Famous Last Words Week 6

I know I am supposed to be writing a poem and I have one that I will post next week, but for now I wanna tell you about something today that broke my heart and made me smile all in the same moment.

For some reason today when I woke up I just knew it was going to be a great day. I don't know why but I just felt like today was going to be a great day. I work as a server, and today was a Sunday shift, which most weeks is the worst shift because of the volume of business. Dealing with the public has its ups and downs, and for some reason Sundays are usually downs. I don't know what it is, but church brings out the evil in people it seems. I don't know why, whenever I go to church I feel amazing afterwards, but for some reason when the church crowd hits the doors and get sat down to eat their manners seem to disappear. I'm used to being treated like a servant because let's face it that is what I am, but some of the things I see on Sundays takes it too far. The complaining about this and that just makes me wanna tell people to shut up and stay home. The way people talk to me makes me think that they don't realize that I get paid 2.13 an hour and that I am a pretty big guy that is more than capable of finding another job. It just seems like on Sunday Guests will treat you and speak to you in ways they would not do if you were in some other public setting. Today however was different, people were amazing to me and truly having the Guests that I had today is the reason why I love doing what I do. Work went by in a flash.

When I got home I turned on the t.v. and watched my Niners win, so that is always a huge uplifting feeling for me. After the game I went out to our sun room/deck to sit down and watch my brother's daughters play in the backyard. Holly, my brothers wife was putting the shish ka bobs on the grill and my brother was on the lawnmower mowing the lawn. I looked over and watched Emma running.

Emma was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma ( I hope that is how it is spelled) on her first birthday. It was a very hard time in our lives. I have been with Emma since the day she was born. My Brother and his wife had just moved back to Oklahoma from Texas so he could open up a new store. He worked long hours and his wife did too. On the day Emma was born I was sitting outside the delivery room and my brother walked out and we hugged each other and shared some tears. It was an amazing moment. Holding Emma for the first time was a feeling I had only experienced once before when my son was born. My brother and I are twins and to say that we are close doesn't really do our relationship justice.

So much of our younger years were spent fighting over stupid things. I look back now and think, "man I wish I had those years back" because one thing a new life reminds you of is an old life. I love my brother more than I can express, I just think he is a great man, in every sense of the word "GREAT." He works hard, he is a great dad, amazing husband, and my biggest fan. When I have any kind of success he is the first one to call me tell me that he is proud of me, but what really makes me feel good is when other people talk to me about the things he says about me. My brother is always bragging on me. I hope everyone of you has someone in your corner that is always showering people you don't know with positive and proud words about you. It is a great feeling to have.

Like I said when Emma was born my brother was working long hours and Holly was back at work soon after we brought Emma home. I was the owner of a bar at the time so most days I wouldn't get home till the early mornings. Most days when Holly went to work I would be the one to take care of Emma. I would just place her little body on my chest why I lied on the couch and feel her little heartbeat against mine. I'd kiss her forehead and whisper "I love you" to her while she would just sleep on my chest. I loved being there with, even though I was exhausted, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

So when Emma was diagnosed I felt the pain of a father along with my brother. I was scared, I had only gotten a year with babygirl and I'm sorry, but I'm greedy and wanted many more years. Babygirl went through surgery after surgery and so many Chemo treatments before she was able to ring the bell at the OU Medical Center. One of the surgeries that she had to have was the removal of her thigh muscle.

Today as I watched her running around in the yard I noticed how much she limped and it broke my heart. My heart was broken because my babygirl would forever be scared and different. Whether your a parent or an uncle the one thing you never want is for your loved one to be different from the "Normal" kids because kids can be cruel. I started thinking about her as she played with her pom pom that she got from her cheerleader camp and realized that it was a real possibility that she wouldn't be able to be a cheerleader. Then I started thinking about all the limitations she would have and I choked back tears, even now as I type this post and I start to think about it I am choking back tears. Life is hard enough without having to grow up different. "It's just not fair" I thought to myself. Then I stopped looking at her run around and starting listening to her.

She was laughing. I looked at her face and she had a big smile. My babygirl wasn't upset about the things she wouldn't be able to do. She never even thought about it. She is just happy as can be. I hear her yell at her dad, so he turns off the mower and she crawls in his lap and tells him she loves him. Then Josh turned the mower back on and started mowing with her driving. She laughed even louder. I was filled with so much pride because I knew right then that she was going to be an amazing, strong, beautiful, and unique woman. My niece is not "different", she is "UNIQUE," and that is something every parent hopes their child is, unique.

Then I looked at Babygirl's little sister B&E (I call her that because she is always breaking into my room to steal my guitar picks, it stands for Breaking and Entering) and B&E was laughing and have a good time. I looked at my brother and look of joy he had on his face while driving his daughter around, and saw Holly look at him and smile as she watched him play with the girls, and I thought to myself that I really do have an amazing life.

There are so many things that happen in a day that can bring you down. People will say and do things that will anger you or hurt your feelings, but when that happens I hope that all of you have something unique in your life that you can think about that makes you realize how Awesome your life is and that the little annoying things in your day that you have to deal with are just that; Little. I am so blessed to have a life that is Unique.

