Dear ________,

Dear family,

       I want to say thank you. Thank you for being a constant love no matter what shit storm comes raging through our lives. Thank you for being crutches for other family members to lean on when the weight of the world seems too heavy to bear. Thank you for being self aware and honest. Thank you for being you. We are a fucked up group of people for sure. But, we are a fucked up group of amazing, supportive, loving champions that prove time and time again that we persevere... Always.

                                                                                                         Love, Brett.

Dear Mom and Dad,

         There is not enough room on the internet to write down all the amazing things you do. You both are truly rocks. How you keep your shit together with all of the crap we have pulled through the years is a testament to your strength and your patience. Mommy, without fail you are there when ever needed, no matter the circumstance. (except hospitals... You don't do hospitals.) You have the power to calm the most torrential internal storms that we face and you do not ever receive enough gratitude. Daddy, You took on the job of raising this chubby, oversensitive, ball of emotion without ever making me feel like I wasn't yours. You both are so wonderful. I love you.

                                                                                                          Love, Brett.

Dear Wife,

      What can I say that I don't tell you as often as I can already? You are stunning. You are everything to so many. You are the light that keeps me from forever falling into darkness. You are a voice of reason when the voices in my head are being unreasonable. You are force to be reckoned with, my love. Because of you, I serve a purpose. Because of you, the worst of days end with smiles and sound sleep. Because of you this little house remains strong and loving and beaming with possibility. The words "I love you" are not enough. My cup overflows.

                                                                                                           Love, Brett.

Dear Emma,
 
      Man, do we love you. And even though you are out in the world, doing you... Your face is missed. Your smile is missed. Your presence is missed. We spend countless minutes everyday worrying about you, thinking about you. In the end, we believe in you and that you will do the right things. We believe that you will be safe and smart.

                                                                                                              Love, Brett.

Dear Drake,

      You have single handedly, turned an angry, selfish and foolish man into a man with a mission. A mission of being the absolute best father the world has ever seen. You, my son have changed my life. You have given your broken down Daddy a reason to wake up everyday. To smile and laugh. You have given me a reason to see the beauty in all of the world around us. You will move mountains, my boy. I have no doubt.

                                                                                                             Love, Daddy.


Dear the people that walked away,

          You are missed. Maybe not as much as before. But still missed. I am flawed. You must not be. Why else would you be so unwilling to forgive? I look back at all of the situations that caused you all to walk away and process them over and over until I go crazy. But I am done with that now. I have always owned up to my shit and made sincere apologies as needed. After that, it's not my problem anymore. It's yours. May the sun shine brightly on all of you. May each day bring happiness and smiles. May you someday realize that you too are flawed and that you will require forgiveness from someone that you wronged... And may you get that forgiveness. Also know that these doors are always open. At no point would I not gladly welcome you with open arms.

                                                                                                            Love, Brett.


Dear the people I walked away from,
       
            Being myself, I am all too familiar with actions and words that require forgiveness from others. If I have walked away from you, it means that you are too toxic for forgiveness. Your adultery, sex triangles, child endangerment or whatever, was far too dangerous for me or my family to be around. Whatever it is that you have done wasn't a simple screw up or lack of judgement. It wasn't a misunderstanding or an argument between pals. Those are things easy to forgive and move on from... You are sick, twisted spawns of evil with no signs of being anything else.

                                                                                                         Stay gone, Brett.

Dear World,

      You are a beautiful place jammed packed with the worst sorts of ugly imaginable. Get your shit together.

                                                                                                            Sincerely, Brett.

Dear Organized Religion,

        You are a beautiful idea... On paper. Unfortunately, many of your followers can't read the blueprint. Therefore, as much as I enjoy the idea of a higher power belief system, my faith will remain with the Fonz. Get your shit together.


                                                                                              Sincerely, Brett.

                                                                                           

Dear Friends,

                You all deserve an award. You have stuck by a guy who. Is. Fucked. Up. You have decided to stick by a guy who's inner demons and lightning fast, foul mouth gets the better of him on a daily basis. You appreciate and love me for me and I promise to forever do the same for you. Sometimes your presence is the antidote to venom filled depression. You are all awesome. Not awesome like, "Hey this IPA beer is awesome"... But the true definition of the word. The power of the universe kind of awesome.

