Got A Problem With It?

While at the mall yesterday I watched as to young guys strolled hand in hand, not a care in the world.  I thought to myself how cool that was.  Then I noticed two other younger guys standing up against a railing.  The one guy noticed the two guys holding hands, tapped the friend he was with, pointed, and both started laughing at the two lovers walking by.  Surely these two gentlemen would not have even taken a second glance at a male and female holding hands.  I thought we had come much farther along with diversity and acceptance, but maybe I am wrong.

However, the fact that a male-male couple felt comfortable enough to hold hands, may be a very postive thing.   The fact that they did not feel any "danger" in their public display of affection might indeed be a step in the right direction.  Afterall, seeing two members of the same sex holding hands, especially two guys, is an oddity and somewhat unusual, so it does draw attention.  The two lovers could just be waking up those around them to accept diversity a little better.

The mall is in the Philadelphia region.  Philly is known for it's accpetance of the LGBT Community, hosting many events and housing many LGBT bars, clubs, restaurants and other businesses.  Many advertisements for the promotion of this diversity appear with the slogan, "Get your history straight and your nightlife Gay."  It probably would not be so strange to see two guys strolling hand in hand in the Philadelphia "Gayborhood," a section of the city that houses many of the gay establishments.

Seeing this open display is truly the way in which acceptance is accomplished.  I have been to many "gay" places such as my favorite, PTown, Massachuesetts.  In NYC, seeing same sex couples holding hands is not that out of place.  Maybe even to me, the first time was a shocker, but the more one sees it, the less of a peculiarity it becomes.  Also for someone not accustomed to the "gay lifestyle," it takes a few times to get used to seeing this. 

So maybe I was wrong about how far we have come.  I applaud these two young men for having the courage to show their love for each other.  For they are showing those around them what is diffeerent, but really OK.  I applaud the kids that go to school each and every day and live as who they are!  Little by little, bit by bit, these are the groundbreakers!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

You cannot have the present without the past!  Wow!  Those words just came out of my mind when someone said how thankful she is for her beautiful life, and how thankful she was for all the little things, good and bad, that have led to this beautiful life. 

"If you could, what would you change in your past?"  That question is always asked by others and ourselves.  Quite honestly I don't like dwelling on this question because, as I always say, "If's never happen!"  One cannot change anything in his or her life no matter how much he or she would like to.  Since it cannot and will not change, why get caught up in it?  Besides, if one little thing changed in your life, then the entire course of your life would be different.

However, when I do think of perhaps being able to change some of the events in my life, of course I can think of some.  I admit I have absolutely no regrets in my past.  But again, changing things could never be a reality.  Movies are made, and books are written, with this possiblity, and they make for interesting fiction, but they can never happen. 

So on this Thanksgiving Day, that brings me to all the things I am thankful for.  Luck?  Good choices?  Destiny?  I'm not sure why my life has turned out as it has, but it has!  I have had a pretty easy life, and for that I am truly thankful.  I have a great family and friends!  I have a good job despite my frequent complaints.  I have been healthy all my life with the few minor afflictions that plague us all.  I'm not an ugly guy!  I have a warm home in the winter and a cool home in the summer.  Storms have come, but none have left me in despair!  I take trips now and again.  These are just a few of the many, many things, too many to mention here, for which I am thankful! 

As I approach another birthday next month, I also often think that it's half over.  (Maybe more).  I have made it this far, much farther than some have made it.  Again, not sure why me, but I am thankful to still be here! 

So on this Thanksgiving 2012 there are so many things for which I am thankful!

Why Can't I Do This?

For some reason, I find it hard to put my thoughts down on paper.  (Well not paper, but the computer).  I get all kinds of thoughts in my head, and it sometimes seems to spin, spin, spin, but getting all these thoughts together to print them is hard at times.  I hope to keep this weblog going and I will.

What PRIDE Means To Me

June is the month most commemorate as GAY PRIDE month.  All has to do with the happenings at Stonewall in 1969.  But for me gay pride means being happy about who I really am, and sharing that with the world! 

I lived in the closet for almost 40 years of my life.  You can exclude the very early years of my life when, like all children, sex and sexuality is something of which we have no knowledge at all.  I knew I was different from other boys, and I did everything I could think of to subconsciously make myself "normal."  I played sports.  I got very involved in my church.  I got married and had a family.  I got even more involved in the church, even starting a path toward becoming a minister at one point. I tried everything to not be gay, but  despite my efforts, guess what?  I was still gay!  Then finally, when I thought my world was crashing in because of a divorce, it was only after that I finally admitted to myself, and others, that I was living a lie! 

AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!!!  Amen to that!  Once I faced the reality of who I was, my life opened up to such joy and peace!  I admit I did not face the hardships many gay kids face growing up gay.  (I admire those who acknowledge early in life that this who they are).  I am sorry for those I stung along with me on my journey.  But, true happiness came when I stopped living the lie and came out.  Living in a closet is a very lonely place to be!

So many strides are being made today to better the lives of the LGBT community!  Full marriage rights are just around the corner.  This PRIDE I am happy about who I am!  There is no better feeling than the gatherings that I will attend in the next few weeks with others similar to me.  Similar, but different.  The very first thing I realized once I started getting into the gay "culture" is that we too are all different.  I remember the first time I went to a gay bar and saw the variety, from the muscle bound construction type guys to the prissy queens strutting their stuff.  I take PRIDE in the variety.  I still don't understand some things about why people are who they are, but I accept who they are. 

That is my hope for society.  One doesn't have to like the gay lifestyle.  But one should accept people for who they are and let them live their life to the fullest.

HAPPY PRIDE 2012!

Dabbling

So now at age 53 I've finally began doing something I wanted to my entire life, Dabble in the Stock Market.  I have been enrolled in my company's 457 Plan (Federal Tax Deferred investment), but I have never, until now, actually bought and sold stock on my own.   I began doing this with ING Direct's ShareBuilder.  I put some of my 2012 Income Tax return funds into this account, slowly building, and hoping to build, my portfolio.  So far I've chosen 3 different stocks.

I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about the stock market.  I still for the life of me cannot figure out what really makes a stock rise or fall except it has something to do with company performanc and sales.  Sometimes the Dow is down, but the individual stock still seems to rise and vice versa.  I have been doing more reading on the topic of stocks to see what I can learn.  I picked the 3 stocks I have so far invested in based upon the track record of them the past year and thus far this year.  (Any help from any reader is much appreciated).

Scary?  Yes!  But I figure the worse that will happen is I lose some money.  I still am not quite sure when I begin the sell off!  HaHa!

New Attempt

OK!  Karl's Corner!  I've neglected you!  This morning I just felt like writing something.  I write something on FaceBook several times a day, and I do some writing on Twitter, but there I only have a limited number of words that I can squeeze in.  So, here at Karl's Corner, I can write, write, and write some more.  (Well, actually, that is "type," not write).  So here's to hoping I can keep up my daily, or at least several times a day, webLOG!