"LOVE sculpture NY" by Hu Totya - Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LOVE_sculpture_NY.JPG#mediaviewer/File:LOVE_sculpture_NY.JPG

YouTube Tech Tip

Here is one of my favorite songs of all time because it really helped me when my niece was going through Chemo Treatments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhh4phuNty0

Story Telling Week 6

Me, Myself, and I Drank the Water

By Dimcioassie (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ok we are back where we started, but something’s different, look I have a beard now and I look like I’ve been in the wilderness and I remember it being sunny, but it is raining and what is my brother Lance doing there with me, I mean I don’t even have a brother. See what I mean nothing makes sense, even though it is all so familiar. Listen to Brian, I know I have been here for a few months but he is talking to me and Lance like it is our first day, what is he saying?

Personal Pic from September 2013

“Listen I don’t care if you Daddy did own the last dealership you worked at, here you two are just a couple of Green Peas. If you don’t sell a car on your first day then you don’t have a job on your second day. Do you understand what I am sayig, and since your daddy exiled you from his car lot this is the only place you can go, so I suggest you get out there on point and take some Ups”

The birds there they go again, what are they saying, I think I can understand them, I know I need to listen to them.

Picture of a crow by minicooper93402 websource Flickr.com

“We know who you are, we will serve you well, one of us now and the other later, the water, the water, the impala, the zoo, the mall, we know who you are and we will serve you well”

Where at they goin? Wait what did you mean? Come back here! Don’t leave you stupid birds! Oh there I am by that car that just pulled in, is that who I think it is, oh my god it is, it’s Sara Thompson. Look at her, she looks exactly the same. Nothing about her is different, still so stunning, I can barely catch my breath from looking at her. 

Created By Prairie Kittin Persephone, Goddess of Spring Created for Marcus Ranum Challenge #70License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

What am I doing, is she here to buy a car? Who is with her, is that her dad? This is different than I remember, I did not sell her a car today, I didn’t talk to anyone, I came to work, went to my office got a drink of water and passed out. Come on let’s go to my office and check the calendar, yeah see it is the same day. Oh here I come, look I have the same clothes on but my face is different. See look I just tripped and fell against the wall and knocked the picture off the wall, but that isn’t how I remember it happening. Wait I think I understand now, come with me to the kitchen I have an idea. 

Here look, I am gonna try to open this fridge, see it works. The water, yeah if I can pour them out I can stop the universes from being destroyed. I don’t know why, but for some reason after I drank this water everything changed, it’s like it set off a chain of events that rippled through the universes, but if I can stop it from happening, well just trust me everything will work out fine, yeah I understand it now. 

I can’t touch the water, this is weird, I mean I can touch other things but I can’t touch the water, it’s like reaching for a ghost. Wait I have an idea, hand me that sticky note, I must not have been the first one of us to figure this out. Ok here put that note on the water. There that should do it, unless it was me that wrote do not drink to myself before, but maybe this me will listen.

By Nemo/31098 pixabay.com no attribution required

Here I come, no, no, no stupid stay away from the water, don’t drink it. Oh I hate this part, wait, why am I feeling like this again. I can feel it, I hate this part, it’s different than before, like all of us are being pulled into one, oh the room it’s spinning, I can feel myself falling this is going to hurt……..

Authors Notes:

Okay, this part of the story is not going to make much sense, actually even less sense than the rest of the story, yes this is still a retelling of the Ramayana, and if you pay attention at the beginning you will catch on that this is part that Rama has been exiled into the wilderness, though as I have said this is a retelling so one key part, the marriage of Rama and Sita is a bit out of sequence. This is an important part of the story because at this point in the story some of the things that made no sense will begin to be answered, this is really a two part storytelling post, so next week post will pick up where this one left off and the story will be told in a more linear fashion, along with a change in voice, so far this story has been told in third person storytelling, and that will continue but it will be a little different.

Reading Diary B

The army marches toward Lanka.

The ocean god tells Rama he will help him, and a monkey throws stones into the water because he has the ability to makes things float.

Ravana is in his meeting before the war with Rama.

While all others agree, his brother tells him to return Sita back to Rama.

Vibrissa tells him that Rama will kill him, and this angers Ravana even more.

Vibishina gives him a third plea to return Sita, and Ravana tells him to get out, so Vibishina leaves with four of his loyal Knights.

Vibishina sees Hanuman and asks for Rama’s forgiveness and Hanuman tells him that he will support him.

Vibishina tells Rama that he will help him but can not fight against his brother or his people.

Sugreeva thinks Vibishina is a spy and Hanuman tells Rama that Vibishina saved his life and Rama says that Vibishina is welcome, and this is an example that not all Rakshana are not evil.

The opening battle begins, with the youngest warriors fighting Rama’s army first. They are defeated and then Ravana sends out the veterans.

The animals trick Ravana’s army into thinking that they are retreating to get them to come closer and then separate them from the rest of the army.

