What does being thankful mean?  How do we gauge our real appreciation for whom, what or where we are in our respective states of life?  I believe we all have some idea, but I tend to think this is relative.

Most of us feel grateful for that which we have, our health and happiness, and also what we’ve attained and achieved.  I hope that I am getting better at appreciating the people in my life.  Furthermore, I WILL get better at supporting those who are less fortunate than myself. 

Life sometimes provides sobering reminders as to why gratitude should be more widespread and abundant than it is, trailing far behind self-indulgence and entitlement.  I have experienced a reminder or two myself along the way. 

I’d like to share three stories.  Warning: these are not for the faint of heart.  They are graphic, disturbing, painful to endure and not easily digestible. However, they represent pivotal moments in my character development and shaped my perspective of my life.  Please read on if you are able.

Some years ago I worked as a Service Consultant for a specialty medical supplier.  Essentially I would quality check, transport and set treatment levels of  medical devices for patients in medical facilities.  As one might imagine I saw many people in various states of compromised health.  Three of these persons’ stories can be viewed as either cautionary or inspiring, or both, and to this day serve as personal reminders as to why we have more to be thankful for than we sometimes know. 

I was dispatched to a local hospital known to specialize in severe and unusual injuries.  The type of therapy mattress requested by the medical staff gave me an indication of what I might expect.  However, nothing could prepare anyone for what I would witness.  The hallway leading to the patient’s room was alive with activity, unusual for this ward during evening hours. As I approached the room the tension seemed to greet me at the door.  Hurried sounds and movements seeped through the walls.  A nurse appeared through the noise and issued this warning:  “it is not good so be prepared and exit quickly”.  My raised temperature and increased pulse provided no clue still as to what I did see. 

Before entering the room, I peeked in to see where I would place the new therapy bed.  I noticed that the regular bed was empty, but it was soiled with blood and every other bodily fluid.  The twelve or thirteen doctors and nurses inside seemed more like one hundred as they raced around the small space.  Every medical device I had ever seen was present and active.  Hoses and wires extended from these up into a harness where I finally notice the patient.

Suspended from what may have been a hoyer lift was a man’s badly broken body missing both legs from the thigh down.  The eyes were wide open, emotionless.  Mouth agape, breathless.  Fluids poured, literally, from every opening. After noticing me the charge nurse relieved me of the task of placing the mattress in the room.  I placed it at the door and left the room internally shaken and incredibly humbled by the what I saw. Bone chilling at the time, this experience was frozen into my soul indefinitely. I should be more thankful……

On a beautiful spring night some time ago, I was working my mandatory on call weekend.  It was Saturday, about 11:30 pm and I had just finished my last call.  While heading back to the service center I receive a message for a new call.  So I had to turn around and head in the opposite direction thirty minutes away.  “How dare they ‘mess up’ my weekend!

I arrive at the location sometime around 1am.  It’s a private residence, an apartment in a secluded area.  It’s late, dark with no driveway to the front of the building.  This patient has called because the nurse on the late shift has not shown up.  The pain is intolerable and getting worse.  Her wound vac needed a therapy adjustment.  A wound vac is a toaster-sized medical vacuum which is used to pull fluids out of a wound while simultaneously inserting medicine into it.  The tubes connect directly to the affected area and are bandaged/taped into place.

My equipment includes the vac, a portable printer, scanner and a supply box.  A good bit.  I walk around to the patient’s front entrance which faces the woods.  Approaching her building I notice a shadowy silhouette standing outside on a third floor balcony.  Alone.  Did not expect this at that time of morning, now approaching 2 am.

I hear a faint sound, maybe a voice, but it is too distant to make out.  Moving nearer I hear a faint whisper, almost a whimper, pleading “please help me, please help.”  I hear this repeatedly.  I ask. “Miss, did you call for medical assistance?”  I needed confirmation.  It was in fact her, the whimper now a small cry.  “Can you help please? I can’t take it any longer.” I make my way up to her apartment door which is wide open.  She meets me there wearing a night gown and bra and nothing more, clearly in agony. 

She falls backwards onto her sofa revealing her wound.  The clear bandage exposes a two inch wide opening on the right side of her navel.  It stretches from there down to about an inch away from her vagina.  I wondered how she got this wound, but dared not ask. She desperately needed a nurse or doctor to prescribe a new prescription.  They did not return her calls.  The pain was so unbearable that the patient begged me to change the therapy without authorization.  I did not, but received authorization from a nurse administrator after an hours worth of phone calls.  I will be more thankful……..

One day I received a call to go to Bethesda Naval Hospital to exchange a wound vac.  I had never been there before.  I knew that it was a military facility and figured that Veterans would comprise the majority of the patients and they did. However, I was completely unaware of the type of injuries I would see as I delivered equipment to the rooms.

