I always get sick in the summertime

Do you want to know why you get sick in the summer just like you do in the winter? Well, it can’t be the weather. It’s not cold outside. It can’t be your kids bringing home germs from school, unless they’re going to summer school. 

So why do you get sick in the summer. The same reason you get sick in the winter. Granted you can  catch germs from door knobs and bathroom sinks. Or someone sneezing on the train or in your office, or your immune system could be weak and you just get sick.
Or it could be this,

Most illnesses are transferred due to the lack of discipline your butcher, sandwich maker, deli counter person and yes the cook at your favorite restaurant has when it comes to sterilizing his cutting board and this …

I’ve seen it so many times at a sub shop or in a commercial kitchen. The cook or prep person sneezes into his hand but he’s so busy that he wipes it on his apron. Now he’s cutting tomatoes and you come in and want a sandwich. What does he do? He wipes his knife on his apron and proceeds to make your sandwich. Like his apron is some sort of sanitary haven.

Same goes with cutting boards. Most restaurants and supermarkets keep their employees busy. As the managers watch payroll they want Jose over there to prep up 4 cases of lettuce, two boxes of tomato’s and slice a bag of onions all in about 2 hours.

Do you think Jose is concerned with sanitizing his cutlery and boards? Or do you think he wants to keep his boss off of his ass and get the work done in the required time.

Let’s go to behind the cooks line. Peter works at a place that serves fajitas and it’s busy. Do you think Peter switches between a poultry knife and a beef knife to illuminate the possibility of cross contamination? Or, wipe the cutting service in between the chicken and the steak or whatever else he has cut in the last fifteen minutes.

                                                                              Oh and what if Peter has the sniffles.

If you get sick all year round it may be as simple as the people that prepare your meals. The kid at Subway, or the Pizzeria you frequent. What about Uncle Bill’s barbecue every Fourth of July. Does Uncle Bill execute clean and safe food handling techniques? How many times does he touch the chicken and then the steaks on the grill with his not so clean hands?

Ok you can’t lock yourself and your family in a bubble.

What you can do is be aware of who’s preparing your food and how they prepare it. Watch the kid making your sandwich. Instead of running through the drive through, go inside and watch the people in the back handle the fries, the burgers and for God sake the salads.

Note: there is no way on God’s green earth I would ever purchase a salad from a fast food restaurant. A Fast food restaurant should be used for one thing only--a pre-cooked, pre-heated limited hand contact--desperate sustenance source. 

For one day she might be the one making your oriental salad at Burger King in the near future. 

Just --The God's Honest Truth.

In movies, in literature, in music, in government and in life. I could not sum it up better than this ....

"The world is desperate for authenticity. In business and in real life. We crave it I think, because it’s in such short supply."

Mike Rowe

Textnovel

http://www.textnovel.com/story/Following-Hemingway/2185/5/

Remember, there is no great writing-- only great rewriting.

Enjoy Following Hemingway

WRITERS AND AUTHORS -PLOTTING A COURSE

A writer interprets life differently than others.  They write life the way they think it should be or the way they would like it to be. That’s why a successful romance novelist could really be an introvert rarely going out, never engaging in a meaningful relationship and always keeping people at a distance. Or, they could simply be in what is considered a normal family environment but the people around them considered them cold and distant. A horror or mystery writer may very well be the opposite of whom they portray in their novels.

When a writer taps into their creative brain the content that appears on the page is filtered and influenced by every emotion and memory collected during their lifetime. Sometimes this may result in false truths and enhanced story lines. The end result is always a true reflection of the author’s aspirations. It doesn’t matter if the guy gets the girl or the serial killer escapes, those facts can be change depending on how the writer feels the story should unfold always relying on how they perceive the characters life and how they want that life perceived. 
Some write to log events in their lives and rely on their memory to illustrate – to the best of their knowledge and what actual occurred. Many write for the therapeutic aspect of it. Getting something on paper separates a person from a situation or circumstance and often helps that person cope with the event or situation in a better realm.

