My Neurosis

The Crossover Artist  By Armand Muniz  Ken Marlow died Saturday afternoon. That was the day he collapsed after the  charity softball game between the town councils of Trumbull and Monroe. He was the chair of the town finance committee and prior worked in a brokerage house that went under because of the financial crisis. In his mind, the whole thing was overblown and he was part of the solution. While he worked at Denton Worthington Pitt, his assistant Morgan kept a secret for him. Ken liked to drink. He  loved to snort cocaine. He really loved to do both at once. And after the firm went under he did it a lot more. Morgan knew how things usually work out when a bad person gets into a tight spot: you fall upwards. A former partner of the firm who went into politics got him a job in the town clerks office and Ken was set. He used that connection to get Morgan a job at the bank across the street.  Appreciation for the job came easy, keeping the secret about...

"Fairy tales are more than true, not just because they tell us that dragons exist but because they tell us that they can be beaten. " Attributed to Neil Gaiman but truly said by G K Chesterton Lately I've been keeping away from the news. As an empath, I take on a lot of the emotions I encounter and as a neurotic I try to solve all the problems myself. This is a recipe for disaster. I don't know why I do it but that's just me I guess. The news gives me anxiety because it's very often bad news. You have to really look to find the good news. So I don't bother with it anymore. So, instead I write. The following is a piece that I wrote for myself and changed it around some to be for everyone. It's kind of a suggestion for taking things slower and being more encouraging and constructive. I hope it helps people that are going through a tough time.  Sometimes things get really overwhelming and it feels like it won't get any better. Sometime...

"Too much like his father is he. Never his mind on where he was, what he was doing.  You're wreck less." -Yoda, to Obi Wan. And Luke too.  I'm not good at letting things go. To say the least it is a struggle. Most people get one strike. If I really like you then you get a couple changes. But for the most part I am one and done. The problem with this way of thinking is it limits you to a very difficult standard to maintain while at the same time limiting the behavior of others and in return depending on them to do the right things all the time. That last sentence has so many issues in it. The first is expecting anything in the first place. What business do I have expecting anything from anyone else? I'm far from perfect and I have made some pretty hefty mistakes. So what right do I have to expect others to be better than me? Short answer is I don't. Longer answer is a little more complicated. My issues with making mistakes come from when I was a kid. A...