News stations oftentimes do segments on Wounded Warriors, soldiers injured in the line of duty. These stories mainly focus on one particular individual which may deprive viewers of experiencing the magnitude of impact these injuries have. Visiting a hospital ward with multiple amputees, burn victims and various other conditions heightens and affects your senses in ways I can’t fully describe.

My patient was a young woman, no older than 30 years of age. She had lost one of her legs, the other suffering from some type of damage. She was alone, not in the best of spirits but courageously trying to remain positive FOR MY SAKE. As fate would have it, upon leaving her room I walked past another patient who had lost his foot. His mom and dad were there with him. He was upbeat and jovial as he described his accident and subsequent surgery. However, despite his best efforts his parents were not able to share in his optimism, his mother clearly attempting to mask her sadness and his father concerningly staring directly at his lower extremities. I wondered what he was thinking, how he was feeling….

I shared these incidents with no intention to be gratuitous, but to show that sometimes we take for granted that which we should appreciate most. Whoever you are, whatever you have be thankful for it. Appreciate life, health, family and time. And if you’re really thankful share some of what you have with someone who has less. We all should be more thankful.

I hate breaking things.  I really do.  When I buy something I try to keep it in the best condition possible.  I take pride in having my possessions last longer than others would expect.  Many years had passed since I last damaged something I owned.  Well……

I have owned only three cell phones in my entire life.  The one pictured here is first one I had.  The second was a Blackberry I had in the early 2000s.  The third is my current phone, a Samsung S10 Plus purchased in December 2019.  In between those two devices I had the benefit of using a company issued cell phone. 

During the ten years I worked for my prior employer I used two different “smart phones”, the Samsung Nexxus and the Samsung S6.  In ten years time I did manage to crack the screen of the Nexxus.  Otherwise no other damage.  Ten years I say.  As I started to develop a more active social media presence I thought it wiser to have a personal cell phone rather than use my work issued one.

Problem solved.  New Samsung S10 looked good to me.  One problem: my retailer has only the S10 Plus in stock.  Higher cost.  Surprise solution: they give me the S10 Plus at the S10 price! Looks even better! Got more than I expected. 

I was so excited to have my own personal smart phone after such a long time.  The freedom I had to utilize the latest technology inspired me to take a few IT courses and also expand my social media activities.  The whole world was now completely accessible with no concerns for work mandated phone usage limitations.  I mean I really enjoyed my new phone and people noticed…..

So, imagine the horror, the shock, the outright disappointment I felt when one day, upon arriving home from work, I retrieve my phone from my pocket and discover a CRACKED CAMERA LENS COVER!  Nooooooooooo! Six months.  SIX MONTHS AND I BREAK MY BEAUTIFUL NEW S10 PLUS.  Man I wanted to cry…..really. 

Now I’m not a total luddite, but I didn’t know much about phone repair.  I checked YouTube and called a few retailers for advice.  The verdict: do it yourself to the rescue.  After a few days my son orders the required repair kit via Amazon.  I eagerly await as it arrives a painstakingly slow two days later…….Guess what? Wrong one.  My son orders again. Another “unbelievable” two more days wait time.  Good thing it wasn’t a real emergency!

The kit was cool, a tidy package consisting of a precision blade, long handled tweezers, four replacement covers and cleaning cloths (wet and dry).  All for ten bucks baby.  Now remember, I’ve owned only three phones and the thought of repairing any component on one was far outside my realm of possibility. I was done in an hour. 

Just like new. Pride restored. Even more so because I did the repair. Now I know there are many folks who text faster than me, who have more “friends” and “likes”, who’ve owned a heck of a lot more cell phones, but……how many of you fixed your phone and made it almost new again? Oh, that’s right. Unlike me, you probably (hopefully) never broke yours.

Years.  Man, how they seem to evaporate into thin air.  On a nice fall day recently, I convinced myself to take a much needed walk in the middle of the day during the middle of the week. This is a rarity for me. I didn’t do it for “physical fitness” mind you, but for “mental health” purposes, in other words, to “clear my head”.  Man it worked!

During a point in my walk, I laughed to myself about a piece of advice given to me by a former manager. 

Some years ago during  Thanksgiving, I decided to play in yet another “Turkey Bowl” football game.  For the uninitiated, this is a game consisting of family and friends who may be “a little” past their prime getting together for some “friendly two-hand touch” football.  Haha…ok.  Well, during this particular game I was on defense playing cornerback.  I jumped to deflect a pass and fell right down on my ass! (Yea I can flow……lol!)  Never knew a bruised tail bone could be so painful.  My last Turkey Bowl ever…..