There are some who write to shock and intrude on old relationships or adversaries possibly attempting to correct things that can’t be corrected. And then there are some that simply want to make amends of an unfavorable moment from the past. Ultimately trying to make sense out of an unfortunate event and make peace with those that were affected.

There are authors and then there are writers. In most cases they’re interchangeable. An author of fiction or non-fiction once in front of their computer creates content solely for the purpose of enticing a reader to be interested enough to read what they wrote. Hopefully tempting the reader to think and imagine beyond their normal world.

A writer tries to tempt the reader as well. A writer’s content can be influenced by facts and situations from their personal lives usually delivered in a way that can easily illustrate a moment in time. However a writer is still a slave to his or her own beliefs and desires. And they still want to portray life as they see it or how they would like it to be seen, hence, the blog.

Everything that is written in a blog  may or may not be 100% accurate. It is up to the reader to decide whether or not they agree or disagree with the content.
The reader’s job is to first acknowledge the fact that reading blogs or notes on the internet is purely is by choice. If a writer or author feels the need to express him or herself on a topic whether it is political—factual—or just plan opinion the reader should never feel the content is bordering on malice or personally condemning to them because they don’t share the same opinion. It’s a Blog!

Writers take privilege on what they say and how they say it. It’s OK to agree or disagree that’s why most Blogs allow comments. As long as no one is personally attacked by name or circumstance no matter how the content reflects similar events from ones past it is still just a blog.

Speaking for myself, I write for many reasons and my writing comes from things that have influenced my life and the people in it. I try not to get too detailed in order to keep the persons or personalities from being exposed. I take my memories and use them to tack through life adjusting my course in the attempt to avoid future obstacles. I’m not always successful, especially when I look back and see I’ve thrown a wake on something or someone from the past.

I know it is impossible to change what has already happened but my readers can take solace in knowing that I’m not the rogue captain they may think I am. And I am able to make adjustments maybe not calming the seas on my bow but relying on my experiences and knowledge to ensure a safe passage toward the future. Hopefully one day leading me back to my home port of call, where ever that might be.

When Regrets Replace Our Dreams

Most of the time we are able to put regrets behind us especially the one’s that are not major disappointments. We look around and realize that we don’t have it so bad. But when regrets begin to replace our dreams we become consumed, taking a moral inventory filled with questions that have no answers.

“Is it better to have loved and lost or tried and failed than never to have loved or tried at all?”

We tell ourselves it would’ve been better if we hadn’t smoked, if we had eaten better, if we learned how to cope with stress. We convince ourselves that life would have---could have been better. We would be healthier, wealthier, and happier if we weren’t so weak, so unwise, and so unlucky.

Instead of dreaming what could be we replay what “might” have been, “could” have been or “should” have been.  We are capable of storing millions of images and memories in our minds eye but we can only see one at a time. We recall those images through deep thought, mediation and in our dreams.

Is this part of a midlife crisis? I think so ….

The inability of letting regrets go is directly related to the metaphysical and neurological changes in a person once they reach the age of forty or beyond. We start to question the choices we made and the validity of decisions made years before. The spouse is the first victim. Anger towards a spouse cultivates the feeling of being let down and tied down. Doubts that they never loved their spouse and resentment over marriage replaces the ability to cope with any and all external problems and distractions.

People that have a difficult time during midlife go into a severe crisis mode all fueled by internal and external factors. They compound stress in their life making the transition from adult to senior adult difficult. They may have physical challenges such as menopause, heart conditions or just poor health. Or, unresolved childhood issues that were never dealt with could come to the surface causing more regret replaying past images over and over.

The question is not a matter of if it will happen; it’s when it will happen. For some, a midlife crisis can be more complicated. When a person can’t replace regrets with promising thoughts of the future they loose sight and direction.  They can’t cross over that bridge or see that lighthouse in a storm. Regret clouds our ability to navigate to a safe harbor and ultimately enjoy the remainder of our lives.

