Success

I have often wondered about the meaning of a successful life.  What does it truly mean? Does it mean that you have succeeded at everything you ever tried? Does it mean that you never once failed? Does it mean you have no regrets, or that you would have done some things a little different?  We all have a different gauge for measuring success in our lives.  Our accomplishments mean different things to different people.  I believe we all start out setting goals for our lives. Somewhere along the way life creeps in and our priorities change.  What was important yesterday, mmmm not so much today.  I had all sorts of goals I set for my life early on.  Looking back I can see now, maybe some were a bit lofty, but hey you have to work for something. I believe having goals keeps you motivated.  I think the two goals that stick out the most in my mind were firefighter and radio personality. I had a chance to some degree accomplish those particular goals, although I really hope the latter takes me a little bit further. I am not quite done with that one yet. I will say that if it doesn’t I’m fine with that too.  I accomplished what I set out to do.  Here is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

        No success ever came to be without some hard work and sacrifice.  As fun as being a firefighter was there were trainings to attend. There were sleepless nights. When an alarm goes off at 2 am you have to be prepared to get up and go.  There were weekends given up and time with family and friends missed. There is the giving of you to the point of exhaustion. There were hospital stays, injuries and so on and so on. What about radio personality? That was a tough gig for sure.  Ask anyone that has been in the business and they will confirm about a very tough business.  I started as a grunt just lugging equipment around driving the van to and from remotes.  I slowly worked my way into board operator which by no means is glamorous.  From that point once you are proficient as a board op you might get the opportunity if you possess certain skills to do a fill in shift for someone but only if the full time job allows for it.   Hey if not find a full time job that you can fit your dream into, just for the record I did all of that.  Then give up your weekends with your family just hoping for a chance at a full time gig. Then after all of the sacrifice and finally getting your shot at full time have it be built on lies that were promised and never fulfilled and have it all come crashing down.  Yep that was my dream. It was my goal.  Success I think not. But hey I got air time and that was something. I’m just reiterating having goals and striving for success is hard work and requires dedication. 

So all being said how is it that you measure success?  You as a human can only control so much. Sometimes successful things happen because you are in the right place at the right time.  Sometimes goals are reached because you know the right people. Sometimes it’s just plain blind luck.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work hard to get there, it just means sometimes we have absolutely no control.  Sometimes no matter how hard you work someone else because of who they know gets the position over you.  It’s not fair it’s just the way life is. Sometimes someone wins the lottery. Sometimes someone who has paid no dues slaps every hard working musician in the face by winning some huge recording contract off of American Idol.  There is no rhyme or reason to success.

      Here is what I am learning more and more each day. First and foremost, slow down and look at all that you have around you.  There is in my case, a woman who is madly in love with you ( I do not know why) check mark that is success.  You have children that love and respect you, that’s a big ‘ol success check mark.  You have a very loving family, another check mark.  You have a way to support your family that is success in my book.  For everything we consider goals in our life we have been given those in our lives that will help us be successful and reach those goals.  I honestly believe success comes from the people that you allow to be a part of your life.  I am success because of relationships not in spite of them.  

   Here is the question for you. Do you consider yourself a success?  Why?  If not why aren’t you?  Break the chain of life sucking draining relationships and develop uplifting positive ones that will support and help you be all that you want to be.

