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The Other Half

07/25/201807/31/2018 Anthony Dixon

As the Song goes don’t surrounded yourself with yourself, never more so true when it comes to Travel. My Mother didn’t leave us with any money, she didn’t make a lot of it but she spent whatever she made wisely. She took care of us well and she didn’t deprive herself. She thought us well, lead by example, I don’t know how she did it but she knew how to save money.

Some people save feverish to die and leaving their money for people undeserving. Not to say that describes me. She knew how short and unpredictable Life was so she always found the time and resources to Travel. Treating and pampering yourself is not an option, you work hard to afford the luxuries of Life. One of her favorite quotes “if you don’t travel you don’t know how the other half lives” how true. Considering that if you only play in your Sandbox you could never experience the pristine waters of Clearwater Beach or the Turquoise sparkle of Montego Bay.

Mother should have written Travel Blogs, whenever she returned from her Cruise Ship travels, Days on in she would have us mesmerized telling stories of fine living and Dining at the Captain’s Table. Somewhat of a Celebrity I guess Dining with the Captain. Laying on the Subject Deck as long as you want reflecting on how hard you work all year long. Your contribution to the Company making one hundred million Dollars, then saying that there will be no Bonus this year and all the other Crap you put up with all in the name of making a living.

That’s what Vacations and breaking away from the Drudgery of life is all about. Remember all work and no play will burn you out and make you do stupid things like I did as a youngster like going to work, punch in and punch right back out after deliberating the entire ride to work if I should continue putting up with my idiot Boss. There are so many other reasons for breaking away such as your Health, bottled up stress will kill you, when I met Henry he told me that he had ten thousand Dollars stached money that his wife knew nothing about.

Henry had worked all his life on the Waterfront, never took a vacation or a Cruise Ship weekend Getaway, decided to retire at sixty. Seems that his wife had always put her Family ahead of him, that is the story for the ten thousand Dollars. One Day she moved in a Nephew without discussing it with him, living next door I couldn’t help overhearing the intense discussion, then there was dead silence, this was the last straw for Henry, the stressful discussion had killed him. Retired at sixty never collected one Social Security Check, never took a vacation and never got to spend that ten thousand Dollars, for that matter no one did because I was the only one who knew of it’s existence and told no one else. Now if that’s not a Story for you to call your Travel Agent, well go ahead and take it with you the way the Pharaohs did.

Life

Birds Of Prey/Human Danger

07/17/201807/21/2018 Anthony Dixon

Human Danger

A Heron with feathers platinum gray , on an Autumn day with the Skies over Gray. Chose me for a friend , a Species of the wild, to them Humans aren’t trusted, to us they become Pets . He allowed me to photograph him almost to the point of touch. After I had scared it to death, all over it with Camera Lens , then decided to perch on the Hedge fifteen feet away, there he stayed the entire time I wrote this Blog. Making eye contact with me like a chicken hawk, or an intrigued Eagle.

Not mad not aggressive only intent of letting me know that we’re all here on this planet together, though he can’t trust me to perch on my shoulder, without fear of me doing the right thing. Thanks for enlightening me as to your trust however small. I decided to push my lenses in video, fed him with Bread which he didn’t need, he walked away from me to return this time within ten feet . where he hung until I left. Is this love that I am feeling. After a while he ate the Bread because he was comfortable that I would not do anything to hurt him. You hear stories about people making pets out of wild animals such as Tigers and you wonder how could they trust them. Well my friend the shoe is on their foot trusting us.

We are the only species that kill for fun and for no other reason than uncontrolled rage, and hate so why should they ever trust us. Look at the fine Cats we wear on our backs, the fine Ivory that sits on our shelves. We are forever swimming against the Tide of natural balance. That’s why when a different species befriends me I shudder with chills knowing that they use their exceptional senses to feel me out and know that they are safe around me, and not judge me to be like all the other rest. I have a long history of being befriended by all God’s creatures, like the time sitting on the River Banks and was surrounded by hundreds of Cardinals who have been known to be aggressive, and not one attacked.

Another time traveling northern Pennsylvania driving a company’s Truck to deliver building supplies to a jobsite in Erie. A Canadian Gross Hawk dive-bombing a prey from high up in the Sky, misjudged the moving truck, slammed into its side bounced off and landed in the Woods. I immediately pulled over and ran to its rescue.
My coworker out of curiosity ran over to the injured Bird, when we caught up to it we were both sharing a sight of wonderment. The Hawk had six feet wingspan and Talons bigger than my big hands. My coworker quickly backed off from helping the wounded Bird, saying this thing will kill us both for fun. As I said before only Humans kill for fun.

I ran to the Truck for water and ice, I have always known how to administer first aid since nine years old. I stuck my hand out to inspire good will, he waived his huge Talon at my hand. I realized that if I was going to help it first I had to get it to trust me. I gave it Water and food, I knew it would enjoy raw Chicken. A bond was now formed, we were now friends, administering first aid was easy. I made a bed in the back of the Truck and place this huge Bird of Prey not worrying that it could cut my throat with one swipe with it’s Talons. I took this majestic and fearsome Bird to the Jobsite, opened the Truck’s gate and everyone Ran. I felt like my name was Tarzan when I extended my hand and this Bird who never before came in contact with a human came to me. He knew that I could be trusted, when it came time to set this majestic creature free, my coworker wanted to keep it as a Pet. I told you, that’s the way Humans are.That is why they don’t trust us. If they can’t domesticate it they Kill it. The Hawk was set free after I told him that having possession of an endangered species carried a five thousand dollars fine and five years in prisons.