                                                                                                                Love, Brett
     

A Little Thank You Note.

Ok, so... Long story short.

Lots of suck, depression, ended friendships, more depression... wash rinse and repeat.

With all of the battles and inner demons I have been fighting, things are finally on the mend and I have some people to thank for this. First, thank you to my wife. thank you for your love, your patience, your support, your wisdom and for blessing me with the opportunity to be your husband. Thank you to my therapist for the ear, the alternative view, your time and your confidence in my ability to overcome. Thank you to all of my family and friends that have stood by me, loved me and supported me.

 For someone like me it is not easy to keep friends for a lifetime but amazingly... it does happen. I got some awesome messages over the last few weeks. Messages that put smiles on my face, tears in my eyes and wrinkles in my chin. I would like to take a moment to copy and paste some of them (without their permission) to illustrate how the power of love and compassion can pull someone out of a horrible depression. Sometimes, it only takes a few kind words to completely turn someone around.

From J.D.:
" I was just thinkin about you today Bro. I see you cutting through some rough waters here. I also see one of the strongest people I know standing up and doing what it takes to get through them. You have not been dealt an easy hand. Ever. But you always rise above. You look around and most importantly (and most difficult) you look at yourself. You've never been afraid to point the finger at yourself and say, "this is what needs to change". I've always wished I had more time for my close friends. It seems to be the same with all of us. We do what's required to keep bread on the table and try to spend the remaining hours with our wives and kids. I owe you so many thanks for saying that it's not acceptable and opening your home so that people will gather and spend time together. And I'm glad you seem to smell it on me that I'm still on you like jock itch on a football player. I really, really hope that moving away isn't what it takes for you to have the life you want. But if you do I'll pack boxes with you and love you from afar and talk to you when I can. I have your back. And while you're still within spitting distance don't you ever for one second think that I'm too busy. My family does need me home whenever I can be, but if I look at my wife and tell me my heterosexual life partner needs me she'll ask me what I'm still doing there talking to her. You need me, make my phone ring. Day or night. You get into a black pit again and I will walk out of work and drive straight to your house. I'll get out of my bed and drive to your house. You just need someone to sit in your basement and listen to records, I'll be there. I'm so glad that you're in another phase of making improvements to Brett. But don't go so far that you wreck yourself. You have always been a bombastic, opinionated individual. If sometimes you're a little over the top, then that's just the price of admission and most of us are glad to pay that price. My pride in you has only grown for three decades. You are at the top of the list of people in my life that I value and respect. I quote you to my friends and coworkers all the time. And the parts of you that have rubbed off on me have only made me a better person. Even more than my parents and grandparent you were the one that taught me how to give and to look out for people. You were the one that told me it's OK to throw your hands back and say, "Fuck it!" sometimes. You taught me how to fight stress with comedy and how to knock a bully down with a laugh. Whatever anyone tells you or makes you think about yourself you are an individual of the highest worth. I love you man."

From T.W.:
"I just had to tell you, I think you're such a great guy and I'm so glad you have such a beautiful life. I know it's hard, I guess Life can be hard regardless of who you are or how hard you try, but we definitely keep you in our prayers and really enjoy seeing the good things you've got going on on FB. Just so you know, you have fans in Virginia!"

From P.W.:
Hey there... I know we don't ea other that well, except for that our kids go to school together... Lol But, I just wanted to tell u how much I can relate to ur last post !! I've been going thru some wicked anxiety/depression which was probly more postpartum depression that really messed me up !!! But, I'm working on myself still... So I guess what I just wanna say is I know how tuff things can get & I just wanna say hang in there & try to keep the negative vibes away from urself !!!

From J.B.
"Brett. I have been paying attention to your posts and the blogs you have been putting up. I'm sorry that so many bad things have been happening to you. I was pretty pissed at you awhile back for the things you said about how we spoiled *****. I thought you were a dick and that you should mind your own business. At her birthday party this year we invited like 15 kids and only 3 of them showed up. She threw a temper tantrum and blamed us. My mother said pretty much the same thing you did. We spoiled her more and more every year and now this is how she acts when she doesn't get her way. It really started to sink in when she would freak out over dinner or losing a game. Then at Christmas we dialed it way back and she lost her mind. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that you weren't being dick. Well you were but you were honest. I guess the stuff you said was stuff we already knew but just didn't want to admit. I'm also sorry if us being mad at you or the way we handled it played a part in what you are going through. No one should be hated for being honest. Keep your chin up. I know that we aren't very close these days but we keep you and your family in our prayers."