Kenney Big Skinny Pope 

The Times are Changing

There was a time where people were taught manners. We were taught to respect authority. We were taught to respect our elders. Yes sir and yes Ma'am were expected if we were talking to said elders.  We had respect for our parents. We didn't live in fear of sending our kids to school. We didn't worry about someone with a gun terrorizing our children. We didn't worry about paedophiles in our classroom. We didn't worry about going to a movie theater or making a trip to the mall. Now I'm not saying that worry has stopped us from doing any of those things, but its always in the back of our minds. We are constantly hearing the stories on the news telling us of another incident, another shooting, rape case or improper relationship between a teacher and student. Then there is racial tensions like I've not known in my lifetime. It's become a crazy world.
    I can't say I didn't know it was coming. I remember as a child sitting in church as the preacher would tell us about the end times. He talked about how evil the world would become.  He wasn't a soothsayer or a fortune teller he just got the info out of his Bible.  His job was to let us know what was coming. Our job was to be prepared.  We seem for the most part thrive on being prepared. I have a friend(a survivalist) that I could talk to for hours about steps for preparedness for any event he sees coming that could end civilization as we know it. He tells me about all of the food and water he has stored and the method used for preserving it. He is prepared for the worst case scenario as he sees it. There were folks of the same mindset back at the turn of the century. We all remember how the world was coming to an end Y2K.  Generators MRE'S, all  kinds of survival gear for something that may or may not happen. Well it didn't but hey preparation was the key.
      I'm by no means a conspiracy theory nut. I do not subscribe to that way of thinking. But I do see a lot of what that old preacher H.M. Corey said is coming to pass. I could ignore the signs of the times and pass it off as that's just life. I'm not putting goods away for hard times, but seeing how our stock market is doing that might not be a bad idea. I'm just looking around and wondering how much time is left until God says okay son, go get them. I know some would say this is hogwash and that's fine you can subscribe to your own beliefs. You might even say I'm wrong and that's cool you can believe however you want. If I'm wrong you've lost nothing. If you're wrong you've lost everything.  The times are changing. Look around do some research and see for yourself.  If my religious views offend I won't apologize for them its how I was raised. I don't know how else to be. My grandma always planned her future by saying Good Lord Willing. Hopefully we will see tomorrow Good Lord Willing. 

The Five and Dime

There it stood in all its glory. Just inside those doors was a plethora of candy, not at all unlike the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. There were all colors and all sizes. It was just like a technicolored dream. Just inside those doors was a cure for the common ailment known as the sweet tooth. Okay forgive me I am not sure that it’s really an ailment, but hey it could be.  The store was Mott's and it was our local 5 & Dime. The store had a lot to offer. There were aisles of housewares, toys, some clothes, fabrics for sewing and to the best of my recollection there was an aisle for model airplanes and cars. So I am not stretching the truth when I say they had a little of everything. Like a smaller version of a department store.  They worked hard to make all of the items relevant for everyday life.  If you found yourself in need of something and did not want to have to venture to the nearest department store they could almost always suffice the need. Oh, but I digress, what usually brought me or my siblings into the store was what was up front in those candy bins.

   I can still remember dad driving us up there on a Saturday morning. It was within walking distance. It was about a three minute drive. He would pull into a parking spot, put the car in park, and then he would reach into his wallet and give each of us one or two of his hard earned dollars. I didn’t think much about it then but looking back it was pretty cool that he did that for us. He would sit and wait in the car while we shopped for candy. He never complained or honked his horn, he just waited patiently for us to finish. I remember walking into the store, the familiar smell of the store; Darlene the manager would greet us as we walked in.  Then the shopping began. It was almost like a plane coming in for a landing. You had to circle the bins 3 to 4 times just to see what all they had.  You wanted to spend your money wisely.  I usually avoided the higher priced chocolate bars and stuck to the cheaper hard candies.

       For a nickel or a dime apiece you could load up on some candy.  They had all kinds of suckers and taffy, bubble gums and even baseball cards with the one hard piece of gum in it.  There would always be the newest item that you had to get at least one of, to try it out. I found some I really liked that way.   I remember as I got older I would drop by there to purchase what was my favorite candy of all time the “Lifesaver Swirl” lollipop. Unfortunately they discontinued that one.  Then there was the “Astro Pop”, the “Jolly Rancher Stick” “Charms Sweet and Sour Pops”, “Tootsie Pops” and many others that have fallen by the wayside over the years.  We definitely had a lot broader selection back then.  But things change.

      As progress goes so did the Mott's. I am not sure what happened to the E.B. Mott Company I was unable to find any real info on the web about them.  I am sure that progress and something bigger and better ran them out of business. I have seen a lot of change in my lifetime and sometimes change is good. I know looking back stores like Dollar General and the like, our Variety stores of today got their beginnings from stores like Mott’s.  I will say that I miss those days at Mott’s, cruising the aisles at 7/11 for a candy fix just ain’t the same.   What is your favorite memory of the ol’ Mott’s 5-10-25 Cent Store

Feel free to comment.

