Oh My Goodness! (updated from the 7/1/13 original)

Me, learning to smile.  Good banana!

 

“If you're reading this... 

Congratulations, you're alive. If that's not something to smile about, then I don't know what is.”

-- Chad Sugg

 

What the heck happened? 

 

With all modesty, let's be honest, I was a heartbreaker in junior high school!  The old guy below is another matter.  I went to Mexico and lost 40 pounds, from my 207, right off the bat, but under that hat is the thinning hair of a man in his late fifties.  We're halfway up a mountain to a shrine in Manzanillo.  I swear the trail was better than 45 degrees half the time.  The old guy's still got game, though.  Not even winded, and I'm helping the ladies I'm with over some of the rough spots. 

 

So, again I ask, what the heck happened?

 

Proof of life.  That's what I tell women that are vain about a scar that runs from here to there.  It's just proof of life.  I look in the mirror and I see proof of life.  The wrinkles and the crow's feet, the thinning hair, the love handles yadda, yadda, yadda.  It is what it is until it isn't, so, get over it!  It happens to all of us.  If not now... blink.  There it is!

 

I've said it in my past blogs, and I repeat it now.  You are what you are, even if it's the product of that last cherry pie.  If it bothers you, go outside and exercise...breathe, and let someone else eat the cherry pie.  Get off your butt and live life! 

 

The most important thing in life, though, is to smile!  I've said this before, as well.  Notice the one similarity in the photos, here?  I loved to smile back then, and I still love to smile now!

 

Enjoy life!  And, love yourself. Make the choice to be truly happy always and in all things, regardless of your circumstances.  The alternative simply sucks.

 

Ask yourself: If you are the last person alive on this planet, who would you want to be with?  Oh, crap!  An old fart.  But, I'm still smiling.  It is what it is.

“It's not how old you are, it's how you are old.”

-- Jules Renard

Yep!   I'm still smiling... and humble, to a fault.

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com