From T.B.:
"Your an amazing father husband and friend!! Im proud to know you and wouldnt want you to change a thing. Always here if you need me for anything"

   These are just a few of many I have received recently. I really can't thank you enough for taking some time out of your day to let me know that I am not alone. Letting me know that people do care, even if they aren't that close. Each positive message I received helped lift me from a horrible place. When someone is depressed, you really feel like the world is against you. One person being mad at you feels like a million. You really start to question your worth. And sometimes it only takes a few words to make someone feel like they are worth a lot. A few words to remind someone that they are important. So again. Thank you.

Cheers, to a new day!

Just figuring out and fixing my shit.

Ok, so...

I have taken the last month or so to sit back, reflect, work on some issues and attempt to fix my shit.
Stayed away from get togethers. (with the exception of the Super Bowl) Stayed out of public. Deactivated Facebook. Kept my mouth shut. Ears open. I decided to stuff every day with nothing but my wife, my son and daily routine. I slowly tackled each of my mental issues with my wife and Grandmother. And I finally think I got some of my shit fixed.

Maybe someday, someone reading the silly things I post on the internet will be going through some similar crap and maybe my rambling will help.

So anyway... Rough couple months. It affected my personality. I pissed people off. I felt crappy about it. I apologized. I then became an introvert until I could figure out my shit. I definitely figured a lot of shit out in the last 30 days.

I figured out that when you are upset, Facebook is Satan. Because when you are feeling like the world hates you, every post, every meme, every quote and every rant is about you. Even if it isn't. Every post, meme, quote and rant is an attack on you. Even if it isn't. You are sure that they are because when one person is pissed at you EVERYONE must be pissed at you. Every one of these posts has GOT to be directed at you, even if your name is not tagged in it. So I deactivated for a while until I could wrap my head around the fact that every meme, quote, post and rant may not actually be about me.

Speaking of memes, I have also figured out that I may never post one ever if I can help it. Because when someone is depressed or upset or fighting... That someone is taking that meme wrong. Even if it a positive life quote, that someone thinks you are telling them how to live their life. When it is a meme about removing negativity from your life, that depressed person thinks that they are not worth being part of your life. With the exception the obvious comedy memes... a person struggling with self worth can feel like rock salt and razor blades were poured in their already bleeding wounds.

I figured out that I do not have the ability to hide my issues, slap on a fake smile and go around pretending that my life is nothing but rainbows and butterflies. I need to get it out. I need to talk about it. I need feedback from others so I can get through shit. Even if the feedback is not pleasant. Life is not puppies and ice cream all of the time. I figured out that I am blessed to have loving people to listen, understand, teach and advise me when I am struggling.

During the process of "getting it out" this time,  I figured more shit out. Like the the fact that I am a opinionated, judgmental asshole. How did I figure this out? Because I have heard it so many times in the last month from the people closest to me that it must be true. My wife and my life long besties have confirmed it. I have also figured out that I hate this about me. So that is still a work in progress. It is a progress I am having a little trouble figuring out though... It seems if you have an opinion and voice it out loud, you are opinionated. If you have an opinion that is different than someone else's and voice it out loud, you are judgmental. and if you say anything negative about anything, anywhere... you are an asshole. How does one NOT be these things. Is it possible? If someone tells me that I am an opinionated, judgmental asshole, doesn't that make them opinionated and judgmental? Should I then be mad at them? If so, how do I have a relationship with anyone, ever? This paragraph exists because I am TRULY struggling with this right now. I have heard these terms used to describe me for 20 plus years. I don't want to be these things. These are not the adjectives I want to be associated with my name. When people say my name, I want them to smile, not growl. When my name comes up in a conversation, I want it to be a conversation of good time and happiness.

