The Cheeky Monkey is traveling
There will be long periods without internet access
Postings may not go out during these times
Maybe not a bad thing to be off the grid occasionally
Thank you for your understanding
Stay Cheeky!
Everybody is on a journey in life
We all have struggles and obstacles to overcome
Other’s struggles are not always obvious when you first meet them
People develop incredible skills to hide their problems from view
If you show kindness and compassion to others it will certainly help them
Even if they don’t acknowledge it
Pay it forward every day
Sometimes you will get it paid back
Be bold and show your appreciation for the kindness of others
Its the seed that can sow a friendship
Happy paying it forward day
Happy seed sowing day
Happy friendship harvesting day
They say if you can’t have the best of everything, make the best if everything you have
I woke up this morning and studied the trees outside my bedroom window
Gold, rust, deep red, orange and green were all on display
Autumnal colors are just about peaking in this area
Its costs nothing but a few moments in time to be in awe of this dynamic explosion of nature’s palette
I took a walk along a wooded trail
Stepping on a carpet of fresh fallen leaves
They rustled and swished under my feet
Urging me to look down at their fallen display
Their last hurrah before mulching into the winter soil
I picked up a few brilliantly colored leaves on the trail
Brought them home and pressed them in a book
I will bring them out some time in the future
To relive these beautiful autumn moments
Leaves keep falling
Seasons march on
A spectator pauses to make memories
Make the best of everything you have today
I went to the dentist yesterday
Not to fix a dental problem
Routine planned maintenance with the hygienist
Stacey is a very pleasant young lady
We started by chatting about our respective families
As she positioned me horizontal in the chair
I lost all sight of her pretty face
When she switched on her miner’s cyclopes bright light
I closed my eyes and surrendered
My mouth was soon filled with suction tubes, mirrors on sticks and a super strong power washer
The equipment made a lot of noise
Far too much to hold a conversation
But we had one anyway, throughout the whole procedure:
Stacey: did you have family visiting over the summer?
Me: ug ger ga ga ker grah
Stacey: where did you take them?
Me: ugh gee ent to gag goo ged gra gee gan gace
Stacey: their pita bread is delicious, we love the mezza there
Me: gee guv kit coo
Stacey: how old is your grandson?
Me: gee gill ge gelve goon
Stacey: oh twelve is that funny age where they start to change into a teenager
Me: ges gee gi ga git goody
Stacey: where did you go on vacation this year?
Me: ge gen koo ahh gan gan goo geng gan
Stacey: did you see the northern lights in Iceland?
Me: go gi gas goo gla gee gut ge gaw got gata gawl
Stacey: oh those beautiful waterfalls, I saw your the photos on FaceBook
Me: ugh goan goo ga guc, ga gaw guh gy ge gife
Stacey: oh yes she is your social media queen, I am almost finished now, just one last rinse
I felt ice cold water gushing into my mouth like a fire house
My teeth don’t like extreme temperatures
The pain was instant
I closed my eyes tighter
Praying it would end soon
Stacey: how are you doing?
Me: ga gow gawgu gake gy gee gaw
Stacey: thats normal but it will all be done soon
The fire hose was turned off
The suction tube drained my mouth and half my internal organs
My teeth stopped screaming at me
She finished off with a rotating brush and gritty toothpaste
Then it was all over
A final mouthwash rinse and I was able to talk human again
Stacey: see you in six months, have a great winter
Me: you too, it was good to catch up
Soon I was back outside and walking towards my car
Making resolutions to floss daily
So that Stacey has less need to power wash my molars
I decided to weigh myself when I got home
I must surely have lost pounds in plaque
Wages in my first job were paid in cash
That bundle of notes felt oh so sweet
Hard labor and hard earned currency
Spending those notes carefully
Taking some time at the end of every month
To be sure there was some real money left for savings
Proudly walking into the bank with cash in hand
To make a deposit into my savings account
Then along came along paychecks
Just a piece of paper detailing my earnings
With a deposit directly into my bank account
The bank gave me a card for cash withdrawals
And a checkbook for paying bills
Not seeing the physical cash come and go
It was harder to balance the budget
I had to read all the check book stubs and bank statements
To be sure of having some money in the bank at the end of the month
My first credit card was intriguing
I could use this plastic toy to buy lots of stuff
They allowed me to spend well in excess of my income
It took a lot of willpower to stay out of debt
Thankfully I had the discipline to pay it off in full every month
No mounting credit card debt
Today there are so many ways to spend my money
Direct debits, Venmo, PayPal, Zelle and Apple Pay
Purchases are just a click away on Amazon
I can wave my phone at the checkout
I recently took a trip to Europe and spent no cash at all
No need to exchange currency when you pay everything with a swipe
They have made spending way too easy now
No more fumbling in my wallet for cash
Its even harder to balance a budget these days
Money is no longer something you can touch and feel
Its become a virtual commodity
Now I pause at the end of each virtual month
I have to ask an App if I am virtually solvent or bankrupt
There are so many different ways to look at this, here are some I collected through research:
Optimism (Half Full) vs. Pessimism (Half Empty)
