Christmas at Graceland

Bubbie is hard at work with some Christmas music playing in the background. It’s sad but Bubbie’s life has been so hectic that he can't even get his mind around the fact that Christmas is just around the corner. Deeply engrossed in his work he barely notices the moving music in the background. Then it comes over him like the warmth of a fire when coming in from a snowy day; it is Elvis. Bubbie stops and leans back to soak in the beautiful voice cascading from his speakers and it occurs to him; with all of the hype and absurdity, and irreverence of corny impersonators, he had a beautiful voice and most of the time, knew how to use it. God bless you Elvis, rest in peace.

A Visiting Daisy

It was a warm winter’s day; you know, one of those rare days when the sky is blue and cloudless and you can stay outside for just a short while in your shirt sleeves. Bubbie hadn’t planned to do much that day, but decided to take advantage of it and get some chores done. He knew he had to work fast because the days are short and before long the dusk will fall along with the temperature.

He hadn’t got too far along when his cousin Daisy stopped by for a visit. He was glad to see her and though he knew her visit would take away from his getting his chores done, he knew that spending time with her was more important in the long run, so he invited her to stay and spend some time.

After some cordial pleasantries and chit chat catching one another up about the latest news, Daisy jokingly mentioned that she might have something done with her hair. You see, she hasn’t had it cut in years and years, and her blonde locks are very long and thick but in Bubbie’s view, it seemed as though—to Daisy—it was much like Samson’s mighty mane. It was a symbol of her strength and independence. If pressed on the topic she’ll espouse a tenacious yarn of how she ain’t gonna have no one (uh, most likely her husband) tell her how she wears her hair, or how to do anything else and how a girl has gotta fight harder for everything in this world. Well, that got Bubbie to thinking.

There are some things that we believe are worth fighting for. We are so passionately bound to our principles that we’ll take anyone to the mat over them. What Bubbie is not mulling over whether you should or shouldn’t but how far do you take it? Do we ever take the time to assess our rationality for our beliefs? Do we consider the consequences of standing strong on an issue? If not, one may be perceived as being a stubborn person. On the other hand if you were to fight with an open mind, one might not have to fight at all.

Well Daisy didn’t stay long ‘cause she knew Bubbie had chores to finish; she is always thoughtful that way. Bubbie got back at it and finished most of what he started but the quandary of stubbornness stayed on his mind. He reckons that from now on he’ll try to consider is position when he feels his ire rising. He’ll try to take the time to look deeper into why he takes that position, for instance, is it morally right or a personal hurt that needs healing?

Oh Deer, Where Do We Go From Here?

It's hunting season and Bubbie has one deer carcass in the freezer and a tag left to fill. It's a long winter and a couple deer will help keep food on the table until the spring. Bubbie pauses because something is on his mind and it's a burden. He has been trying to refrain from expounding on political topics, but his view is clouded and he needs some help in understanding how we invaded a country, captured it’s leader, dismantled it’s army and yet we are losing the war?

The Iraq Study Group Report has been published and Robert Michael Gates, Ph.D. was confirmed as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense on December 6, 2006, and is scheduled to be sworn in to that position on December 18. He’s replacing Rummy, who has failed, and during his confirmation hearing he agreed with the report and stated that “We are losing the war in Iraq.” Well, as refreshing as that is, it’s perplexing as well. It seems that Bubbie’s government is speaking in a language he can now understand, yet all they are saying is the obvious. What Bubbie hears is hindsight spoken as future tense. It’s all so strange.

He grabs his rifle and wanders off into the woods to do a little more hunting. The air is fresh and life still feels worth living.

Is It Me?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Is it me, or is the world a mess?” Don’t waste your time debating the answer—it’s you. I mean, of course the world is a mess; it’s the status quo. It is you because you are an individual. Your thoughts, morals, principles, values, and ethics give you a perspective that should be different than the rest of the world.

Bubbie has had a recent string of events that have left him disgusted, annoyed, and feeling like an alien in his own box. So it is Bubbie. He is different and should honor that.