In the last month I figured out that the things in life that TRULY matter are the things that reside in these four walls that I am in right now. I figured out that I can no longer spend one more second being saddened, stressed and upset about people's opinion of me if they don't share the space in this house. Every second that I spend worrying about how others feel about me is another second that I did not devote to the people that love me unconditionally. It is squandered time and energy that should have been dedicated to my loving, devoted wife, my wide eyed compassionate son and the midget on the way!!

This month has forced me to take a good long look at my history. I don't have enough fingers to count the amount of friends and family that have vanished from my life. Whether it was me that walked away or them, the numbers seem uncountable. I did however figure out that the saying is true... The people that are meant to be in your life are going to be there. No matter what. There may be a couple rifts here and there, but when the smoke clears you will pick up right where you left off. A little wiser and with a little more understanding.

I figured out that when your kids grow up and do stupid shit... You blame yourself. But with the help of my very wise Grandma, I figured out that I am not to blame. My parents were not to blame for my stupid decisions and I am not to blame for my kid's. We did everything right. I know that now.

I figured out that my mouth has a way of spouting words before the the thought process has actually finished. This is something that I am forcing myself to take control of. It is the opposite of easy. Especially when beer is involved. However... It is something I am seriously being more aware of and working on.

It kills me how it is so easy for we humans to forget about all of the good things that people have done when they make a mistake. As if every good deed or act of kindness never existed the second they do something wrong. I have quite a list of "friends" that are no longer around because of my mistakes. People that decided all of the good things I have done were negated because of something I said.  People that decided that their lives were better without me in it because I spoke before I thought. Or because my opinion was different than theirs. Or because maybe I pointed out some truth they didn't want to admit about themselves.

So finally I figured this out. Regardless of others opinions of me... I am pretty awesome. And I will remind myself of this when I struggle with self worth. I will remind myself of all the good I bring to the world around me. I will remind myself that the mistakes I make do NOT define me. I am a good person with some flaws. We are all humans and we are ALL flawed.

So, I finish this tonight feeling happy again, listening to my preggo wife and my son doing a puzzle in the next room. I finish this feeling blessed and loved and eager to jump into our next chapter. It is a great feeling. So again, to all the people I hurt during this "life nut punch" Thanks for sticking around and I promise to do the same for you when you are struggling. To those that are gone... Good luck to you. Your standards for friendship were unattainable for a guy like me. I understand and I hold no grudge.

On to my clean cup!!

Hearing the shitty truth is awesome

Ok, so....

     Rewind 14 years or so ago.... Bathing in self loathing and depression, I was a freshly wrist stitched, stomach pumped shell of a human being that could not find the silver lining in anything. I saw nothing good in anything or anyone. I projected my hatred for the world and the people on it onto pretty much everyone I came across. It was a truly dark and miserable time.

   In therapy, my shrink would work with me on finding the root of my emotions. We would try to tackle the real source of the anger or the sadness and not just the event that triggered it. It worked for the most part. I still deal with things poorly sometimes but I am usually quick to figure it out, get to the root and and get myself back to a state of happiness with a sense of serenity.

      Fast forward a few years.... I meet Sarah. I fall in love. Real love. I become a step father. We have Drago and I become a father. We buy a house. 2 cars. We have jobs we don't hate. We take vacations. We go camping. We have fun. We have a life that people dream of. And yet...

   I was told by someone dear to me the other day that I have been miserable, opinionated and judgmental lately. I read these words from my phone screen and quickly realized... They were totally true.

    I am a huge fan of the truth. No matter how shitty it may be. I am always appreciative when someone tells me the things that I need to hear. It allows me to sit back, reflect and figure myself out. I guess the point of me writing all of this down this time is because my head is so full I need categorize all of the things that have ripped me from my normally happy place. The thing about depression or getting sucked into a state of negativity is that you often don't realize that it is even happening. Kind of like getting fat. You need someone to point it out and take away your twinkies. So, If you are reading this please bare with me as I attempt to figure out the root of my current douchebaggery.