1. Optimist: Sees opportunities and potential in every situation (half full).
2. Pessimist: Focuses on what is missing or lacking (half empty).
3. Realist: Acknowledges the glass has both water and air without emotional bias.
4. Pragmatist: “Does it matter if it’s half full or empty? Just drink it.”
5. The Entrepreneur: “How can I sell the remaining space in the glass?”
6. The Scientist: “Technically, the glass is always 100% full—half water, half air.”
7. The Philosopher: “Does the glass even exist, or is it an illusion?”
8. The Engineer: “The glass is twice as big as it needs to be.”
9. The Environmentalist: “At least the glass isn’t leaking!”
10. The Economist: “It’s a case of supply meeting fluctuating demand.”
Behavioral and Psychological Perspectives
11. Growth Mindset: “What can I learn to fill the rest of the glass?”
12. Fixed Mindset: “The glass will always be this way, nothing I do matters.”
13. Gratitude Perspective: “I’m thankful for the water I have.”
14. Scarcity Mentality: “What if I run out? I need more!”
15. Abundance Mentality: “There will always be enough water to go around.”
16. Positive Psychology: Focusing on the glass half full encourages happiness.
17. Negative Thinking: Focusing on half empty creates stress and anxiety.
18. Cognitive Reframing: Shifting between both perspectives can improve mental flexibility.
19. Self-Compassion: “It’s okay if my glass is only half full for now.”
20. Perfectionism: “Why isn’t the glass completely full?”
Social and Cultural Interpretations
21. Cultural Norms: Some cultures focus on what’s missing to encourage improvement (half empty), while others celebrate what is present (half full).
22. Team Dynamics: Positive leaders focus on half full, while critical ones dwell on half empty.
23. Relationship Impact: Partners who see half full focus on shared experiences, while those focused on half empty dwell on what’s wrong.
24. Generational Differences: Younger people may see potential (half full), while older generations might view it with caution (half empty). 25. Media Influence: News tends to highlight half-empty narratives to grab attention.
Philosophical and Existential Thoughts
26. Existentialist: “What does it matter? The water will evaporate eventually.”
27. Stoic: “Focus on what you can control—drink the water you have.”
28. Optimistic Nihilism: “The glass being half full or empty is meaningless, but enjoy it anyway.”
29. Temporal Perspective: “The glass will refill or empty over time.”
30. Mindful Perspective: “Appreciate the glass as it is right now.”
Personally I like to keep things uncomplicated so I am sticking with number 4
Where do you stand?
