reflections of overindulgence

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if you are feeling fat

pull out your yoga mat

stretch into your favorite pose

meditate about a beautiful rose

if you are feeling fat

pretend you are a 9 lives cat

rebirth and be you again but thin

old clothes you will fit in

if you are feeling fat

look at but don’t eat that

hunger will be your friend

your waistline will no longer extend

if you are feeling fat

wear a really big hat

especially if you are tall

the hat will make your belly look small

if you are feeling fat

and wishing your belly was flat

cut out all carbs and sugar

stop being a silly bugger

if you are feeling fat

you must learn to be good at

putting less into your pie hole

just eat from a smaller bowl

if you are feeling fat

and you don’t mind that

keep eating all you see

be a whale outside the sea

if you are feeling fat

like an overfed bloated wombat

change your lifestyle soon

eat your meals with a tiny spoon

Clouds

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I am really quite fond of the clouds but today they are in an angry mood, rushing along with great purpose not pausing to smile.  Maybe they don’t like being bowled along by the wind and much prefer to bask in a gentle breeze. Come to think of it, I would rather float in a warm pool than be swept away by a raging torrent.

I suspect the clouds are now hundreds of miles away catching their breath and chatting about their crazy roller coaster adventure rides. They swap horror stories about the poor clouds that got ripped apart in the high winds. The rich clouds pay for gentle winds to blow them to shelter away from the dangerously high winds. The poor clouds cannot afford protection and throw themselves to the mercy of the elements. 

The Buddhist clouds are practicing reincarnation, depositing their moisture as rain which will one day evaporate into new baby clouds with voracious appetites for vapor. The baby clouds grow into huge fat fluffy clouds. They hang out in groups chatting, drinking telling stories, and having fun. 

Suddenly the hells angel’s dark clouds roar into town pushing the other clouds around. Soon the sky is full of hells angels clouds getting drunk and looking for trouble. Just for kicks, they fire up their Harley Davidson Thunder machines and blast people below. They shoot their lightning ray guns down aiming to destroy anything on the ground in mischief. The sheriff clouds race in and disperse the hells angels pushing them back far away. 

Clear blue skies invite the fluffy clouds to come and float in safety. The first cloud pops up as a scout and puts a safety message on the fluffy clouds’ FaceBook page. Social cloud media soon fills the sky with trendy upwardly mobile high income childless clouds. They snort cocaine and float over cool Caribbean islands.  They live meaningless lives and add no value to the planet.

Meanwhile across the globe millions of worker clouds get up early every day and receive their work orders. “Go float over there and give those folks some welcome shade.”  “Now get in formation to create a spectacular sunrise.”  They work long days for little rewards, and the older ones go to nursing home clouds to be ignored and neglected. The angel of death cloud hangs over them.

I have lived most of these cloud lives, right now I am a Sheriff Cloud bringing law and order but someday I will be floating in a nursing home cloud dreaming about the days when I played hide and seek with the other kid clouds.

Boating is fun, so they say

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they say that boaters only have two happy days

