Fortune Cookies

As I sat in the local brew house this evening watching my friends through a haze of pipe smoke, I began to contemplate fortune. Were one to ask me prior to this year, I would have spoken of fortune, luck or prosperity (whichever you prefer) as a cumulative effects of the events of ones life and how they form the person one becomes. If one were to ask me about mine,I likely would have replied that my fortunes were a mixed bag or outright negative. That of course is considering only the events of my own life. But lately I have had reason to rethink that response. It strikes me now as a bit egocentric. Even more so considering the bitter (if tongue-in-cheek) Valentines day rants I like to post. It's worth considering the idea that the good fortune of the people whom are important to you can have an equal effect on you if you let it. Energy spent in celebrating the happiness of others is certainly energy well spent. Seeing friends who love can instill equal measures of love in your own heart. Seeing friends who rejoice in overcoming adversity can make you stronger in meeting adversity of your own. Seeing friends stand against the world makes you stand taller in your own spirit. More than once I've watched this idea play out but was usually too busy with my misfortunes to give it any thought. However, tonight the circumstances were right to see the frayed edge of that thread and give it a tug. Am I a better man for watching the people I love walk an easier path? The answer is a firm and joyful yes. And that answer is enough to take the sting from most blows life can deal me. -B-

Time to rant... So Isaac has passed and we never really got hit. But it's been a full week of checking and re-checking preparations and making sure everyone knew the emergency plans should they be needed. But now that the danger (minor though it may have been) has passed, I can relax and think about how fast things seemed to break down here. In three days our little town was stripped bare of necessary supplies and tensions rose to the point of desperation. And this with almost no disruption in normal infrastructure. We never got anything worse than a stiff thunderstorm. A few hardcore souls were calm but that was the exception not the rule. The general public was an embarrassment to humanity. Had this actually developed into an emergency situation, most of this town would have been destroyed not by the storm, but by the sheer panicked foolishness of people who never plan further than their next night of TV. Living in an area where there is an established "hurricane season" every year should be an indicator that you should prepare for a hurricane... every year. When nobody is prepared then you, the general public, become a mob. Shame on you. We dodged the bullet this time so learn your lesson and figure out how to live without the internet and you electric stove. Those of you who had to work this week know what I'm talking about. I feel fortunate to have been both calm and prepared. For that I have to thank my dear Mom and Step-Dad for putting the effort into instilling common sense, confidence and faith into their wayward son. They also saw my fascination with prepping not as a paranoid phase but as a valuable skill set and supported it with many gifts of gear and reference material. Thanks guys for teaching me that walking in the Valley isn't a pretty verse. It's a mindset, a lifestyle and an act of faith. When the REAL storms come I'm ready baby!