Friday, April 3, 2015

The many definitions of the human heart

Dear human heart,

*Editor’s note: I am ok. This is just an opinion piece based on my expertise on the subject which I wanted to share with you. Compensation for such advise is appreciated.

The heart is defined as “A muscular organ in both humans and other animals, which pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. Blood provides the body with oxygen and nutrients, and also assists in the removal of metabolic wastes.” All really important stuff if you ask me. There is another definition to this vital organ that Webster’s and others fail to recognize in print. It is that the heart “Is the only human organ that can be shared with another without the use of an operating table.” When you give your heart to someone you never quite know how it will end up. Will it grow with that person? Will it be broken? Is this a good idea? Is this a bad idea? Where will it lead? These questions and others like it are what we ask ourselves internally when it comes to opening our most precious organ to another. If we knew the answers to these questions life would be simple (good) but at the same time boring (bad). Besides these two elementary analogies when it comes to our hearts and what happens to them when we give it to another is without the aforementioned questions asked, we wouldn’t learn and become a better person from the experience that they give us. A heart that grows with another is a beautiful thing. It’s like a seed you plant in the spring. You do your best to give it all it needs to blossom. As each day passes you continue to smile as this relationship between two hearts matures. Yes, you will have bad days along the way but you learn to overcome adversity and move forward stronger than before. The pinnacle of this relationship is when it blooms. There really isn’t any other object or emotion to compare this to for those of us who have been lucky enough to be a part of something this special. As quickly as two hearts develop they can be torn apart in the blink of an eye. That same plant that was blooming, can be hit with rain and cold and stunt or kill that flower. A heart that has been hurt or broken has no specific cure. It’s up to the individual to deal with the pain caused by another. What I’ve learned in my short time on this planet is that everyone is different. Some get over loved ones very quickly while in others it may take a great allotment of time to heal what is ailing them. However you deal with the situation it won’t be easy. You will think about them daily both in a good way and bad. A song will come on the radio and trigger a memory. They will pop up on social media doing something you use to do together. It’s hard, but guess what?  One day you just wake up and it’s gone. This is the one thing that I can promise you. No matter what you think, or how bad it hurts, this will happen. God made life too short for it not to be this way. Now I’m not saying that those memories will fade because they never will. You see, the hearts storage ability is endless. It takes those past thoughts and feelings and tucks them away for future references. It’s a notebook to look back on the next time you find a heart that you want to share yours with. That next heart will eventually come along. The love you share with it will not be the same as the other or others in the past and that by all accounts is a good thing because they didn’t work out. The key to this all is never be afraid to give your heart to someone when it feels right. The seed that is planted the next time may just be the one that flowers and you never know where that might lead…

PS. Happy Friday peeps. I hope you all get to spend this Easter weekend with family and loved ones and remember….Eat more bacon and have more sex. You can’t go wrong with either.

#heart #humanheart #blossom #empireliving

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Blame Jerry Brown for the drought

Dear Gov. Jerry Brown and statewide water restrictions,
Yesterday Jerry Brown stepped in front of the cameras sporting his best “man of the people” clothes and proclaimed that for the first time in California’s history there will be mandatory water restrictions put into place due to the lowest snowpack ever recorded. As brown lawns, no lake time, fallow fields and the possibility of finding another line of employment ran through my mind I took a minute to ask myself who is to blame for this historic drought? The easy answer is Mother Nature. She has been a moody bitch the last few years when it comes to precipitation in the form of rain and much needed snow in our state. Knowing the consequences that arise when it comes to blaming a woman for anything and the impending backlash associated with it, I am going to refrain from attacking her (you are beautiful by the way). OK, so if it’s not Mother Nature then who? Drum roll please…… Politicians! I know shocking right, who would think that the people we vote into office would fail us. The irony of the situation is that the man who will be implementing these unprecedented reductions is the same liberal governor who could have stopped this from happening way back in the 70’s. Yes, the same Jerry Brown who presided over the last great water crisis this state faced is the man sitting in Arnold’s former desk in Sacramento. Strategic planning is not something government thinks about. It takes a “wait and see approach” to issues and then responds with a knee jerk reaction when something occurs. 40 years ago measures could have been put into place to prevent what is happening currently. I may not be a scientist from NASA but Chico State taught me that an ever growing population coupled with a water system that stays stagnant or is wasted is not sustainable. Being that I like water, food, green grass, lakes and beer (made of water) If I was 70’s Jerry Brown with cool hair I would have said to myself, “Hey this drought sucks, we need water storage, let’s build some dams!” and “Why are we wasting millions of gallons of water every year that finds its way to the ocean instead of being utilized in an efficient manner? The fish were fine before we were around and they will be fine when we are gone! Let’s make this happen senators and members of the assembly!” If this scenario with the politicians in Sacramento had played out logically all those years ago and we would have saved for an “un-rainy day” then I wouldn’t be fielding angry calls from my favorite person wondering why the backyard can’t be landscaped due to the pending water cutbacks or worrying if I will be afforded the opportunity to make a living in my chosen profession as a farmer because the wells have ran dry. Common sense is nowhere to be found anywhere near a large concentration of politicians. Lawns are going to die whether you call Chico or San Diego home. Lakes will be empty from Oroville to Friant. Fresh water will still make its way to the San Francisco Bay. We all need the precious commodity that is water. If this isn’t a reality check for you when it comes to your representatives nothing ever will. Let’s start putting the burden on the ones who put us in position we are in today. Liberal politicians and environmentalists whose only agenda concerns what will benefit them. Call me selfish but I would rather have a clean and reliable water source at the expense of a butterfly or the possibility of a salmon losing his way. In the meantime I’m going to go freshen up my resume, I hear pool and lawn boys do very well…Wait..Damn…
PS. I hope you are having an amazing Thursday peeps. The tractors are continuing to move dirt in hopes we do get some water and remember…..Never underestimate the power of a good morning text, a sincere apology and letting her know she’s beautiful.   
#jerrybrown #California #drought #water #waterreduction #farms #lawns #empireliving