Kenney Pope

8/20/15    

The Wheels Have Done Come Off

Have you ever witnessed a car driving down the road at full speed and suddenly have a tire just fall off of it. It is kind of a crazy thing to see.  The tire keeps rolling, it goes one way and the car another.  You just hope for the sake of other drivers it doesn’t cross over in front of them causing an accident. It can be quite an experience for the driver of said car. He has to maintain the course and keep his car upright and not lose control of it.  Even for the most experienced driver this can be a dangerous undertaking. I’ve witnessed it and it is a crazy scene.  Luckily for the driver involved he wasn’t hurt. He was also fortunate to be driving on a deserted country road in Alabama and his tire rolled several hundred yards and came to a rest on the side of the road on a grassy shoulder.

       Once that wheel came off the driver of that car was most likely afoot. He was not going to be able to fix it on the spot.  There were probably stripped lug nuts as well as some of the lugs had probably snapped off.  Most people don’t carry those around in their vehicle.  There could have been some other major problem with the wheel causing it to suddenly come off.   So a quick repair was out of the question.  Call AAA and get a tow truck and get that vehicle headed towards town to get it repaired.  That’s probably the most logical of decisions.  You don’t need a group of auto engineers on the scene trying to figure out a solution and writing up a plan of action report.  At that moment the auto manufacturer need not get involved, that might come later depending on the cause of the problem. The problem just needs to be addressed and corrected.  Let’s get it fixed.

          Here we are in America (our Cadillac). We are cruising along at the posted speed limit, ain’t breaking no laws.  We got the radio cranked up listening to our favorite song.  Okay mister I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, the key word is listening to the radio.  We are just relaxing and taking in the scenery, maybe a Sunday drive. Then out of the blue all four wheel just fly off the car.   What was to be an easy peasy lazy Sunday afternoon drive has turned into a nightmare.  We are left in the middle of the road stranded.

        Okay maybe that’s a little extreme or is it.  I will let you be the judge.  He is the real scenario. We are living in a world fascinated with tragic news. We have news channels that glorify and exalt the tragic story to use it as a means for ratings.  They all want to be the first to bring you an exclusive look at the derailing of some one’s life.  They want you to understand what brought this evil person to that point. They want to give them their 15 minutes of fame. They want to have this person’s face everywhere.  We have countless post of the evil on social media as well.  It spreads like wildfire. You are inundated with all of these horrific crimes. This is all we see anymore. When that story rubs its course they bring us another maybe more tragic.  We seem to get more upset when someone kills a puppy than a loss of a human life.  I think killing a puppy is a sorry thing to do and a person who hurts a defenseless animal should be punished. I think that a person who takes a human life should face more of a punishment.  Then we have people who aren’t content unless they are fueling the flames of a race war.  They spread hate and ignorance to any one that will listen. This in turn causes more acts of violence and horrific crimes. It’s a never ending cycle.  Look I get that we need to be aware of what’s going on around us, but it doesn’t need to be tricked up and glamourized.  I think the world is becoming more evil. Not only do we have to worry about those outside of our country wishing to do us harm, it seems now more than ever there are those inside wishing us harm.  I am a little apprehensive about going to a dark movie theater to see a movie these days.  We have a lot of people in Washington trying to put a piece of duct tape (gun laws in this case) on a busted wheel.  While they see duct tape(temporary fix) is good for most everything it’s not a great solution in this case.   I believe we as a nation have lost our wheels. The leaders of the other countries are either passing us rubber necking  as we sit stranded shaking their heads or wagging a finger at us. We have become the laughing stock. We are a You Tube spectacle.  We are the traffic jam.  Look around what was once our beloved Cadillac is now wheel less.  We can sit around while our Washington engineers put a plan of action together or we can get our America picked up and put back together. Its not an easy fix. Years of hatred from all sides. Unwillingness to listen to anyone's point of view. Political parties refusing to work together for the good of a nation. Corporate greed, no morals no filters. It has to change if we want a fix. We have to turn off the crap that only promotes more violence. We as a nation stop watching, the ratings go down and programming changes.  If we want a change its up to us, unless we like the negative attention we're getting.