      When your kids become adults and you lose the ability to control any aspect of their lives, you find yourself constantly worrying about things that are completely out of your control. When the adult child makes absolutely horrid, life altering decisions, you blame yourself and your parenting. Even though deep down you know you did everything you could to raise them right... You still blame yourself. (step 1, find the source of why I feel like a parenting failure)

       Seasonal depression. Winter and I do not get along. Gray skies, bare trees, cold, cabin fever... I am one of those people that thrives in sunshine, green grass, bbq's. It is hard to get the smile off my face when I know it is going to be a beautiful day. The smiles get hard to come by in the WNY winter. (step 2, Find out why winter makes me sad)

        Along with battling the winter blues, there is Christmas. I get excited about this holiday every year. I get excited about Christmas day, the smiles, the food and the time together. I get excited about this holiday every year... And every year the excitement is drained from my soul as each number on the countdown chain gets pulled down. If the holiday was what it is supposed to be you wouldn't be able scrape the smile off my face. You would tell me to shut up with the carols and joy.
But the holiday is not what it is supposed to be. Every day starting in November I consider deleting my Facebook account because I can't stand reading about the greed, the want lists, the materialistic gloating. We are constantly reading, hearing and complaining about emotionless, greedy, lazy millennials and here we are encouraging it with this years latest gadgets and toys.  This year I even threw up in my mouth when people were posting all of their good deeds for attention. What is that? We need recognition for the good things we do for other people?  (step 3, find the reason why I let other people's greed and need for attention bother me)

    Fatty Mcfatty Fat pants. I am DISGUSTED with myself right now. I have gained 35 pounds in 2 years. 35 pounds!!!! I am so FREEKING LAZY. I never used to be this lazy. I look in the mirror and can't decide if I want to vomit or cry. It is my own fault. I blame no one. It is just a sickening feeling knowing that I have apparently given up.   (step 3, find the root of my laziness and get my shit together)

     And last but not least... Letting people down. Always been a struggle for me and unfortunately happens way more often than it should. My heart breaks knowing that I hurt someone I care about. I have yet to figure out how to deal with this. You can apologize from the bottom of your heart until your tongue gets sore but you can't make them accept your apology. With knowing and coming to terms with all of my flaws, I still can't handle knowing that I have hurt someone I love. I have always wanted to be the type of person that brings happiness to others. ( Hence the parties, being in the entertainment business, backyard drive ins and such)... But in the end I am still a loud, opinionated human being that does not really have a filter. So every now and then I hurt the people that all I want to do is make happy. I suppose that is why it is such a struggle. (step 4, Find the root of my inability to think before I speak)

     Truth be told, I could go on for days about all the things I wish were different about myself. Some can be worked on... Others, maybe not so much. But I know for sure that when I leave this world, I do NOT want to be remembered for being a miserable, judgmental asshole. I will have to be remembered as opinionated because there is really no changing that. We are ALL opinionated. Some are just more vocal than others. I CAN work on my ability to keeping my opinions to myself... But I make no promises.

      So I guess what I am getting at here (besides my own therapy) is that I, like every other human being on this planet have struggles that can sometimes change my demeanor and attitude. I need to remind myself of that every time that I come into contact with someone that is being an asshat. Perhaps he/she is struggling with some of life's nut punches. So if you took the time to read through my rambling and happen to be one of the people that I have let down while I am dealing with my own nut punches, I truly hope you can forgive me. Know that I am not as angry as I am coming off and that I have never purposely hurt anyone. Just like you, I have to remember who I am sometimes, and find the silver linings.

      Hearing the shitty truth is awesome. So I am now on a little journey to re-find my happiness. I will start by taking in all that is awesome around me. My beautiful wife and my amazing son and our life together. Today I am focusing on all of the great people and things I am blessed with while I continue to find the causes of my heartache, deal with them and do my best to not let them ruin the relationships that I have built with so many great people.

   
   

One right decision.

      This afternoon I stopped in to spend some time with an old friend that is going through one of life's nut punches. We all go through them. We all handle them differently. But I think that we all need support to get through them. I sat and I listened to him tell me about the suck life is throwing at him. I called him out on the stupid things he said and offered any advice I could give him through my own experiences. We talked at length of rejection, depression, loneliness, anger. At one point in the depth of the conversation he told me that he was envious of my life. He wanted the happiness that I have.

     I kind of shrugged it off and continued with the conversation hoping to understand his issues. I kept listening. I kept telling him things he probably didn't want to hear. The truth. I am very familiar with depression. I remember that when I was depressed I didn't care what anyone had to say. I didn't want to hear another cliche or another spout of the mouth telling me about how things will get better. I always liked to tell people to take their tired, regurgitated cliches and shove them up their sun-shiny, hippy asses. So, I figured all my words were falling upon deaf ears. Just as I was deaf when people were talking to me when I was a mess. Even though they were telling me the truth.

