if you’ve never been without them. Live however you want as long as it doesn’t hurt others. I’m tired of people telling others what they should and shouldn’t do. Get out of the rut and do things that scare you. I learned how to bake an apple pie from scratch simply because I wanted to see if I could do it. Then I made sure that it is the greatest apple pie ever. I’m just like you and forget to enjoy the leaves of life from time to time, but I write this blog to remind all of us that they only thing holding you back from adventure is you.
I wish you all a wonderful Sunday. The best way to help yourself is to help others.
Another week comes to an end. Summer 2021 has come to an end. In a week we will be in the last quarter of this year. How does time go by so fast?? I do quite a bit of reflecting on my life. I don’t mean looking back with regrets, but looking back to see how much progress I’ve made on my goals for life. I only have one question for you. If not now, then when??? When will you start your own business, when are going to travel to the place you dream of, when are you going to talk with the cute girl at the office?? If you start looking at life with ”when” instead of “what if” you will find it to be more rewarding.
What if is what dreamers ask. They secretly wish this and that happened or will happen with no real plan. Days, months, and years go by without any tangible progress towards the ”what if” you keep saying to yourself. What if I move? What if I go back to school? What if I talk to her? What if I go out on my own? While asking yourself these questions can be useful, it can also lead to negative thinking that always finds a way of coming true. In life you ALWAYS get what you think about. Read the book ”The Secret” if you haven’t already. If you have read it again. The issue of asking “what if” is the answers you give yourself. If I move, I won’t have friends there, if I go back to school and fail, if I talk to her she might not like me, and if I start my own business and don’t make it????
The negative answers always come and now you have already been unsuccessful without doing a darn thing. Seems like a bad plan to make your life awesome. Change your way of thinking by simply using a different word. When I move I’ll have the opportunity to start with a clean slate and the reality is your friends aren’t going anywhere. When I go back to school I’ll be on my way to building my self confidence, learn new skills, and be on way to making more money doing something I love. When I talk with her I may find out she has been waiting on my dumbass to say hello. When I start my own business I can finally start to do things my way and stop making others money.
I started my own business 2 years ago. COVID didn’t help, but there will always be challenges. If it wasn’t COVID there would be something else to overcome. Regardless of skin color, gender, rich, poor, sexuality, or any of the other labels media and politicians use to divide us there will be problems. If your parents did their job you will have no problems identifying them and solving them. You don’t understand Bucky. Some random guy called me a racist word in the grocery store parking lot. Perfect now you have an excuse to be angry and complain the world is against you. You give a lot of power to some ignorant moron you’ll never see again. I say ”Fuck that guy.” Not literally. Move on and forget it. Explain to me how arguing with idiots helps you reach your goals…
The beauty of being a ”when” thinker is you will subconsciously start to put a date on it. When I talk to that girl tomorrow I’ll know if she is interested or not, allowing me to stop wasting energy on the ”what if”. You might find out her Dad is the racist you ran into at the Piggly Wiggly which helps you decide if you want to raise little white power babies. Racism isn’t funny Bucky. Thanks for pointing out some obvious shit. Now move on and take this big sack of worthless anger with you. I hope one day you learn to just leave it and not fill that sack up in the first place. Lots of great people in this world, don’t waste time on crappy people, and learn to ask yourself “when” instead of “what if”.
Many times the things that I write are a reminder to me instead of a ”lesson” to you. I get caught up with the anger, the sadness, the fear of failure, and the worthless habit of blaming others for my problems. That last one will be another blog coming soon, but for today I really hope you use this blog as motivation to reflect on your own life to see what questions you’re asking.
I wrote this at 4 AM this morning, but just getting around to sharing it now. Not sure where this all came from, but it sounded good to me. I’m a when person and not a what if.
Life is pretty awesome when you allow it to be. We live in America (most of us as I have some very distant readers) which is the greatest country in the world. Mainly because I’m here. There are a lot of people, millions of people in fact, that we will never get to know. They are impossible to meet. They laid their lives down to protect future generations in this country. In my opinion you owe them the respect to understand exactly how big that price was they paid. I love reading history. There is so much we didn’t learn in high school or college. Simply posting a photo on social media of a widow at a gravestone is not showing the respect all of those fallen soldiers deserve. You are free to stand on a street corner and yell “America Sucks”, “America is racist”, or “America is the devil” because of brave men and women you will never meet.
This country isn’t perfect, but no where is. Simply look at where we used to be compared to where we are now. Eventually we get it right, but it never happens overnight. I say this A LOT because it is true. You can’t HATE something or someone into changing. You can love someone so much they have no choice to trust you and learn from you. You take the most racist white power asshole out there and when you scream HATE at him/her you only fuel that hatred. Set that same person down with a black person that only shows love and compassion to them for a real conversation. That changes things. Even the biggest of ignorance can not ignore that all those feelings of hate are based in fantasy land.
