March | 2014 | BulgingButtons

March 8, 2014
by BulgingButtons 6 Comments

Hawai’i Revisited or Where Shall I Live?

This afternoon I came home to find the tv on public television. My son was in the other room playing a video game and my sweetheart was steaming the tile floor in the living room. It appeared that the dog was enjoying the show, though. I don’t blame her.

Our PBS station is doing one of their fund drives, and today they aired a beautiful show about Hawai’i. It was mainly just scenery with some Hawai’ian music and commentary from various authorities on different aspects of Hawai’i and Hawai’ian culture, such as historians, botanists, surfers, and so on. It was breath-taking.

The program took me right back to my winter vacation where I had the pleasure of visiting this paradise on earth. I loved it there. The climate, the scenery, the beaches, the people, all were incredible. I hope to go back someday.

The whole experience makes me think about why we live where we do. I live in the desert southwest. I wasn’t raised here. I was raised in a wonderful old rust belt city known for chicken wings and blizzards. It is a fantastic town and a great place to visit every summer. It does have a few issues, though, the snow being one of them.

Many years ago I decided that I didn’t want to live there anymore. I wanted to live in the sunshine. I wanted to live where people could make a living doing what they wanted to do without having to know twenty people to get a job. I wanted to live in a place where the economy was growing, not dying. Things change, including the economy, but I’ve never regretted my decision to leave my hometown.

I’ve been in my adopted state for over two decades, and I still love it, but I love Hawai’i too. Would I like to live there? I might. Yes, it’s pretty far from the rest of the world, but I imagine loved ones would make the effort to visit. Why wouldn’t they? Oh yes, the cost and distance. I like Texas too. I never spent much time there until I met my sweetheart, but since then we’ve been there three times, and each time I’ve liked it more. I could picture myself living there too, where the summers aren’t quite as harsh as they are here.

Still, this has become my home, and I really like it. My son was born here and his father and grandparents live here. I’m in no hurry to pull up stakes and start again elsewhere. I have friends here and a career. Still, maybe someday I’ll go somewhere else. I’m hardly a rolling stone, but I’m not rooted to one spot either.

March 6, 2014
by BulgingButtons 9 Comments

What is Wrong With People?

I try to be positive. I try to focus on the good in people and situations. I really do.

Right now, however, I’m struggling with finding positives. The problem is, I’ve been reading news stories on my homepage. They are absolutely horrific. I don’t want to repeat them and give them more life here in this blog, nor do I want to dwell in these negative stories, but I do feel the need to comment.

What kind of person could hurt a puppy?

I am saddened by the stories I read today that feature someone who is in some sort of position of power or control over someone else. In more than one of these stories their behavior was horrifyingly brutal, leading to the loss of life of an innocent. I’m shocked and disturbed by these stories. One featured a teen and a younger child, the other a police officer and a puppy. I felt the joy drain out of me as I read these. I am horrified.

There is so much good in the world. There are so many wonderful teens who are loving and caring and help others everyday. There are many more police officers who are compassionate and brave rather than brutal and cowardly, at least that’s what I believe. So what do I do? Bury my head in the sand and ignore the news stories? Pretend that these stories of cruelty don’t bother me? Of the two I prefer to ignore them.

It’s not that I think they will stop happening if I don’t pay attention, but at least those stories won’t steal my joy if I don’t give them my attention. I do, however, worry about turning a blind eye. I feel like we must be witnesses to the evil in the world so that we can contribute to ending it. I don’t know how to do that, other than to contribute in positive ways everyday. If we all did that, maybe there wouldn’t be so many damaged, angry people causing so much harm in the world.

March 4, 2014
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Goodbye Zebra Mules

I should have said goodbye years ago, but I just wasn’t ready. In fact I sort of forgot about them. Oh sure, I saw them in my closet everyday, but they were just sort of there. I wasn’t wearing them. They were too snazzy, the heels too high.

I remember when I got them. I fell in love instantly. They were the most ridiculously impractical shoes you could imagine. Faux zebra skin mules with silvery faux snakeskin trim. They sound hideous. They were fabulous.

I remember when I first laid eyes on them. I didn’t need zebra print mules, I mean, who really does? But I had to have them. They were too wonderful to pass up, and they were reasonably priced. Sold!

I wore them from time to time, and every time I got compliments on them. Of course, as sort of a novelty item, they didn’t come out of my closet often.

At some point they just kind of gave out. They gave me several years of service, but the weight I expected them to bear was too much. One of them split from the sole along the side. I told myself a shoemaker could fix it, but I never got around to taking them in. I put them aside, but held on to them. Someday, I would have them fixed. Someday.

Tonight I tried on my new dress. Wow. It looked fantastic and I felt like a million bucks, but I needed shoes. There they were! The old zebra mules called to me. They would be the perfect compliment to the dress. I slipped them on and they looked fantastic, except they felt weird. Oh yeah, the side was split. Damn.

Time to face facts. I will never take those shoes to be repaired. Their time has passed. They served their purpose. Tonight I said goodbye to them. They were fabulous shoes and I loved them, but now I have room in the closet for a new pair. Hopefully I can find a pair just as fantastic.