patriotism...it's a work in progress.

Let's just say i'm no Lee Greenwood. I've taken issue with the military life for a while now. And it wasn't until recently that i addressed these issues to myself and said "alright, Dayton...since you say you have a problem with these military folk, let's get it out. Let's get down to some understanding. After all, your grandfather and uncle are veterens."

So i did exactly that. I had a knock-down, drag-out bash fest on the military. And here are some things i came up with:
- it's outstandingly expensive to maintain
- for as much discipline people develop in training it sure seems to be poorly managed
- it desensitizes humanity
- recruiters are annoying...there's a line between not taking no for an answer and not listening.
- being in active duty and married seems really selfish. you can't be in Asia and small town U.S.A and effectively raise a family. i just don't get how you can do that to a family.

"Alright, Dayton." i said to myself, "let's understand it." So i tried to make some counter points:
- to borrow a quote from john lennon (yes, John Lennon), "it's less expensive than one human life." yeah he was talking about other things but let me have this one.
- so is the Church
- there's a certain admiration in persistance. it took Mr. Thomas Alva Edison thousands of tries before the light bulb responded positively (ha, positive electrical current).
-

I couldn't come up with one. I was stuck in my little bubble of narrowmindedness until i found a video that a friend of mine (Miss Kasey Chaumont) posted on her facebook. Now, the video isn't originally her's, so don't everyone go break down her door trying to pat her on the back...not for that at least...she says she likes to make sweetly baked delicious tokens of awesomeness...but that's TBD. I'm trying to find out first hand but i don't have a birthday coming up. I need to find some excuses to get a cake (or cupcakes! i've explicitly stated that they are an acceptable alternative).

So i'm a guy that goes on a tangent about cupcakes. You can see why i've been apprehensive about embracing military concepts. It's just how i've always seen the world. I've always thought a better alternative to bombings is air raids with cupcakes, droppin' all kinda cupcakes out of the sky on unsuspecting civilians would do much more in terms of diplomacy than blowing up stuff. People work hard on those buildings. Maybe they could use cupcake drops as a warning then the next time through pass by with bombs...i mean...if i were to get bombed later, i'd sure appreciate a cupcake now, just sayin'.

But i digress.

This video is a montage of a bunch of soldiers surprising their loved ones in an unexpected return from a "tour of duty" (still have a problem with it being termed a tour). So i started watching it and almost immediately i felt like a moron. It's like a little light bulb tapped me on the brain and said, "hey, idiot, look over here...at the screen. you were wrong." Aaaannnndd i was wrong.

These men and women are anything but selfish...some the most selfless people you and i will ever meet. Then i realized that my negativity was a twisted version of the admiration i have for these guys. These men and women aren't leaving their families; they're serving them by their commitment to keep our country free from harm (no matter how much we abuse it). It'd been a while since i'd been humbled, and it came at the right time in an appropriate manner. Inspiration is a powerful thing. It can take you from apprehension to appreciation in the matter of seconds. So i'm going to try to put this link up. I hope you can follow it one way or another.

click video link

And so Thank you, all you men and women who serve. And to the families, you are in my prayers.

Peace,
Daytona



"To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing." - Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

Roller coasters...

Hello.

Contrary to their names they typically don't take you on a gentle, sweet little coast around the park. They're typically for those thrill seeking individuals who wouldn't mind seeing the theme park corn dog and funnel cake from earlier that day (they're also not mobile cup place mat devices used to keep condensation off of a typically wooden surface...though few make that comparative error...but now that i think of it, there may be an untapped market for coaster afficionadoes out there...but then again, i suppose the proper term for my idea would be 'rolling' coasters).

So as fact would have it, whether it be in a theme park or sliding your drink to the other end of the coffee table, roller coasters pique excitement! They go hand-in-hand...like fish in water. Well, maybe Louisiana and good food, seeing as fish don't have hands (just lucky fins), but the point remains. Roller coasters are exciting.

They're a lot like this wonderful thing we call life. How? I'm so glad you asked. A few come to mind:

- You're not in control. Sure you can lift your hands, tuck in your feet, close your eyes and other things to make the ride more (or less) interesting, but (unless you designed the track) you can't control where it takes you. There's a track operator who gets to call all the shots...you can ask him about it when you get to the end.

- You get out what you put in. Say you strap yourself in with a grumpy attitude, all sour and laaaammmeeee. What's your summary going to be like when the ride ends? "It was terrible! We kept getting thrown around from side to side and going upside-down. Half the time i didn't know which way was up! Grumble, bumble, grumble." (translate: i'm going to do everything i can to keep from enjoying life). Now, say you attack it with an enthusiasm unbeknownst to mankind. What's your summary going to be like when the ride ends? "It was awesome! We kept going back and forth from side to side and going upside-down. Half the time i didn't know which way was up! Happy, happy, happy." (translate: i'm going to embrace the unknown and make the most of it).

- It teaches us lessons. More specifically. It's best if you live in the moment (don't do it, Eve!). Now, don't get me wrong...the past is important, and the future is too, but all we have is now to do what we do...(i couldn't resist the rhyme. deal with it)...

- It's more memorable when you have people to share it with.

- You're gonna call on God...one way or another.

- It may terrify you, and that's okay. Fear isn't a bad thing, it's what we do with it that shapes our character.

Now, i'd like to call upon my good friends Robyn Rihanna Fenty and Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. to help bring my point across. Thank you.