When does doing the paperwork mean more than helping people??????? Sometimes we add the numbers and make the forms and forget the numbers can be people. It is even to a point where you become jaded yourself because you have seen so much and have hit your own head against a rock wall for so long you kind of lose your own strength to fight the battle. What is the battle??? When you are out there in the field of being the “people who are in need” advocate the homeless man ,the pregnant teenage girl or maybe the senior citizen who does not have any money left… the wall seems impenetrable. I know people who work both as the advocate and the person who determines who will benefit and get what they need. Both positions can be challenging. But there are times and I have recently seen a situation where the paper pusher just did not care and did not equate her numbers with the real person and the person was left out literally in the freezing cold because all the I’s were not dotted and the t’s were not crossed. I think it is time we as a humane people start to take notice of the diverse people around us and remember we are “our brother’s keeper” and “there but for the grace of God” They need help, and we have helped, and we are here to help. And we are helping, and we’re going to continue to help. Dan Quayle

Sometimes it hard to know what to write each week but mostly I feel strongly about a subject and my fingers and mind start to run with it. This week I cannot find the passion I usually have to pick a subject. I think with the holiday season behind us and the New Year before us it is time to step back and relax! Many people now are looking at their bills and wondering why they spent so much money over the holidays as they go fast. I have always wondered why we want to shower everyone with love and presents over the holidays when we should be showing our love all year long. Why don’t we invite our families over in March??????? Why don’t we donate our time to the local food shelter in April?????????? I think when the holiday season is coming we tend to think only of that and put our lives on hold to say after Christmas I will do that ……..Well it is after Christmas…… It is time to sit back and kick up our feet and wait for the spring, flowers and birds to come our way……………. Just as a puppy can be more of a challenge than a gift, so too can the holidays. John Clayton

Today I was talking to a man and a woman about preferences when choosing a healthcare professional. The conversation became very interesting when it was clear a man wants the opposite sex and the woman wants the same sex taking care of her. So what does this mean? Both the man and the woman were very verbal in trying to understand why one thinks one way and the other another way. Then the man went further to talk about how he feels when using a urinal. He said it so hard because a lot of men try to look at the other person. I guess this interested me because I have always tried to understand the difference between men and woman. You know the “men are from Mars and women are from Venus “verbiage. I believe it all has to with sexuality. Maybe Freud was right when he said all men and woman have some kind of sexual tension between them and each other. Sex itself has always been a taboo subject but I think we in America are realizing it is time to talk about it and figure it out. Even the conversation I had with these two people was very open and the man let us know how awkward he feels having to use a urinal. Normally it is the men who undress in front of each other while women cover up or at least that is the way is used to be……. So I end this with still wondering but at least now the dialogue is open…….. “What freedom men and women could have, were they not constantly tricked and trapped and enslaved and tortured by their sexuality! The only drawback in that freedom is that without it one would not be a human. One would be a monster.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

I had a friend come to me to ask advice on an issue with a coworker. She had a problem working with someone on a project where they both had to write a report together. They both were responsible to make an end of the week deadline. As the dead line was approaching she felt he was trying to take control and make her look bad. As she was telling me the situation I thought although I do believe his ego was in the way so was hers! So I started to think about it and came to the conclusion egos are responsible for many problems and sometimes get in the way not only in work but in all aspects of life whether it is a relationship or work. There are times when people are arguing and not even realizing it is not the subject causing the disagreement it is the “I know more than you” attitude. This can apply to children as “who’s toy is the hottest on the block” or adults who cannot give in and say “I just don’t know”. Pride goes before………………..? Sometimes you need to know we are all together on this planet and there will always be someone who is prettier or smarter but we are all special and unique in our own way so we can put the ego to rest !!!!! The great corrupter of public man is the ego. Looking at the mirror distracts one’s attention from the problem. Dean Acheson