Being wrong is okay. It is okay as long as when reality slaps you in the face, you learn the lesson and change your heart. On this Memorial Day weekend please take the time to understand the freedoms we enjoy 365 days a years did not come cheap. America isn’t perfect, but we have the freedom to change. We have the freedom to lead by example. We have the freedom to chase our dreams. Ignorance, evil, and just crap people are never going away. No matter how many laws you make, catchy slogans you come up with, or how many people you hate for good these type of people will always be there. Learn to identify them and then forget about them.
On another note I wanted to share a cool story. Years ago on Memorial Day I wanted to honor those that gave up all for my freedoms so I drove to Balboa Park in San Diego. Awesome place by the way. They have numerous museums for this and that. I had no plan and just went. I ended up at a military museum that honored some remarkable people who did extraordinary things when the need arose. I am fascinated at the strength some people have in the hardest of situations. Without a doubt stories like this help me daily to deal with my own challenges. Remember people don’t judge you on the problems you face, but they do form opinions about you from the attitude and strength you have facing those problems.
I was in this museum for about 15 minutes when some guy came up and asked if I wanted to meet “Gunny”?? I had no idea what the heck he was talking about, but of course I said yes. He took me into the back room where all the drugs were. Wait wrong story. When the door opened I rolled thru it and there he was. R Lee Emny. Mr Full Metal Jacket himself. I thought well this is a cool surprise. Turns out he was there as a spokesman for WD-40 to give a check to some Veteran charity. I believe it was Wounded Warrior Foundation, but not 100% on that. Point is I had no idea, but I was able to talk with him for almost an hour in that back waiting area.
He was awesome and had some great stories to share. Fun how sometimes things just happen. The world is a pretty amazing place full of incredible people. Take the time to learn from individuals outside of your circle. As we get older our circles seem to get smaller. My favorite thing in the world is talking to people from somewhere I know nothing about. I didn’t even know Estonia was a country until I met a girl from there. I think it is in Australia. Ha.
Use this day to show respect and appreciation to those that gave their lives for an idea of freedom. Learn their stories, teach those that look up to you to have respect, and mostly simply lead by example.
Get your FknBucky shirt ordered! I appreciate you all.
It has been a while since I’ve published one of the blogs. I have been writing, but not that enthused with what was coming out. Things in this world get all twisted up and people are more than happy to jump on the victim train. Everyone is a victim because of this and that. Truthfully I feel sorry for people that have been trained to think this way. How do you find ways to be happy when all your problems are someone else’s fault?? Do you just sit in a corner crying until that person, company, or government finally stops in to fix everything for you??? What does that even look like??? Remember if all the “problems” get fixed you can’t be a victim anymore. Ever wonder why nothing gets done in Washington??? Victims like angry people are easier to control and make some loyal voters when the time comes.
Now in this crazy world there are real people that I would consider a victim. I read an article about one such person today and want to share some of his story with you. This guy thru a bunch of unfortunate decisions and circumstances was stuck on a cargo ship for 4 YEARS. All because some rich Arab dude didn’t want to spend $21,000 on an anchor. Well actually he got the anchor, but didn’t want to pay for it. The ship was in a port in Egypt which was not where this guy was from so the Egyptians wouldn’t let him in their country and made him stay on the ship. After a couple years he tried to escape, but the police would take him back and put his butt back on the ship.
The company that owned the ship started out by sending food and supplies, but slowly they pretty much stopped that as well. A few crew members were with him in the beginning, but slowly they said “deuces” and bounced out. He eventually caught scurvy or something like it and his teeth started falling out. The company actually took back a portion of his bonus because he was going to save money at the dentist now. I had this happen to me a couple years back. I was selling A LOT of products which helped my monthly commissions go up. The lady in charge of payroll emailed me to say “I was making more money than they anticipated and I would need to start paying for a storage unit that was in the companies name.”
The cost was $125 a month. Remember now as my commission went up so did theirs. They took 50% of all the commissions. To reward me for my hard work I didn’t get a thank you, a “good job”, but I did get a $1,500 pay cut. When I told them to go fuck off, I got a naughty slip in my permanent file for being rude. Personally I think she got off easy. Here is the point. My old company is a Dick. Oh wait cargo ship. The guy who was stuck on the ship – his company is a Dick as well. 4 years!! Legit four years they poor guy was stuck on a massive ship with two of those years being alone without proper food and water.