      As I drove home, I kept thinking about our conversation. I kept thinking of how he said he was envious of what I had. I started to think about the road I had to take to get what I have. My whole broken world changed with one simple decision. I am a firm believer that everything that happens in our lives, happens because of the decisions that we make. We are all taught right from wrong early in our lives. After we are taught what is good and what is bad, it is up to us to make the right decisions.

     When I was at my most broken point, I lived in bars, strip clubs, house parties. If I wasn't at work, I was drunk. ALL the time. I surrounded myself with drunks, druggies... losers. I spent every second of my free time drinking away all my sadness with a bunch of other miserable, drunk losers. Pretending we were happy to be in a room with a bunch strippers that were pretending to be attracted to us so we would give them more money. My sad existence of slipping folded dollar bills into some woman's garter while trying to ignore her track marks. Depression sucks, man.

       My biological father never cared that I was alive. My ex wife took off to be with one of my "friends". I entered adulthood accomplishing absolutely nothing. I failed at everything I ever attempted. The people I considered my friends were just other lost, infantile, addicted, dependent idiots. I was the epitome of useless.
 I was no one and I knew it. A pathetic sack of shit, surrounded by other sacks of shit. I ignored the actual true friends that I had because I didn't want to hear anymore cliches. I didn't want to hear another bible verse or feel good speech. I was depressed. Angry. Lonely. Suicidal. I was broken.

       After a failed suicide attempt I spent a long time in therapy. After therapy I would usually go to a bar. Or a strip club. It felt great to get the ugly truths about myself out. But afterwards, I would still numb the sadness with booze, idiots and strippers. Enter my life changing decision.

       This guy at work told me I should come hang out in his buddy's basement. They hang out. Laugh. Have a few and play video games. They listen to tunes and order pizza.

     This was a Saturday. Every Saturday was stripper night. Work, shower, shave, titties, beer. Sunday was a repeat of Saturday just with football. So I did not have time to go sit in a basement with a bunch of dorks playing video games. This particular Saturday I showered headed toward the club. I stopped for gas. I payed for my gas, got back in my car and took off. Then I pulled over. I turned around, went back to the gas station, bought a 12 pack and went to this complete stranger's house. This was the decision that changed my life. I walked into this smokey basement to a group of about 7 cats just hanging out. I was introduced and welcomed. I cracked a beer and listened to them laugh. I chuckled as they busted each other's balls over a video game. They asked me questions about myself and I asked them some too. Before I knew it I had a controller in my hand getting my ass kicked in some wrestling game. None of them had addiction issues. None of them had crazy drama that comes with being... Ya know, crazy. None of them were suicidal. They were just happy to be alive and in each other's company. That decision led to 2 more in the same night. I decided I would be back to that house the next day and I decided to break off all relationships with the loser idiots that surrounded me and did nothing but keep me in such a dark place.

     I still went to booby bars. I still went to local bars. It wasn't the same anymore. I wasn't going to drown my wah wah's anymore. I was going out with real friends. Truly enjoying other's company. Having real conversations about real topics. Enjoying intellectual stimulation with a group of people that simply just liked life and each other.

      One good decision snowballs and leads to more good decision making opportunities. One of these kick ass dudes was an excellent drummer as his Pops was before him. Worked out well, because I needed a new drummer. So I made the decision to ask him to join. And for the next 7 years we rocked out together in an amazing band. Him joining the band brought more awesomeness. He landed himself a woman (that he would one day marry).One night his woman brought her sister to a show we were playing. This sister was the woman I would marry. This is the woman that I would have a son with. Buy a house with. Live the rest of my life with. This is the woman that I chose to grow up for. This is the woman that made me want to be the best husband and father I could possibly be.

        One simple decision to not go to a titty bar. That is all it took. One right decision. That choice made it so much easier to make so many more right choices. My Mommy taught me right from wrong. All I had to do was choose to do the right thing.

        So, don't be envious of my life, man. Don't want the things I have. Make the choices you know are right and go get the happiness you so desperately deserve.