I was 35 years old.  The Friday after that Thanksgiving I had to call out of work.  For real.  When I made it back to work I was still tired from the game.  My General Manager walked over to me and said, “Man you are dragging ass today.  You OK?”  I replied, “You know, I never felt my ass moving around until I turned 35.  I actually feel my ass moving around in my pants and dragging as I walk.”  The Manager laughed HIS ass off!  We both did.  Later that day he came over to check on me.  He asked, “Randy you say you’re 35?”  “Yes I am”, I respond.  Then he asked, “Do you know that 35 is the most important age in a man’s life?”  And I did not.  “Why”, I ask.  He says, “35 splits the difference between 20 and 50.  See how fast the last 15 years went? Thats how fast you get to 50.  Maybe faster.  So use your time wisely ‘young’ man”

I had never been told that before.  You can believe it left an indelible mark in my mind.  Those years did in fact go by faster.  Which got me to thinking.  Too bad and unfortunately the Corona Virus is still all too prominent in our country.  Otherwise, I would consider playing in a “Turkey Bowl” game this year while I still have some years left.  Who wit’ me?  Come on man……Have a safe Thanksgiving everybody!

How powerful is a leafblower?  Well, it depends.  Manufacturers usually advertise the units’ power in miles per hour.  The faster the speed, the more leaves you can move in a certain amount of time.  There are a lot of different brands and models to choose from. 

The model you see above is the Husqvarna 150.  It’s a decent consumer grade leafblower that fits my needs.  It happens to have  a 2-stroke motor as opposed to a 4-stroke.  In simple terms it just means that you mix the gas and oil together to fuel the engine. Which is where this story begins.

2-stroke motors have a very distinctive high-pitched sound and aromatic exhaust smell.  Especially in dirt bike form.  More on that later.  Those of us who have experienced this know how intoxicating and thrilling it is. The immediate response, the urgent power and hyper personality make 2-stroke machines a lot fun. 

Back to the dirt bikes.  I have a cousin named Herb. We were introduced when I was four years old.  Herb was the older brother I never had and our bond grew stronger even as our lives chose different paths.. His mother, whom we called Dee Dee, and his father, whom we called Sparky, share a special place in my heart and mind.  As a young child I spent summers at their home hanging out with Herb, falling in love with motorcycles, especially 2-stroke dirtbikes.

Now Herb, Dee Dee and Sparky were cool enough as it is, but the fact that they owned MOTORCYCLES made them even more so to a kid like me.  I loved hangin’ out with Herb, being spoiled by Aunt Dee Dee and being taught “how to be a man” by Uncle Sparky.  I don’t see them much nowadays as Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Sparky have since passed and Herb and I leading separate lives.  But you know, something strange happens every time I start my leaf blower. 

I pull the cord.  I hear the sound.  I smell the “Bel Ray” 2-stroke fumes.  At once I’m traveling through time, back to days long ago.  I hear my aunt telling us to comb our hair, treating us to McDonald’s and allowing her slightly over weight nephew to have “anything he wants” (“he can have 2 Big Macs if he wants to!”).  I’m riding along with Uncle Sparky as we head to the next dirt racing track for the weekend. Mostly though, I am transported instantly into the mischief that Herb and I got into on a daily basis. I could go on and on.  I love and miss them more as life goes on.

So as you can see, my leaf blower is pretty powerful.  Yea, yea it moves leaves with ease and all, but it’s more to it than that.  When I purchased it I had no idea that it could travel through time. And take me with it.  I’m glad it does.  RIP Aunt and Uncle.  What’s up Herb?  Hope all is good.  If you ever have the time, stop by and check out my leaf blower.  You won’t be disappointed. 

To: U.S. President Elect

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan 

AA County Executive Stewart Pittman

US Senator Ben Cardin

US Senator Chris Van Holland Jr.

US Representative Anthony Brown

State Senator Pamela G. Beidle

State Delegate J. Sandy Bartlett

State Delegate Mark S. Chang

State Delegate Michael J. Rogers

State District Rep. Andy Harris

AA County Council Member Allison Pickard

Hello and greetings to my elected officials.  I am a proud American citizen, a native Marylander and a product of Anne Arundel county.  I write this letter on November 5th 2020, on the verge of electing our 46th President.  As you may agree, this election was preceded by four years of the most contentious, acrimonious, deceitful, dishonest and selfish displays of Presidential leadership in recent memory.  This is not debatable.  Never in my life did I imagine that I would have to defend the greatness of America in spite of those elected to govern it.  Having to look my children in the eye and try to rationalize irrationality, to explain why some fellow Americans accepted lies over truth, bad over good, wrong over right, has been one of the most disappointing and disturbing aspects of current politics in the last few years.

   As a result, I’m quite sure you are well aware, there has been a lifetime’s worth of finger pointing, accusations, blame, name calling and fault-finding from those with opposing views.  As I have experienced in my daily life, watched on television and “read” on social media, there are far too many people saying what “someone else” should be doing, but not saying what “they themselves” could do (Ask not…..).  I can attest, this can become contagious…..