 

The Playground

Let's all go back to simpler time...... not yesterday. Let's go a little further back. Let's revisit those grade school days. You remember kindergarten through about 4th or 5th grade? As I recall we for the most part were in one classroom all day. It wasn't like high school where you moved from class to class. You were cooped up with one teacher and about 25 other kids. There were 2 things you looked forward to in those days. One was lunch and the other was recess and not necessarily in that order.
      Recess would come around and the bell would ring.  We would all run out to the playground to play. you had to be motivated or all of the good rides like the merry-go-round and the swings were taken. There were the monkey bars and the see-saw but I preferred the swings.   If you didn't get there in time you would just have to wait for someone to get off so hopefully you could take your turn.  There was kickball and chase. We had freeze tag and a variety of other games that could occupy those little minds of ours.  That was the greatest thing, we could always pretend.  I would say a little imagination carried us to a lot of places. To the wild west, to the moon and back. We could take a journey anywhere. There were no limitations, a stick could be a shotgun or a bazooka or even just a stick.  Soft clods of dirt or pea gravel could be ammunition to fight a war of upper class-men. You could invent your own sound effects for emphasis.  We would play hide-go-seek and we got pretty good at it.  of course if you were sophisticated enough to have a girlfriend at that young age you just spent recess with and talked about absolutely nothing while you were missing playing with your buddies. Yes men this is where we first learned to make those life changing sacrifices. You had to make a choice which was more important at that young age. Holding this girls hand (maybe if you made it to that point in your relationship) or playing with your buddies. You had to be quick about planning your recess. Sometimes it was done by a very sophisticated messaging system called passing notes.  It was a very dangerous way to communicate because if you were caught the whole class might get to hear what you had in that note. Then there would be something else for everyone to do at recess and that would be to make fun of you. I reiterate you have to be quick making your plans because you only got 15 minutes on that playground.  It was a sight all these kids running in different directions. It was not boring I can tell you that. We all looked forward every day to that time on the playground.
       Do you realize that playground taught you some life lessons?  I know you are saying Huh?
What lessons.  One lesson was, it didn't matter what color a person's skin was, or what their financial portfolio looked like, we all just got along. I could play astronaut with anybody.  We could just pretend away or play kickball or spin each other around on the merry-go-round. It really didn't matter.  There was another lesson we learned. We did not have to spend money to have fun. Our imagination took us to all kinds of places but it never cost a dime. We learned the value of friendships, some that would last a lifetime. That guy watching your back as the upper class-men came in for their assault  had to be your best friend right? We learned about love and broken hearts. You might have had your first crush right there on that playground. Sometimes they only lasted 15 minutes. Girls were fickle then and it was all about perception by your peers. If her friends did not perceive you as cool you were out and it was on to the next boy.
     It's amazing the things you remember. About a month ago me and Cee went to a park her dad used to take her brothers and sisters to. He would sit and watch for hours as they played and had fun. We were there maybe an hour and while it was somewhat fun, it wasn't like the old days. The slide looked shorter and the swings my feet don't dangle anymore. We grew up but we took the lessons with us.  It was a simpler time but life lessons were still taught. Sometimes you just don't see them until years later.  What did the Playground teach you?  Personally I learned that merry-go-rounds still make me sick.

The Old House

From the outside it wasn't fancy. Just an old wood framed house. It was a sanctuary from the elements. It was a place I felt safe as a child.  It was more than mere wood, sheet-rock, wiring, nails and shingles. It was our palace. That house was ever changing to supply the needs of the people living in it.  My dad would add on, remodel, whatever it took to make the house comfortable for his wife and kids.  There were eight of us growing up in that house, not once did I feel crowded. Maybe I just never thought about the inconveniences of having that many people in one house. Maybe it was because it's all I ever knew.  We never had central heat and air in that old house. We only had an old swamp cooler in the living room. There were box fans in the windows at night.  There were a lot of nights you were sweating because it was so hot. We made due with what we had.  It didn't matter if you complained because that's the way it was. It wasn't going to change. So you accepted it and that was that. There were the gas heaters for the winter months. Many mornings I remember standing in front of that heater trying to get warm as I got out of bed.  You would stand in front of the heater until the back of your legs itched from the heat. The gas stove in the kitchen all of the burners on for heat in the winter.  Saturday mornings shivering in the living room as we watched cartoons.  But we survived the old house. I think it gave us some character growing up.
         We at least I didn't feel like we were poor growing up. We never went without in that old house.  We had our rooms full of toys and stereos. I remember as we got older I believe there was a TV in every bedroom of the house. There were work days to maintain the house. There were additions and subtractions to the house to mold it into whatever it needed to be. It at times felt like it took on a personality itself.  The creaks from the floorboards, the smell of a pot of beans on the stove, or the smell of the fireplace. They were all familiar in that old house.  I can still remember the smell from the  overwhelming amount of cologne coming out of my older brothers room. I am pretty sure he filled their bathtub up with judging from the smell.  But it gave his room its personality.  then there were the posters on the wall.  Everyone had their own sense of decorating style.  I think that's what made it special. Eight individuals coming together to make it a home. My mom was very good at making it a home. She had her tastes throughout that old house. She had the knick knacks. I know there are drawers full of them still in that old house. For years that old house stood out, as it was the only florescent green house in the neighborhood.  Everyone knew where we lived.  I see the old house today just a shell of what it once was. some rooms unused dust and cobwebs. I still feel safe there it will always be home as long as it stands. My dad still resides there and I find comfort there.  I have no regrets about that old house. It taught me how to build. It taught me how to love, to share and made me feel safe.  God Bless that ol' house
Kenney Pope