There is something special
About opening a letter
Not those junk sales letters
Nor those overdue bills
But a letter from a distant friend
You can see their name on the envelope
You touch the stamp they affixed
You pause to read how they addressed it
Checking the postmarked date
Wondering what they are writing about
Trying to recall your last contact
Then you open it carefully
Using a well cherished opener
One thats been in your family a long time
Gently pulling out the letter inside
Lest anything hidden spills out
You unfold the pages
Start to read it slowly
Your mind forms each word
To the sound of their voice
You can hear them reading the letter to you
Its an old fashioned voice message
One that was recorded on paper
And sent to you in the mail
You conținue reading at a faster pace
Desperately hoping nothing is wrong
Thankfully there is only good news
You carefully put the letter back in the envelope
Smiling because your friend reached out
Not with a text or an email
They had put pen to paper just for you
You put the letter in a safe place
Knowing you can read it again later
With their voice talking in your head again
Picking up your phone to compose a text
Saying thank you for your letter
You delete it before sending
Searching for a pen and paper
You start to write a letter in reply
Filling pages with all your news, hopes and dreams
Inviting your friend to come and visit you
The ink is hardly dry as you put the stamp on
Walking quickly to the post office
Soon your letter is on its way
Your heart races each day the mail arrives
Waiting impatiently for their reply
A few weeks later their next letter arrives
This is so much more fun than emails or texts
Eastern shore
Late October
Early morning
Heavy dew
Crisp air
Chilly start
Low sun
Trees waiting
Light floods
Leaves illuminated
Nature’s artist
Painting frantically
Before sun
Rises higher
Moment captured
Experience documented
Cheeky Monkey
Impressions shared
Fall colors
Full bloom
Obliging oranges
Yearning yellows
Beautiful browns
Ridiculous reds
Passionate purples
Grateful greens
Memories made
Poem posted
Fabulous fall
Before humans evolved, the earth was mostly covered in vegetation
Plant life had reached a plateau of evolution so plants started to investigate ways to farm other lifeforms
Plants got together and brainstormed ideas for evolving further
They elected leaders and formed a system of governance
Plant evolutionary committees developed plans and made recommendations
The elected plant president reviewed the plans and made policy decisions
The first step was for plants to provide targeted food and shelter to insects that helped pollinate and disperse seeds to generate more prolific plant life
So plants started to farm insects for their own benefit
Later they reached another evolutionary plateau which needed a massive jump to make plants grow faster and more widespread
The plant president recognized the potential for farming humans
He saw their capabilities to cultivate the land and create more space for planting
He oversaw the research and development of new plants suitable for human consumption
Plants then provided nutritious food for humans to help their brains develop further
The plant president knew that humans need to work and to play
So he implemented policies that would create plant species for human recreational drugs
Hops were developed so that humans could make beer and get drunk
Cannabis plants provided drugs for humans to get high
Despite being drunk and high for most of their waking moments, humans learned to mechanize and industrialize the growing of plants
Plants noticed that humans liked to play sports, especially on grass
Plants also acquired a love of spectating these sports so they developed special grasses
Plants now have the best views at Wimbledon, at every golf Masters and all soccer stadiums
Sport thrives because of perfect playing surfaces and plants get to see it all for free
Human populations grew but they became vulnerable to sickness and diseases
Pandemics wiped out huge sections of human population
One day the chief scientific plant asked to see the plant president
He urged the president to undertake research to improve the health of their farmed humans
Plants were specifically developed to provide medicine for humans
Human health improved and they were able to grow vast quantities of plants all over the planet
Plants allow their farmed humans to live for around 70 years or so
Expired humans are either buried to create plant compost or burned to make plant fertilizer
Plants allowed humans to falsely claim they had invented agriculture to farm plants
Humans like to feel that they are in control of their own destiny, even if its not true
Plants recognize that at some point, the earth will no longer be able to sustain human life
This might be through human induced climate change and global warming
Or it could be from a natural disaster like a huge meteor strike
It may even be through the human stupidity of mutual destruction in a global nuclear war
In every case, plants will survive all such disasters
Their human farming experiment will one day come to an end
Plants will regroup and find some other species to farm
So next time you look at a field in the countryside
Don’t be fooled into thinking that humans are farming that field
Remember that you are just a simple farmed animal
You sole purpose in life is to help plants grow
my hearing has deteriorated over the years
probably due to loud noise exposure in the workplace
hearing aids help a lot and they are very discrete
they also double up as ear buds
allowing me to make hands free calls
or listen to music on the go
I can mute TV sounds while listening direct into my ears
there are some positive benefits to hearing loss
noisy environments are less stressful
I can focus better in a noisy setting
I tune out unwanted conversations
my visual and non verbal skills are stronger
I can better read body language and facial expressions
my sleep quality is improved especially when its noisy
I really appreciate total silence
conversations require more effort but this helps me engage more
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 