Who Will Be Invited To My Responsibility Party?

"back alley wisdom" by rainwriter jones

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By now many of you know the troubles I have with the bar and grill across the street. The tomfoolery which prevailed throughout the years seemed like a never-ending, butt-burning movie. Well, they gave us a Christmas present this year by closing for two entire days! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were like living in the woods: Quiet, peaceful, and serene.

What I found interesting wasn't the fact that they were closed for business, but the activity in the parking lot. I watched as ride after ride drove up to the building, the occupant walking to the doors, and then trying the handles. Damn! It's Christmas Eve!! Ain't you got no family? And then I thought: Maybe they don't have family, and that's why they hang out at this God-foresaken hell pit in the first place.

How does one not have a family? I'm not speaking in terms of unmarried people. Just because you're single doesn't necessarily mean you haven't any family. I'm talking about those who have distanced themselves from their family for whatever reason. I had a tenant who had no real relations with his biological family members, but "created" grandchildren, daughters, sons, etc. He used to get on my nerves: Spilling cigarette ashes into my shopping bag, stinking of liquor, etc. His need to please me was pitiful! His inability to connect with his family manifested itself into being overly affectionate to anyone that would give him the time of day.

Why didn't he communicate with his family? Because there is an innate responsibility when you're in a relationship. You have to be emotionally and physically available. This is something that those who hang out in bars and create makeshift families may lack.

Responsibility. A real mouthful for those who don't want that encumbrance. Lets face it. It sometimes can be a terrible thing; being accountable for someone else's happiness. Those of us who choose to take on the challenge have the possibility of being fulfilled. Unfortunately, the ones who don't are watched by me as they desperately try to find a connection to other human beings at the bar and grill.

rainwriter jones

50 Years of Bare-Bottomed Rock Jumpin'!

"tiny rain bouquet" by rainwriter jones



Throwing caution to the wind.
Take a chance…no underpants.
Leap of faith from the rockery
so carefully placed by my Father.

The smell of mint is in the summer’s heat.
The boys wait with anticipation
as they swat bumble bees
that cling to the clover.
As I fall earthward,
my skirt flies skyward;
making no effort to hold it down.

The audience scrambles as the porch door opens.
A glance over my shoulder to view my daddy
with a new green switch
selected especially for me!


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Bare-bottomed rock jumping is a dangerous pursuit for a young girl. But even with that said, it set the tone by which I live my life today. Taking chances sometimes entails “baring it all,” but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Risk-taking is paramount to attaining growth. And though I caught a good switch from my Father for exposing myself to the neighbor boys, I learned that being bare-bottomed is extremely free-ing. (LMBAO)

Be "here," be active, be proactive, be spectacular! Enrich someone else's life as it will enrich yours. If you help just one person in need, you could start a chain reaction of kindness. It doesn't have to be monetary, either. Sometimes just a simple kind word to someone who needs it can make a world of difference. Be brave: Start the chain...

Be present in 2012: That would be the best gift I could ever receive.

With love,


rainwriter jones

When Rights Outweigh Responsibilties: My Point of View on Gun Control

I remember standing out in the woods with a friend on a summer's day. The air was still except for the rustling of ponderosa pines above our heads. And then, BANG! The sound of gunfire! We let the pistol cool before re-entering the car. We shot the gun just to hear what it sounded like, and what it felt like to shoot. For me, this was a startling revelation: I realized the deadly force of a firearm, and with possessing one, I had the power over life and death.

A few years passed, and I moved 30 miles south. Things were a little bit more rural, though I still lived in what was called a city (more like a big "small" town). As I drove to an appointment, I watched pedestrians cross the street from an adjacent stadium. In their arms bundled up like precious children? Guns. Lots of guns. It was revolting!

Americans have been given inalienable rights: One of which is to carry firearms. I'm sick to death of the escalating violence, and the de-sensitization of our citizens. Just this morning I awoke to the news wherein yet another person was shot after a heated dispute at a house party. Drive-bys, road rage, and now school shootings fill the headlines almost nightly. But then again, we have the right to carry weapons. Or do we?

As I see it, there is a gradual disintegration of society as a whole; an unraveling of a single thread which will ultimately destroy the garment. That thread is that of benevolence. One-half percent of the population is financially controlling the other 99.5%. We wait for crumbs to fall from their over-filled plates. These people have long since forgotten that there are others in need, and look for more ways to hide their wealth rather than share it.

Unemployment is a major factor which guides societal behavior. It's like a "shit rolls downhill" effect. The big companies tighten the reins on their finances, jobs are lost, and people are thrown into despair. There is a sense of hopelessness; a bleakness which blankets the community at large. This can translate into abhorrent behavior. A feeling of helplessness could drive someone who's psychologically unstable over the edge.

Guns are a ready source of satisfying the need for immediate gratification: A cessation of that which is bothersome. Pull out a gun, and end a fight. Pull out a gun, kill that cheating lover. With the click of a trigger, frustrations disappear. If guns weren't readily available, people who chose to use them as remedies may actually find positive alternatives to violence. But we may never know as buying a gun has become as common place as purchasing groceries. They are in the hands of criminals, and those law-abiding citizens who become criminals via crimes of passion.

Associating gun violence with unemployment is critical. They are closely related as the amount of shootings invariably increase with the lack of employment. Those who teeter on lawlessness can be found packing, and wait for an opportunity to act out on unsuspecting victims (like at house parties and bars where liquor flows like the Nile). And though gun supporters claim that we have the right to bear arms as our Second Amendment right, more often than not, guns are used not for self-defense, but in acts of flash aggression. I often make reference to the bar across the street from my building. About a year ago, there was one incident wherein a bar patron was executed two blocks from the bar over a dispute over a woman. If the shooter didn't have a weapon, the victim might be alive today.

I don't agree with the saying that guns don't kill people, but people kill people. If guns weren't dispensed like candy in a vending machine, we might be able to use the brains God gave us. Reason with each other without violence. Be...

HUMAN.

rainwriter jones

Everybody's Got a "Thang." What's Yours???

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A few years ago, I found a receipt in her grocery bag: Aspirin, shampoo, lotion, and SEVERAL bottles of wine. Was this receipt left in the bag by mistake, or purposely left there for me to find? We used to stand at my front door to talk, but there always seemed to be something behind her eyes: As if to say something to me. But then she'd leave me with a pregnant pause, and conjecture at my feet. I'm not surprised at all when I received a phone call from her on Saturday. With my suspicions confirmed, I (and she) can breathe a sigh of relief at her confession.

Holding onto secrets can be very intense. Friendships, marriages, and even political careers can be destroyed by them (Herman Cain?). Though all of them are not grievous, the ones that cause great distress can be the true life changers. And the thing about it is each and every one of us has had them in the past, is sheltering one now, or will have one (or more) in the future. I think this is why I was not judgmental when my friend admitted to being an alcoholic.

I guess it all comes down to trust, and finding someone who can lessen the burden of guilt. There's a reason why we hold onto secrets. Because of the fear of reprisal, we won't expose ourselves. The thought of losing someone close, social standing, and in some cases, freedom, can be unbearable. I had a life-changing secret in the past, and finding the right person to share it with was difficult. It took YEARS to finally confess, but it was the best thing I ever did!

For 2012 make a promise to yourself: If you have a secret which is burning you up inside, find someone you trust to share it with. At the very least, use this website to spit your rap: http://www.postsecret.com/. Confessing your "sin" annonymously may ease the pressure for a while, but always keep in mind that whatever you did that caused you to go undercover is still there. Deal with it, and for God's sake, don't do it again! It gets no better the second time around.

Let it go: And then move on.

rainwriter jones