What This stay at home Dad desires

Ok, so.

    The other day a friend of mine posted this on her FB page....

"stay at home moms: i would like your feedback on this..what is the one thing that you desire the most from your husband other than the obvious to be loved?"

     It got me to thinking. For the most part, I am a stay at home Dad. So I should get a say in a question like that. Right?

     Well, after reading the comments she received, I realized how different men and women think.

      I can't think of anything I desire from my wife. (Besides the obvious) I can only think of things I want for my wife. I want for my wife to get the rest she desperately needs. I want my wife to come home to a home cooked meal after her 10 to 16 hour work day. I want for my wife to come home to a not trashed house. I want for my wife to come home from work and not have to do more  work.

     I want my wife to know how much I appreciate her for all the sacrifices she makes to keep a roof over our heads and all the food she keeps in our bellies. I want my wife to come home and feel how loved she really is.

     Man or woman, being the stay at home parent is never easy. (Unless you are a useless sack of a parent that pays no attention to your kids or your house). But on the other hand, is it easy working your ass off countless hours a day to keep your family afloat?

      One of the responses on her wall was consideration for how hard she works. I don't actually desire my wife to thank me for the work I do at home.  I think she does that by paying for the home. I think she does that by supplying us with the life we have. We all love to be appreciated but I don't need to hear the words when she shows me with her actions. I can't help but wonder if the stay at home parents that crave appreciation thank their spouses for working so hard to enable them to stay home. 

       Another response was that the woman wanted her husband to realize when she needed help. I agree with that one. However in my house we do this crazy thing called communicate. I don't expect my wife to pick up on my every want, I use my words, as does she. If I am losing it a little from the wee one or other's wee ones, I tell her. I don't expect her to figure it out. If she comes home from her 14 hour day and is too tired to deal with professor whiney pants... She tells me. Anyone that knows Sarah and I personally, knows first hand we love each other WAY TOO MUCH to not be up front with each other. After you say I DO... There should be no more guessing games.

        The best response on her post I think was conversation. I miss my wife so much sometimes while she is away. I want for her to hear all the things she missed that day. Mostly, I want for her to know that I am here for her to come home and unload on.  I think that as couples and to stay strong, conversation should always be a priority. Not a "listen to me because I feel neglected" conversation but an equal, 50/50 conversation about each others days, feelings and concerns. I know that's how we roll in this crib.

         As I read through this I can't help but feel like I am attacking the way some stay at home moms feel. Not what I was going for. I understand all of the responses I read, I just view them differently... Like I said, I realize how differently men and women think.

        I was married once before. I worked 2 to 3 jobs at a time so she didn't have to. She showed her appreciation by leaving me. Obviously we weren't doing things right. Now, Sarah and I do things different. I like to think we do them right.       

        When Sarah was in college, she also worked full time. She would go to school in Utica for 3 days at a time while I stayed home with a teenage daughter and a newborn son. When she came home she did her homework at night and would go to work all day. Not only did I stay home with Drake I watched our nieces and friends kids as well. It was my pleasure to do these things. Now she works anywhere from 10 to 16 hours a day. She works herself to exhaustion everyday so we have a home and food and so our son is not pawned off to babysitters or daycare centers. This is a choice we made together for the good of our family.  Still to this day I am honored be the stay at home parent. I am honored to keep the house in order. I am honored to do anything that helps make my wife's life easier.


 I don't desire anything from my full time working wife. I don't desire more love or more attention. I have no desire for her to come home from a long day and do more work.
         

My wife is not off at a party all day. She is working. She is not off to the spa. She is missing her son grow up. She's not out hanging with her friends all day. She's keeping us healthy. She's not off taking daily personal vacations. She is running her ass off to keep us happy. So no, I don't desire anything extra from my wife. My desire is that when she comes home she will feel at home and loved. 

  
      I know what it feels like to be lonely and overwhelmed. I know what it feels like to just wanna take a break and have some "me" time. I know what it feels like to want to book a vacation because I miss my spouse. HOWEVER... I also know how it feels to work 70+ hours a week. I also know how it feels to work all day and come home to more work. I also know how it feels to feel like you are missing out on life's gifts because all you do is work. 