The Price Of Freedom

Can you remember your first car? I can. It wasn't  much to look at but it was mine. I remember my dad paying 500.00 for it, with the stipulation that I pay on it every pay period until it was paid off.  Then the day came when my dad brought it home. I had never seen it until then.  I was excited to say the least. My first set of wheels.  It was a 1969 Ford Ranger.  Now that was when the Ranger was a full size truck.  I was officially a truck man (still am ).  I remember getting the keys and walking out to inspect my ticket of freedom and independence.
      It was red and white with a short wheel base.  She ran great on a 351 Windsor or Cleveland can't remember which. It had one blemish that was pointed out immediately.  The gas gauge did not work, but I didn't care. I would always have a full tank of gas in it.(can't even begin to count how many times I ran out of gas)  Next question was how did the stereo work, how did it sound? Well there was blemish number 2. It only had a AM Radio. No problem I can put a stereo system in it.  It needed a little work but that's OK I don't have my license yet so I had time to fix it up and get it ready for the big day. I now had a goal.
   There was a price to pay for freedom and independence. New tires, insurance, new stereo and speakers and that truck payment. Even though I couldn't drive it yet I still had to pay for it. But it would be ready when that day came.  Then it did. My parents like any loving parents did not just turn me loose on the streets. It was  gradual. Driving to and from work which was approximately 3 minutes from the house.  The occasional trip to the store for mom, which was where I worked.  I built trust over a period of months and the reins loosened more and more.  I still remember my first solo date. Up until that point it had been double dates with my best friend. He was 6 or seven years older so he had been driving awhile.   Wow the freedom to go wherever I wanted. All I had to remember to do was call mom and let her know I was there safe and call before I left. The rule to obey was curfew. If you enjoyed the privilege of your new found freedom make sure that you were not late for curfew. 
     With all of my new found freedom I had discovered more responsibility. What was once a carefree spend my money on whatever now had to go towards keeping my truck up.  Not only that I had to now manage my time to make sure I was home on time.  Did I learn to be responsible immediately, no it was a gradual process. ( still learning) I had to make decisions on what I deemed important. I had to curb impulse spending. I might need those few dollars for gas later in the week.  I had to sometimes cut a night of fun short to get home on time. Just because I had a taste of independence did not mean I no longer had to follow my parents rules.  Yes there is a point in all of this rambling. My point is this. Today we live in a society where people expect everything with no strings of responsibility. They want without the work involved in earning it. We as a nation are setting them up to fail. This cruel world is not about giving anything to you.  You have to make your way. You also have to realize there are consequences for your actions. Just because you have freedom it doesn't mean you can break the rules.    I was so proud for Cynthia's youngest daughter, Jeli (short for Anjelica). She wanted a job this summer.  She applied for one and got it.  I told her this would open a whole new world. She is now understanding the way it works.  We need more young adults and older adults for that matter,working making their way instead of just expecting mom and dad or the government to pay for it. 
You want to be an adult? ......... ... Well do ya? There is a price to pay for that freedom.
God Bless
Kenney Big Skinny Pope.