Socks

When it comes to clothing it is a woman's world. Go to the mall with the wife or girlfriend and prepare to hold her purse while she trots from store to store. As men, our style options are limited. As far as business attire, I hope you are not afraid of tight spaces because there is no room to break out. My closet is like a box of 64 crayons and I still look like everyone else at work. One area of relief is socks. Yes, socks are our saviour. Ok, a little dramatic, but socks can add a nice twist to any ensemble and/or be a means of expression. Where to find socks? Try Ebay, Marshalls, Macys, or any other discounter. If you wear them, they will come.

Getting Older

I just recently turned 31, as of Jan. 26th of this year. And I know many of us have negative feelings about getting older, but it has been an favorable experience for me. I am thoroughly enjoying growing into my own; the confidence, the knowledge, the patience, the stability, and the desire to make everything count. Oh, one more thing, the weight! For years I hovered between 250 and 300 lbs. Now, I float between 245 and 254 lbs., a much smaller fluctutation. It has definitely improved my outlook on purchasing clothes. If you know like I know, 20 lbs. is a size up, which makes purchasing a shirt difficult. I would literally have two wardrobes, smaller Karleton and larger Karleton. Now, its stable Karleton, which allows me to spend a little money on clothing that compliments my frame. This getting old shit isn's so bad. Of course, I could do without the gray hair, but Walgreens has me covered.

Philosophy

Lately, I have become a fan of Stoicsm, specifically Roman Stoicism. By definition, stoic is definied as one who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain. Which leads some of us to believe Stoics as being boring, emotionless individuals, but this is far from the truth. Historically, Stoic practice is to enjoy life, but to not be controlled by its pleasures. Drink and enjoy, but do not become a drunkard. Eat and taste, but do not obssess about food. Stoicism, as it seems, is about control of oneself as not to be controlled by worldly temptations, grief, pain or some other arbitrary power. Additionally, Stoics were devout believers in having a sense of joy and tranquility. I will speak further as my own awareness and practice deepens.

A Big and Tall Tree

Most of us have taken part in nonsensical quizzes that pose questions asking,"what type of animal are you?" And of course most of us relate to lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY! Anyway, I relate to something different, trees. And no, I am not a squirrel, but I do have an affection for trees. Trees have seen us come, go, and start over again. Very stoic in nature, a stalhworth, yet poetically giving life. Imagine what an old, large oak tree has survived and saw in its span of life,

yet speaks nothing of it, just continues to support and give. Trees are free from what ails us, selfishness.

The pics above are of a picture that hangs in my office above my desk. Notice the tree stands alone, no need for the security that compromise and assimilation brings. Live Free

Ironically, she said it best

Consider this, as spoken by Jane Hirshfield," fear, habits, and laziness conspire to keep us comfortably within the familiar." Now, the familiar could be many things, but whatever it is it never changes. And we all know what that state of affairs leads to....nothing.

Bigger than Life III

In continuation of my last post, much of what holds us back masquerades as something enjoyable or deserved. Take for instance women, very enjoyable, but can be a hinderance when overindulged. One woman can be considered an enjoyable experience, maybe even two depending on the of girls. But to spend your day calling, dating, talking, ogling, and chasing women is an unproductive day. When it is all said and done....Judy, Sarah, Jenny, Megan, Janet, or whoever does not compliment your resume nor benefit you in any other manner than the notches in your belt. When you consider the time and energy spent on such endeavors think about how useful it would of been in some other area of your life. Don't get me wrong, I love a nice butt and a smile just as much as the next man, but not more than my goals.

Bigger than Life II

Ahhh...I am back. I apologize for my absence, but some things must give way so others may flourish. My last post, "Bigger Than Life", revolved around living up to your potential, which might be difficult if you are not a far seeing man. There could be a number of reasons as to why a person has limited insight. The individual could be shallow, engrossed in negative behavior, a mental defect, fearful, or whatever. Take me for example, I have always played party to negative behaviors as well a past that has weighed heavily on me for years. It makes it damn difficult to live up to your potential and be bigger than life under those circumstances. One thing that helped tremendously was the ability to see further than the next hour, day or week. The farther I began to see the more I recognized that I am my own worst enemy. So what gets in your way?