I was pondering, one day, that maybe I'm just becoming a cranky person, the older I get. It has become increasingly annoying to deal with people in 'modern society' anymore. But then I realized that in this day and age of technology, people have become quite annoying and it's not my imagination.
I feel like I'm living in the movie: 'Dumb and Dumber' and here are just a few reasons why. We recently posted an item for sale on Craig's- list. We posted: "No texts, phone calls only, please." So people insist on sending a text anyway. One person's response? "People text these days because it's easier." Easier? How is having to spell out words (which, by the way, no one spells correctly anymore anyway) than picking up a phone and actually talking? Stupid reasoning.
Let's talk the hiring situation these days. Recently I've seen so much legalized discrimination, it's becoming pathetic. How do I know this? Well you tell me. Example: A person close to me recently sent out their resume to a company. A day later, some woman calls leaving a voice mail saying: "I was looking over your resume. I'd like you to call me because I have a couple questions and maybe see about setting up an interview." So the person seeking a job calls back, no answer, he leaves a voice mail and no return calls. He then calls the 'office number' where said woman claimed she can be reached and she is conveniently 'at a meeting, but will call back between 2 and 3:30'. Right! No return call and the person seeking a job said: "Well she heard a male voice and is Now brushing me off." I have to say, he is probably correct. For one thing, the hiring people, who are in charge, these days are so damned inept, the think they will find the perfect fit for any job. Back in the day, if a person held a similar position, they were qualified for the position. But now, hiring people are seeking purple unicorns that do not now, nor will ever exist. Worse yet, I've talked to many people who say the person hiring for the company they work for, claim "No one wants to work anymore.' Bull shit! The hiring people are as lazy a bunch as they come.
We go to family and friends parties and gatherings. Guests used to be happy to see one another. Now? Well they bring cell phones and laptops and if you don't have a square face with writing across it, you get ignored and people are downright rude. I'm also damned Tired of listening to other people's conversation in restaurants but Still they insist on yelling into their cell phones. 'Shut the hell up!"
I'm not surprised, because the technology touted to be 'helping us' has Now become a crutch so people stay dumb as hell. No one reads anymore, so no one knows history. They tend to believe the crap spewed on the Internet, which is nothing but some one's misguided opinion. We do not have famous news people anymore either, who Really report Real news, because everyone has Some sort of butt hurt they are babying and cannot handle reality. Example: We were walking in the mall one morning, when some young lady was jogging and pushing a stroller. She came within two inches of hitting me in the back of my leg. My husband made a comment about watching where she is going. That bimbo (Yes, 'bimbo') had the nerve to approach us with a card about 'hurtful words.' I said: "If you had hit my legs, the air would have turned blue. There would have been a string of 'hurtful words.'
So I'm convinced it's not me, society is becoming increasingly annoying. Where are the Real people?
I have always been a firm believer that everyone has a story to tell. Why do I think that? I know this to be true because even if people have shared similar experiences, like war, poverty or family tragedy, each person's experience is unique to them.
I could be in the same war, same natural disaster but I will see it totally differently. My experiences will cause me to see things in a different light than even a person standing next to me.
That being said, it is good to write about our lives, about what we personally have been through, how we may or may not have handled the situation. By writing, by sharing, we just may touch on the heart string of another reader who has or is now, going through something so similar that they are changed, forever, by what we have written. Is everyone an excellent writer? Maybe not, but writing your story isn't as complicated as you might think. With self-publishing these days, I know that what you might see as ordinary in your lives, can now reach hundreds maybe even millions of readers. I love self-publishing because I think the reading public is not stupid. I prefer to let the readers decide what they like, not some publisher who chooses for them.
I have assisted people in editing, arranging and telling their stories. I enjoyed it very much. Why? Because while helping a writer arrange their thoughts and notes, I have read some very touching stories. I am going to show you some great examples of that.
My husband's book is at the top of this blog. While I may be a bit biased on his, I can assure you it is somewhat a universal story about war. About one soldier's experiences of a war that has been such an embarrassment to the United States government, that for a very long time, the government tried to bury it and pretend it never existed. Kind of like the WMD fiasco that has now drawn us into wars where we do not belong, to this very day. Steve tells about his experiences in Vietnam, how it's so easy to be drawn into a war and hate faceless enemies. But once there, once he got to know the people of that country, it became increasingly harder and harder to hate people who did nothing to us personally. He tells of the fears soldiers face when fired upon, how most soldiers, from both sides, will shoot others more from fear than from hatred. How propaganda about the perceived enemy, is the driving force behind all wars. He tells why he chose to make the military his career and why he chose to become a Drill Instructor to be able to teach all soldiers how to survive when faced with combat. I'm sure anyone will love his story.
Poems of a Forgotten War is a series of Steve's feelings about a war he participated in. They express how he felt. Sometimes torn, sometimes he loved the country, sometimes not so much. But they can certainly express how many people in a war feel about those sometimes mixed emotions. Did he have regrets? Well, does anyone ever experience anything as emotional as war and not have regrets? Vietnam may be in the past, but stories he has read about concerning our recent wars are similar. So he has come to the conclusion that war is war, no matter the era in which it takes place. These are poems that modern military people can relate to.
The nursing home book is my story. I guess you can call it my baby. I've worked with the elderly in nursing homes for a long time. I've worked with the elderly in the community for a long time too. This is a book about my observations of the situation that many elderly find themselves in when they are too frail to take care of themselves at home. It is a tale of many people facing this situation. Some like nursing homes, but far too many hate the experience. I try to explain why people hate it, what causes them to feel like it's hopeless. But I also tell how and why, it can all change, if people stand up and demand changes for the better. I explain how the Federal Government and state governments think throwing money at the problem should change it. It doesn't. But I also tell of the Culture Change movement taking place in America right now. I explain how it can change for the better and why it should change. I'm hoping everyone will read it, learn from it and I hope they will demand changes and understand that the government is not the hope for changes they might have expected them to be.
I have one more story to share. I'm hoping this writer will not mind my sharing it. I chose it because it is so powerful, I think everyone should read it. This story is set in a time when home health for someone who is dying of cancer, did not exist. This writer tells about a time when a woman, her own mother, had to experience the shame of having a child out of wedlock. She tells of growing up and feeling she was hated by her own mother. How she, as a very young child, had to care for a mother who was so sick, she almost felt overwhelmed by it all. But most importantly, it is a story of healing. A story of coming to understand that it was not her that her mother hated, but it was the situation her mother found herself in, that was the object of her hatred. She tells of a mother who was so proud and strong, she felt like she lived in her mother's shadow as a child. A very unique story that anyone who may not have the perfect parent, can relate too. I hope you will take time to read it. The author related to me how just telling her story has given her the emotional healing she so desperately wanted and needed. A good author, a powerful book.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about the healing power of stories. Do you have a story to tell? If so, I'd be happy to help anyone compile their story into a manuscript. Yes, I charge, but I charge far less them others and far less than you might think. I can work on a sliding scale.
Thank you for reading this blog.