He tried to send distress signals from the ship only to be told to knock it off by the Egyptian authorities. When things finally got to much to handle you launched a lifeboat only to be turned around by the authorities AGAIN. He pleaded for them to put him in jail as it would be better than the solitary hell he was living on the cargo ship. They said NO because he didn’t break any laws. Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten that America is the devil, we are all racist pricks, and the horrible treatment of immigrants is the worst in the world. I mean in Egypt you get your own 330’ cargo ship to await your never coming go home papers.
The fact that a man can be left on a ship for 4 years in 2021 is beyond me. All he needed was for one person to look at his situation and say “wait a minute”, but that didn’t happen. Hopefully he writes a book about his ordeal and makes a lot of money from it. It had to be a mental mind screw being stuck on that ship with no end date. What a nightmare. We get so wrapped up in our own lives and problems that we can lose sight of how great we actually have it. I tease about America being the devil. I love this country and I’m very proud of Americans in general most of the time. There are always whackos out there making the rest of us look foolish. On the Left and Right. They suck.
I know I say this often and that must make it true. Don’t forget to appreciate what and who you have right now. Today. You might get stuck on a ship for 4 years tomorrow. Most likely not, but you could die tomorrow and it would double suck if you spent all of today complaining about how unfair the world is to you. Don’t be a victim. Be an inspiration.
Do kind things for strangers. You’re life will improve instantly.
1921. That is forever ago. I looked up the number one song for that year. It is the most racist thing I’ve seen in a long time. I will not be going that route for the blog today. 1921 is when Prince Philip was born. I think the Royals are stupid, but only the young ones. They’ve become a Kardashian reality show and I give them zero time or thought. Now Prince Philip is a very interesting fellow. He married the princess that would become a Queen of England forever. She will never die. She eats children burgers. Haha. Told you it isn’t going away. Where do you think Pippa learned it from?? If 23 year old Bucky met Pippa I would be writing this blog from Buckingham palace. The place is pretty much named after me so… There was a time. My game was strong. Alright I have a thousand fun stories, but its not that kind of blog.
I love to travel, to experience life and new things, and truly inject myself into something different. I think that is why I have moved so many times. That and the warrants. Can you imagine the stories Prince Philip must have had?? Unlimited money to go anywhere you wanted. That would be cool, but on the other hand he never got to experience real life in those places. Everyone catered to him and treated him like royalty. You don’t understand a place without spending a couple days with the locals. Think of Rose in the movie Titanic. She had this lavish lifestyle, but never really lived until she went below deck and got loaded with the peasants. Good thing she did too or no way is Leo giving up that door.
I used to have a joke when I was about 23. I would cheers everyone at the table and say we are celebrating!! When asked why, I would respond with my future wife was born today. I’ve had to change that up a bit as I get older because it is more creepy than funny when I’m in my 40’s. Now I cheers and say “she got her first job as a gas station clerk” today!! Let’s face it. A 22 year old girl that marries me is most likely not going to be college educated. It is okay I have it all planned out. We get married, I throw a couple kids in her, and then 11 years later I’m worth 600K in life insurance and perish in a mysterious house fire that was started with C4 explosives. Sounds more fun than dying of prostate cancer or some crap. Wow. I completely forgot what the heck I was writing about.
Back on track. They are having a funeral for Prince Phil today and just take a moment to think of all the things he lived thru. WW2, the Beatles, air in shoes, airplanes, cars, going to the moon, and the best of them all, you get to pick what gender you are regardless of the plumbing!! What is not to love there?? He did fight in WW2 and was the recipient of a good number of medals. I’ll let you google him and read up on like I did. You won’t do it though so there is that. Face it you’re still thinking about later tonight when you’re at the bar and can use my joke. Go ahead it is funny. Fat Karen might even let you take a ride tonight. Enjoy that.
100 years is a long time to live. I’m fascinated by people that have been on Earth that long. My Grandmother being one of them. The stories they tell of different times and hardships. We are spoiled as people now. Most people don’t work for anything. You aren’t growing a garden to be able to can vegetables in the fall so you can feed your family over the winter. You aren’t milking cows, feeding chickens, or cutting firewood to simply survive. Nope. You complain if the air conditioner doesn’t work fast enough.
I admire Prince Philip. From everything I read he was a very good person. On his own he was a mans man. He didn’t have to take a back seat for anyone except for the Queen. To me it is admirable that he did do this. He must have really loved her. I think that is pretty cool. My guess is the Queen won’t live much longer mainly because she is 1,000 years old already, but losing her partner after all these years will most likely take a toll on her and truthfully whatever does happen after life on Earth she needs to be with Philip. I mean all of that in a kind way. Really I do.
I was pretty tough on the Royals a few weeks back, but thats because of the new drama Queen BS they have become. I’ve read about the Queen and Prince Philip and respect them both. So Rest In Peace Prince Phil. You’ve earned it.
Be kind to others. The only way to make the world better is for you to make yourself better. Think about it.
FknBucky 