the day of purchase and the day the boat is sold

in between its just something that makes a big hole in the water

and an even larger hole in your wallet

some say that BOAT is not really a word

its an acronym for Bring Over Another Thousand

maybe its best never to own a boat at all

just make friends with somebody who owns one

I have been a boat owner for almost a decade

never daring to dwell on the negative aspects of boating

towing kids on a tube is a blast

anchoring up for a sunset cocktail is divine

when the weather is nice boating is pure fun

smooth rides in gentle swells are such a pleasure

swimming off the back or maybe drift and fish for your dinner

then cruise to a dockside restaurant to eat professionally caught fish

getting the propellor mangled in a submerged crab pot was a pain

hours spent tracing electrical faults were frustrating

having to get towed home with a jammed starter was costly and embarrassing

nobody really enjoys scrubbing and waxing an aging boat for three full days

strong winds make boating a total farce

who wants to be buffeted and bounced constantly while underway

maneuvering becomes the battle you never wanted to fight

losing patience is inevitable after twelve attempts to dock onto your boat lift

long term boaters have selective memories

only recalling the greatest of boating days

with no biting flies, rain, or gales

nothing ever broke down and the boat was magically self-cleaning

this year I am determined to keep a boating diary

recording all the positives and negatives of boating life

meticulously registering every single dollar spent

before dropping the diary overboard at the season’s end

the naughty corner

in my first few weeks of school

I was punished for talking too much

the teacher put me in the naughty corner

I was slightly ashamed at first

then I figured it all out

it was a great place to be

you never got asked questions by the teacher

and the other kids thought you were bad ass cool

I visited the naughty corner often 

it was the best place to learn

no distractions from the other kids

something of a safe haven too

because the next level of punishment was the headmaster

the teacher would send kids there to be punished

the headmaster was the judge jury and executioner combined

no plea deals or excuses to save you from the whack of his cane

I opted for the naughty corner most days

sometimes we had a substitute teacher

when our regular teacher was sick

they always struggled to keep the class under control

I would literally throw myself under the bus for them

doing something outrageous to get their attention

finally being sent to the naughty corner

and things would then settle down in the class

after leaving school I missed the naughty corner

there was no such thing at the office

if you misbehaved at work they just fired you

but I almost got sent to the naughty corner at home once

for stopping at the pub after work and forgetting to buy what the wife needed

it was one of those Your dinner is in the dog dressing downs

decades later I had almost forgotten about the naughty corner

a few days ago we were with a bunch of friends 

having a light buffet-style meal at a house before a concert

everybody sat at the table to eat except for Ed and myself

with no room at the table we opted to sit and eat in the corner

when somebody asked what we doing over there I just had to say it

we have been sent to the naughty corner

29 times

I love technology in the home

streaming music all over the house

changing songs by voice command

turning lights on or off remotely

controlling the thermostat from my phone

checking on the alarm status while we are away

my most recent addition was a video doorbell

when somebody rings you get a text alert

you can see them on your phone

and give them verbal instructions

please leave the package on the porch

it also alerts me of motion by our front door

not the motion of leaves blowing in a plant pot

it’s far too intelligent to be tricked like that

I am really pleased with how well it works

today I woke up early before dawn

reaching out for my phone to check the time

the phone lit up before I touched the screen

ALERT MOTION DETECTION

adrenalin rushed through my veins

somebody must be by the front door at 5am in the dark

I looked at the live doorbell camera feed but saw nothing

perhaps he was sneaking round the back now

fumbling for the rearview camera on the App

nothing in the backyard either

could it be a false alarm I wondered

I checked the doorbell camera App again

there were 29 alerts of motion between 2am and 5am

this prowler was certainly persistent

my instinct was to call the police

once they arrived I would show them the 29 videos

imagining how the court would use that evidence to convict

I started to feel really smug

before calling the police I decided to check the videos

expecting to see a burglar dressed in a black and white striped jersey

carrying a large sack to fill with our valuables

nothing on the first video or the second or third

no sign of a person on any of the video recordings

I wiped my bleary eyes and looked again more closely

seeing a thread from a spider web blow across the lens

my high tech doorbell security system was defeated by a tiny spider

29 times 

Civilization

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In ancient times

We worked hard to survive

Walking miles to gather plants

Chasing animals in the hunt

Life was a constant struggle

Searching for food and water

Seeking shelter from the cold

People were fit and lean

But they were deemed uncivilized

It’s so different today

Drive up to a window

Shout your order

Pick it up seconds later

Pay for it with plastic

Inhale your processed food

Do it as often as you like

Order fast food on your phone

Have others deliver it

While you watch TV 

From your couch

Fill your face

With factory-made junk

Full of toxic chemicals

Designed to make you lazy

And crave more 

Tricking you into addiction

Is this really civilization

Marriage is like a flowering garden

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Marriage is like a flowering garden

It needs thoughtful planning

A sprinkling of love and attention

A few minutes of daily care

Occasionally it demands some hard work

When treated correctly it can last a lifetime

Giving you and your partner immense pleasure

Something that will be admired by others

Here are some tips to keep your marriage garden blooming

……………………………………………………………………..

Remind your partner (and yourself) that you appreciate them

Practice honesty, even when you’re ashamed

Take care of your appearance

Foster healthy relationships outside your marriage

Watch your words

Put away the jumper cables yourself

Relish the silence

Recognize the ebb-and-flow

Be kind

Share housework tasks

Maintain intimacy and passion

Buy surprise gifts

Have regular date nights

Hold hands when walking

Be tolerant

Listen

Make memories and revisit them together

Do your own laundry 

Say thank you for the little things

How do you know if you are in love with her?

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your heart skips a beat when she walks in the room

you smile when you hear her voice on the phone

you dream about her

she annoys the hell out of you but you still want to be with her

you get sad when she is sad

going for a walk is more fun when she is with you

when you are apart, even for a day, you really miss her

when she is not there you want to talk about her

her constant happiness is your goal

you both keep exploring new things together

her quirkiness is fun

you feel full of hope

she lets you feel free

everything reminds you of her

you are willing to change things about yourself for her

you are totally honest with her

she makes your favorite dish exactly how you like it

you don’t worry about the future

random thoughts of her pop into your mind

if reading this makes you think of someone special then you are in love

When I ride my bike

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When I ride my bike

I can taste the wind

The scenery is closer

Animals are all around

When I ride my bike

Passing cyclists smile

I am energized 

I feel sorry for motorists

When I ride my bike

Time goes slower

Pedestrians say hello

I love cycling

When I ride my bike

My computer talks to me

Tells me when to eat and drink

Shows me how fast I am going

When I ride my bike

Sometimes I get a puncture

But I carry tools and spares

Soon I get going again

When I ride my bike

I wear a tight cycling jersey

Its full of logos and bright colors

I pretend it helps me go faster

When I ride my bike

I have flashing lights front and back

To warn motorists of my presence

But they still try to run me over

When I ride my bike

Flies crash into my face

Occasionally I swallow one

They don’t taste good

Fear and anxiety battles

she was gripped by fear

an overwhelming sense of mortal danger

there seemed to be no escape from it

no way to rationalize the situation

fear had locked up her ability to think

her body was in panic flight mode

racing heart and sweaty palms

she was not in any physical danger

her fear was purely psychological

suddenly there was a drop in her fear level

she seized the opportunity and started to think logically

taking slow deep breaths and calming her body

taking back control of her own mind

she had caught fear napping

it was locked outside now

she was the king of her own castle

the drawbridges were all up and the moat was full

the fear raiders were circling outside

she watched them from the parapet

they were frustrated and eager to get back in

after a while they gave up and left

it was a beautiful sunny day

she set down the drawbridge and stepped outside

the fresh air tasted so sweet

the warm sun felt good on her face

she sat down to relax and enjoy the moment

telling herself everything was going to be fine

now that fear was all gone she felt empty inside

she decided to fill herself up with happiness

positive thoughts and excitement about the future

her happiness tank was soon about two thirds full

then a huge load of anxiety rushed in to fill the last third

she did not panic at this uninvited rush of emotion

her happiness outnumbered the anxiety two to one

this was a battle she could win easily

she told anxiety to leave peacefully or suffer a painful eviction

anxiety quickly gave up without a fight

happy security guards escorted anxiety from the premises

her happiness tanks were now overflowing