It takes courage to really let go of regrets. We are able to move on when we realize that things did not turn out as we expected because of something we did, or failed to do. Only psychopaths have no regrets. They never look back or learn from their behavior * * * the rest of us can.

Hemingway's home gets literary honor - CNN.com

Hemingway's home gets literary honor - CNN.com

Liar Liar Pants On Fire

Disposed to or characterized by untruth

Lying, we all do it. No one on earth can say any different. So why do we lie? Who taught us how to lie? The answer is mind boggling but if the truth be known we taught ourselves.

We start lying as early as preschool. Of course, lying is not part of our parents’ curriculum like potty training or dressing ourselves but somehow by the time we enter school we know all about lying.

No one really knows how we developed the skill to lie. Television is the most likely suspect. We learn that lying can be used to avoid pain. We also learn that lying can bring pleasure. Young children test the water with little white lies. As parents we react with some level of punishment. So the child associates getting caught lying with pain. This doesn’t teach the child not to lie it teaches the child not to get caught.

“My child doesn’t lie”.

Well, you know that’s not exactly true and lying to ones self is also considered a lie. Believe it or not there are three studies on lying. All three considered lying morally and ethically wrong. However one supports the belief that a lie could be moral based on the consequence that follows.

Immanuel Kant said that lying is always morally wrong. He said all humans are borne with an intrinsic worth that he called dignity. He believed humans are uniquely rational and capable of freely making their own decisions, setting their own goals and guiding their conduct by reason. He also stated that we have the power of free choice; to be ethical is to respect the power of ones self towards others.

Lying corrupts the most important aspect of being human, the ability to make choices freely. Lying robs others of the freedom to choose rationally. In short, Kant believed that we should value ourselves and others as ends instead of means. We should avoid trying to damage or interfere others ablility to make free choices. In other words no lying

The second study aligns with the concept of Virtual Ethics. Virtual Ethics does not judge right or wrong rather it focuses on the development of character. Fairness is a virtual aspect allowing people to strive for or pursue a goal. To be virtuous is to be ethical.

The nature of virtual ethics makes it difficult to assess individual acts of immorality however those who advocate this theory still believe lying is wrong because it opposes the virtue of honesty.

For example a brother that lies to a sisters’ drunken husband is motivated by compassion for his sisters’ safety, is this right or wrong? This conflict between virtues is managed by most ethicists through a concept called the unity of virtues. This concept states that the virtuous person, the ideal person we strive to be, cannot achieve one virtue without achieving them all. Therefore when facing a conflict between virtues, like a passionate lie, our virtue ethics helps us to imagine what would the ideal person do and then act accordingly. Virtue ethics finds lying immoral when it’s a step away, not closer toward, the best person we could possibly be.

The final study is based on Utilitarian ethics which include tests necessary for judging the morality of a lie. Utilitarianism bases its reasoning on the claim that lying is morally acceptable when the results or consequences maximize benefit or minimize harm. Therefore a lie is not always immoral.

For example a Mother’s dying request to her son is to be buried with her money in the coffin. The son does not keep his promise and instead offers the money to a local charity. Although the son promised his mother while she was alive he knew he would not. So he lied to her on her death bed. Was this immoral?

The son knew the money would be wasted or possibly stolen and the local charity would be denied this generous offering. Utilitarianism supports the son’s decision to lie on the determination the greater good would be served. Altruistic or noble lies, which specifically intend to benefit someone else, can also be considered morally acceptable by utilitarians.

Clearly lying is alive a well in today’s society. Lies flourish in social uncertainty, when people no longer understand, or agree on, the rules governing their behavior toward one another." Maybe social uncertainty abounds because we are a mixture of Kantians, virtuists, and utilitarians who share no common ground.

Now, what if nobody lied, would your life be different? If no one ever lied to you and you never told a lie would you be where you are right now? Would you be richer or poorer? Would you be living somewhere different? Would you be married or single? How did lies affect your life so far? It’s interesting to think about.

The greatest question is; what if you made the choice never to lie again. What profound challenges and triumphs would be in your future?