Way Over the Line

It has become something of an obsession.

The following column appeared in our local newspaper this past Sunday, and I cannot get over the sheer conceit and immaturity being demonstrated by the EDITOR . The Editor! I keep wondering what kind of impression this would make on a person from out of town, who might pick up a newspaper to explore job prospects or housing opportunities. What would they think if they read this??? A newspaper is often the first contact potential new residents make with a community before deciding to relocate.

Anyway, I was offended and embarrassed for the community by the content:

Xxxxxxx's Wisdom: No more wisdom is needed

By XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXX

Editor

Since I've subjected my readers to my inane, though brilliant, ramblings in every Sunday issue for the last year, I think it's finally time to admit something.

I have no more wisdom to give.

Realistically, I ran out of wisdom about six months ago and I've just been blathering my way through the last 25 or so columns.

To keep going I need something that would spark my artistic creativity - because obviously this is art.

I can't imagine there's anyone who's read all of my ramblings as they've ranged in topic from an elaborate analysis of the second episode of a summer music-reality show to begging for votes in the Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year contest - which we didn't win, not that I'm bitter.

Most of my better columns usually start in longhand in a notebook I keep on my night-table - just like this one did - but some memorable rants, including ones about Burger King and Thanksgiving, were written on the newspaper page.

I generally figure out a topic early in the week and then work out the basic structure and main points of my entertaining little essays in my head. This usually takes a few days but I put it off like a visit to the dentist right after my birthday.

And just as I do on every birthday, I'm going to turn to hip hop to liven things up.

I've decided to start a beef.

I'm going to start calling out names and pointing out who needs to step their column-writing game up - just like 2Pac and 50 Cent taught me.

While there are plenty of big names that I think I can hang with - Jim Litke, Michael Reagan, ... well maybe there aren't that many big name columnists - I'd rather go after someone for whom I have some respect. That means I'll probably have to put off responding to (another columnist's) very special brand of incoherent, Plan D-fueled rants for quite a while.

Instead I want to go after the shining star of the (neighboring town's newspaper) staff- Mr. Xxxx Xxxxx.

I don't remember what he calls his little column, but it should be called Xxxxx' Wisdom because it's a direct knock-off of mine. Obviously it's not as good as mine, but it's not bad for a rookie.

To prove my superiority, I'm going to start jacking his topics and then rewriting them - better - for my column.

This will continue until he either gives up writing his little column or admits, in writing, that he is my disciple.

Since I have something special on slate for next week, I'm going to give him an extra week to get scared and give up.

Peace out.

Okay, so now it's your turn. Am I overreacting? Is it asking too much for me to expect this guy to come unstuck on himself and turn his literary brilliance to matters with slightly more substance, such as the upcoming vote on whether to allow alcohol sales.

It Is Well With My Soul

Today, I feel a peace that I haven't felt for a long time. I am tired--even my bones are tired--yet for the time being, I am content. I know that God is working on me, and He isn't finished with me yet. My struggles with my personal demons are but one step in the tempering process that will produce the finished steel of the highest quality. If I can make it through this period of my life (where I am middle-aged and living with my in-laws so that I can work two jobs to put my middle-aged husband through college), I know will become a stronger person. I have certainly "been through the fire" as the saying goes. Multiple instances of drug addiction since high school, some sporadic physical abuse, spouse's job losses, death of close family members, etc. It was quite a blessing for law enforcement to have intervened when they did--although at the time, it certainly felt like a "crash and burn" moment.

I consider it a gift that God gave me the strength to follow through with my committment to my marriage. "Till death do us part" is a long damn time. But would He have wanted me to abandon my committment when the going got rough? (And believe me--it got ROUGH.) I think not, if only for my daughter's sake. Speaking of whom, it is indeed another gift that she has become the strong young woman she is today. She, too, has been through much. I tried with all I had to shield her from the very worst of what was happening, but she knew. She could see for herself how drugs were affecting her dad. She never used what was happening to us as an excuse not to do her very best, when she could have easily done so. Now, I have almost no fear that she will have a burning desire to experiment with drugs/alcohol--she has already seen first-hand what they will do to you. And it ain't pretty.

Which brings me to the now. I know now that what I have been working for all my life is this moment, when all is laid bare and there is no more hiding from the truth. We have hit rock bottom and have started back up. It won't be easy, but with God as my co-pilot, I can reach my destination...I have found peace.

Today I count my blessings and pray for continued strength . It is well with my soul.

The Random Rant

Here is a random rant for you. It's a "pressure release" mechanism for trying not to let all the little things get me down. This was a decidedly UN-relaxing weekend.

Saturday, my daughter called and said her car had overheated. (You will remember that she is in college at LSU in Baton Rouge--a good 3 1/2 hour drive, one way.) Okay, so I get on the internet and find repair shops and towing services in Baton Rouge. But it's too late in the evening for any of them to be open. So I tell her to make sure the people who own the parking lot where she stopped the car know that she will have to leave her car there overnight.

Then, a member of our Sunday School class calls to tell us that there is a potluck dinner right after church. It will be fun, it always is, but I don't have anything to make a lucky pot of. So a trip to WallyWor.ld is a must. NOT fun.

Get home. Bake a casserole. Go to bed.

Get up. Go to church. Run home to change clothes. Go to the potluck dinner. Run back home, get laundry started. Get on the phone to try to arrange towing/repair for the car, call daughter and tell her of the arrangements. Squeeze in a 45 minute nap. Get up , put laundry in the dryer. Eat hamburgers husband grilled for supper. Take laundry out of the dryer, fold, and put away. Load the dishwasher and clean the counters.

Decide to update blog (at last a minute to MYSELF!).

I realize that I have absolutely NO idea whether anything earth-shaking has happened over the last two days. I'm sure they are still fighting in Iraq, as they have been for CENTURIES. There are still political scandals simmering, and crimes of all kinds being committed. And all I can think about is what kind of week I will have at my two jobs and how much the car repair is going to cost.

Seems like we just can't catch a break...