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.