The bridge builder fights Prahasta

Nala kills Prahasta

The army returns in shame to lanka, Nala is wounded.

Kumbhakarna is woken up by Ravana and it takes an army of people to wake him, when he is finally awake he is hungry and feasts on food then goes to Ravana. Kumbhakarma tells Ravana to return Sita, and again it is another ignored warning. When Ravana refuses Kumbhakarma goes out to face Rama and is defeated.

Before Kumbhakarma agrees to fight Rama he reminds Ravana that he is not immune to animals and that he can be killed.

Ravana is filled with rage and sadness at the death of his brother.

He then says that he no longer fights Rama for Sita and instead not he must avenge is brother.

Indrajit then appears and tells his father that he will defeat Rama, he then starts a smokeless fire.

Indrajit climbs in his chariot with the arrows he won from Indra.

Indrajit kills sugreeva with an axe, prince angada with 33 arrows, Nala with an iron hook, the bear king with 10 diamond tipped arrows, Hanuman with a magical sword, Lakshmana and Rama with arrows, and injures Vibishina with a spear.

Indrajit then returns to Lanka, and sends a message to Ravana that Rama is dead.

Vibishina brings all of them back to life.

The Bear kings explains that as long as Hanuman is alive the army can not die.

Hanuman is sent on a journey to get medicinal plants from the Hamalaya Hill.

The plants saw Hanuman coming and went back into the ground so Hanuman took the entire mountain back to the battlefield. The plants heat up and when Hanuman arrives to the battlefield the scent alone revives Rama’s army, and Hanuman return to hill back where he got it.

Hanuman is a hero.

Ravana asks his son for help again and Indrajit tells him that Rama will win this battle. Indrajit tells his father that everything is just an illusion, then creates a image of Sita and pretends to kill her. All the monkeys cry. Vibishina appears beside the bear king, Hanuman, and Lakshmana and tells them that this is just an illusion. To prove it he disfigures his own face but shows them it was just magic. He then tells them that he will make Indrajit’s Chariot visible.

Once Indrajit is revealed Lakshmana attacks Indrajit as he is making an offering. Indrajit then challenges him to battle and Lakshmana kills Indrajit.

Ravana is saddened by the death of his son and decides to go out and meet Rama in combat.

Reading Diary A

The vulture was going to eat the monkeys until he overheard Hunaman telling the story of Sita and the bravery of Jataya. The Monkeys wanted to die until Simpati told them that Sita was in Lanka.

Simpati saw Ravana flying to Lanka with Sita.

The monkeys get Simpati some food and while he eat he grows new feathers.

The monkeys go to the shore and Hunuman is exposed as the son of the wind. Hunuman jumps across the ocean.

The city has four gates facing four direction, golden walls, elephants under the gates and demon bowman guarding it.

Hunuman takes the form of a silver cat and puts rama’s ring around his neck.

At midnight hunuman began to search for Sita.

In the center of the city Hunuman jumps over the wall and searches the palace grounds. He sees the ariel chariot ravana stole from his brother.

Hunaman think sita is dead because he can not find her, then the wind leads him to her.

Ravana goes to sita and falls to her feet and begs for her love. He offers her his riches.

Sita places a blade of grass between them and refuses Ravana.

Ravana grows angry and one of his wives leads her away.

The demons question her and she tells them to shut up, the demons begin to come towards her and appear to be ready to kill her, but Trijata intervenes and tells them that Rama will conquer them soon.

Hunaman does not know how he can get Sita to trust him, so he whispers to him and tells her about Rama and the golden deer and then tells her that he is Hunaman. He tells her that Rama and the monkeys are friends. She asks him how and he asks her if she remembers dropping the jewelry on two monkeys and tells her that was him and his king Sugreeva.

Sita tells Hunaman that at the end of a year Ravana will kill her.

After leaving Sita Hunaman trashes Ravana’s palace, throws bricks through window. Hunaman turns back into a monkey and grows. Hunuman beats thousands of guards to death with an iron bar fence.

Hunuman destroys a temple.

Jumbumali is killed.

Ravana has his son Indrajit capture Hunuman.

At first Indrajit looks small and unimposing but quickly changes his form and shoots and arrow with Shiva’s noose and captures Hunuman and then Indrajit goes back to meditation.

Hunaman tells Ravana to give Sita back to Rama, but Ravana refuses and orders for Vabishana to kill Hunuman. Vabishana refuses so Ravana orders Hunuman’s tail to be set on fire.

Trijata tells Sita what is happening and she prays for no harm to come to Hunuman.
Hunuman breaks free and begins to set Lanka on fire.

Indrajit talks to the god of fire and Indrajit is able to put the fires out.

Hunuman puts his tail out in a spring of fire but is scared that he may have harmed Sita so he returns to the Asoka grove to find her unharmed.

Sita gives Hunuman the pearl her father gave her on her wedding day so that Sita has remained true and is still alive.

Hunuman then leaves Lanka to return to the other monkeys.

The monkeys then return to Rama to tell him where Sita is, and Hunuman gives Rama the pearl.