       I also know that raising a family is not easy. For anyone. I know at times we need a little extra from our partners. I know to get that little extra we need to use our voices because no one has esp. I also know that we need to constantly put ourselves in the other one's shoes to keep our selfishness in check. 

       So keep strong "Stay At Homers". Be strong for yourself and be strong for your hard working spouse. While you are getting tired from raising your children your spouse is missing out on it.

Our Incessant Whining.

Ok So...


        If you are on the old FB, you are familiar with the constant never ending whining. From the "My Job Sucks", to the "My boyfriend sucks". The countless UGH's and the FML's. Never ending money rants. My children are driving me crazy posts. We whine about broken cars. Kitchen appliances. Our weight. Our families. Our so called friends. We whine about our neighbors. Our neighborhoods. Other people's neighborhoods. We whine about the weather. Our messed up plans. Our lack of sleep. We whine about the tv shows we watch.

         We are friggin whiners. BIG TIME. I whine ALL THE TIME!! I always have. I whine about the stupidest stuff. Mostly work. I whine about people that I only have to see for 6 hours a day, 3 days a week. I whine about crappy DJ gigs. I whine about crappy situations that I put myself in. I whine about my lawn that just won't frigging grow the way I want it to because as soon as the grass starts to grow some gas company, electric company, septic company or the DOT shows up and digs it all up!!

We whine.

          The coolest part of being a wedding DJ is the people I meet. Every year I get to meet hundreds of new people. Every now and then I spend an evening with people that really leave a mark in my way of thinking.

         This past summer I was DJing a wedding and the father of the bride was one of these people. Man, he was one cool cat. This guy was all smiles. Beer in hand. Telling jokes. Proud of his family. Looking very dapper in a killer suit. He was shaking hands, thanking people for coming. He was rockin' the dance floor. The wedding party was a cool group of people but this guy really making the night for me.

          You see... This man was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had a matter of weeks to live. Everyone in the room knew his condition.

           When it came time to do the Father / Daughter dance, everyone in the room was in tears. Even me. Everyone was crying except him. He was smiling from ear to ear.

            This cool cat was alive. He was able to walk his daughter down the aisle. He watched all his children grow up. He was alive. He was there with his wonderful wife, all his kids and all their friends and family. He lived a kick ass life surrounded by kick ass people. He was celebrating an awesome event with pure awesomeness. He wasn't whining.

              The one person in the room that had a real, honest to goodness reason to whine...wasn't. The one guy in the room who had an actual situation to bitch about...didn't. He had all the reasons in the world to be angry, sad, bitter, hurt... just flat out pissed. He wasn't.

              He was happy. I can't help but think that he knew in the back of his head that was the last dance he would dance with his daughter. The last party he would share with his family and friends. This guy was truly happy.

             Now, I don't know how he was before this night. I didn't really know him personally. All I know as that on this night he was the definition of a happy man. He really made an impact on me that night. I have noticed a change in myself ever since that night. All of the things that I whine about have become so trivial. Material things mean so little these days.

              I used to spend so much energy whining about broken toys, stained carpets, uneven grass, lousy co workers, busy work days, the lack of hockey, loud bass loving neighbors and the price of gas. It all seems so small now.
               I spent a lot of time going to a shrink and anger management when I was younger because I had such a hard time dealing with rejection. I had Daddy issues and ex wife issues. The feeling of being unloved was really hard for me to handle. Even after all the therapy...I struggled with depression. But all those hiccups that life gave me seem really small to me now. I look at my wife. I look at my kids. I look at my awesome support system and realize how truly blessed I am.

               I am alive right now. I am watching my family grow. I love "my people". I am loved back. I think about how calm, cool and happy that guy was knowing that his time here was almost over and suddenly The Bass next door seems quieter. My job seems easier. The grass seems to be leveling itself out.

               People. We are alive right now. We have air in our lungs. We have people that love us. Every minute we spend whining is one more minute we didn't spend enjoying it. The people that steal our happiness will eventually go away. The bills we have will eventually get paid. The bad relationships will get fixed or end.
Our time here is limited. I have found a new perspective. I will whine. For sure. I'm a whiner. But I know that my whining will be short lived. I will also do my very best to keep it to myself. I don't want to waste time whining and I don't want to waste other people's time by making them read about it or listening to it.