Life

Living A Lie

07/15/201807/15/2018 Anthony Dixon

Living A Lie

The mendacity of thinking that you are better than someone else for whatever reason is nothing short of blind ignorance. For instance you are a blonde blue eyed Hunk whose family manufactured five Dollars Cuban Cigars, went to the finest Schools, had upstairs and downstairs maids. If you go to the Bathroom and wiped your Ass the as I do, dispel the thought that you are better than I am. Better off, yes better Educated yes more privileged yes. That is the extent of your superiority. Jose R. Was a man with the features of a Greek God, with more money than the average millionaire which is not a bad thing. What was bad about Jose, was that his Parents raised him to believe that he was better than everyone else. All that changed when Fidel Castro took Power in Cuba and nationalized all of America’s interest on the Island.

Castro was not prejudice, he took away whatever the Rich Cubans had also, including Jose’s Tobacco Plantation and Manufacturing facilities, his Yachts and Mansions. Jose and his family was now penniless and running for their lives. Dylan puts it best “once upon a time in your Prime you dressed so fine and you throw the Bums a Dime” now Jose was down and out in Beverly hills flat on his back scrounging like the Bums he threw dimes at. My Cousin was a fine Seamstress who designed and fabricated clothes for many of the upper crust in America. The good hearted soul she was married Jose thinking that she could nurse him back to life. Big mistake, when he was rolling in Dough it covered the ugly little man he was. Now poverty had undressed a Bum. He refused to work and pick himself back up to where he had been. He was now a beaten broken little man whose ambition was left in Cuba. Nonetheless he still possessed his feelings of superiority, while he took handouts from his hardworking wife.

I know that he still taught he was better than everyone else, when Richard Nixon gave a speech on television while he watched and snickered calling him a little piece of shit. I thought to myself if he felt that way about Nixon, what of me. The world is befuddled thinking that rich and privileged people are better than us little shits. I have taught of Nixon to be many things, but not in Jose’s view. For that matter no one. But that’s how it is when your parents allowed you to grow up thinking that your shit don’t stink.Raising your kids to think like that poses future problems for them, society and you. During my lifetime I was fortunate to have met two men whose combined worth was one Billion dollars neither of them made me feel that I was any less than they were . One of them was one of the original owners of Radioshack, he confide in me that when both of his sons graduated College, he gave them Jobs at the bottom of his Conglomerate to teach values and humility. That’s what Parenting is all about, not giving them office’s next to him on thirtieth floor so that they would think that they were Royalty and have the same attitude as Jose. Life is short and unpredictable, the same wind that took you up can bring you down. That is why I try to live my life in a manner that God would be proud of me. Don’t forget that he made Man in his own Image. It would be cold of me not to tell you how Jose ended it all. He chased every skirt in the streets and every tight pants Boys, he contracted Aids and took his wife and his rambunctious attitude with him to the other life I guess that he found out too late that change is good. May God rest his Soul.

Life

Seasons Change

07/15/201807/15/2018 Anthony Dixon

Seasons Change

life is like two nano seconds, it happens way too fast not to seize precious time given to us. In my mind’s eye I still see my first day of school, not paying attention to the teacher, instead I watched the freightliners drifting across the Bay. Then in a flash the years had passed, and the child was now a man raising children of his own and his own childhood had drifted by. When my kids were eleven I went out of my way to provide play time and to make sure they weren’t burning themselves out with school work, what did I know that the sooner you applied yourself to the task, the earlier success can be achieved.

When my hero Mattie Stepanek was eleven he was preparing to die while writing poems and Books. In Matt’s case he was forced to live his days in nano time because his time on this Earth was etched with the urgency of his mortality, that extinguished his light at thirteen. Some of us are blessed or cursed with visions of our mortality, so we make hay while the sun shines. When I was fourteen I was barreling down on my mortality by wanting to live the street life. I once beat a Bully senseless not knowing that his two older brothers seventeen and eighteen had killed many people and that I was next, fate have always been my protective gear like a bullet proof vest, the hands of fate snatched the two executioners up in a hail of bullets before they caught up to me, to extract revenge.

Still oblivious of the urgency of steering the Ship called life fast and straight. High School was one big party it was the age of Disco, party till you drop. Before I knew it the portal for higher learning was closed, a Husband and Father had no time for School. The Seasons had changed. Life comes at you fast, whatever your Hands touch do it with all your might. My life reflects the life of many who took it all for granted, wasted youth can never be relived, not realizing that your lifespan is only a portal that allows you to maximize the time given us all, before it’s closed. Use it wisely before the last grain of sand descends.

That is why I am here to tell, that it is never too early to reach your potential to do great things with your life, the way that God planned it for you. Don’t be distracted by frivolity. Growing up fast and straight at an early age is prodigious and wise. Too many of us live our lives in a childlike wonder where playtime dictates adult life. My friend Mattie had lived four seasons in one early spring. When he Died at thirteen he was an Author, Poet and friends with Presidents. If I knew then what I know now the winter of my discontent would be one of bountiful harvest. Neil Young puts it best when he said it’s better to burn out than fade away.