    Which brings me to the purpose of this letter.  I start each day with this personal doctrine:  be positive, know your purpose and measure your productivity.  I remind my family of this daily.  As I found myself feeling more and more disheartened and disconnected from the true promise of this country I asked myself what should I do?  What could I do? As a result I made a list of things that I would do to make my small part of the world better, starting with continuing my education.  But I can do more. 

   So I ask all of you, what can one person do to help America become the America it promises to be?  As a citizen of Anne Arundel county, a native Marylander and a proud American how can I contribute positively to the advancement of my county, my state and my country?  I feel that managing one’s own house is equally important to what happens in the White House (or State Capitol or County Executive’s Office for that matter). If I can be a part of making things better, I’d rather not remain idle hoping it doesn’t get any worse.  I’d like to hear from all of you regardless of political affiliation, race, gender or religion.  Thank you for your service and time.  

It’s Saturday.  October 31st.  2020. Can you believe that there are only two months left in this year?  2021 cannot get here soon enough for some, but I’d rather not wish my time away.  I wanna make the most of each day as it comes.

Which brings me to this day.  Today happens to be Halloween.  While this day and it’s related meaning and “celebrations” conjure up mixed feelings for some, it is agreed that Halloween ushers in the commercial element  of the “Holiday Season”.  Thanksgiving about a month away, Christmas less than two.  People starting to shop earlier than ever. 

As a child I wasn’t much into traditional Halloween activities such as Trick or Treating and wearing costumes.  As an adult I have never attended a Halloween party.  Now as far as eating candy, I don’t limit that to Halloween. I eat candy just about ANY day!  So I really never celebrated this day.  However, up until recently, I did have a Halloween tradition. 

Horror movies.  Scary movies.  Yep, from my late teens up until about five years ago, I’d spend the days leading to Halloween watching my favorite scary movies.  I have some friends who did the same.  We reminisce about how some movies literally terrified us and how some simply made us laugh.  While there have been some recent movies that are alright, the classic movies remain my favorites.  Check out “Burnt Offerings” if you have the heart…..ha  ha  ha ha haaaaa ha ha haaaa!

Recently I have not watched horror movies as much.  I hate to admit it, but dare I say that I no longer have the heart for them.  I could watch a scary movie alone in the dark without a thought.  Got to sleep, chill in my basement, walk through the house with no lights.  Didn’t bother me.  Now, let’s just say the movies stick with me longer.  I can’t watch just before bed.  Can’t watch if I wanna hang in my basement.  Maybe it’s old age, not fear…….lol! Even so, it’s nothing like a chilly October night, leaves rustling in the wind, tree branches crackling, odd noises settling throughout the house.  A mysterious thump, bump in the night.  You’re the only one awake.  You and total darkness with just your imagination to comfort you.  Yeah, its Halloween.  And this is your movie…………

Glad to say that I had the opportunity to vote early this year. This is the first time that my entire family was eligible to vote and we all went to the polls together. As America is one of the more democratic nations in the world, I feel that voting is not just a human right, not just a privilege, but a CIVIC DUTY. Our democracy depends on it! If not for yourself, please vote for those who cannot.

As we all know the election is just weeks away.  The Presidential and Vice Presidential debates are in full swing.  The political pundits and “experts” are all over the networks enlightening us with their abundance of knowledge. As I consider the implications of the election outcome, I think back to 2016.  I recall the big debate about whether a woman would be fit to be President.  I remember that many people were apprehensive about voting for a woman.  Even many women!  People of all races, genders, ages, ethnicities, religions, political affiliations, economic backgrounds and professions questioned having a woman sit in the most powerful office in the world.  And why?

They had many reasons.  Women are too emotional.  Women are too impulsive.  Women are indecisive.  Women are too soft.  Women are vindictive.  Women are jealous.  Women are temperamental.  Women are rash.  Women can’t make tough decisions.  Women are easily influenced by men.  Women are weak.  Women are petty.  Women can’t focus. Women are disinterested.  Interesting…..

Do you see what I see?  Every criticism of a woman as an excuse for her not being a capable President are characteristics of the current President, who is a man.  Lie to me and tell me that (Ronald Mc)Donald Chump is not too emotional, too impulsive, too indecisive, too vindictive, too soft, too jealous, too temperamental, too petty, too easily influenced, too weak and too disinterested.  I know, right?  Donald Chump is everything you don’t want from a woman leader, but yet he is accepted because he is a man.  Interesting……in the community where I come from if a person behaved like Trump we’d say, “Stop acting like a little b-word!”

I am not a political pundit, but I have an opinion. During an interview several years ago, Donald Trump bragged about “grabbing women in the _ _ _ _ _ “. Maybe, just maybe, Trump behaves the way he does because he wishes he had a _ _ _ _ _ so Putin could grab him in his. Just sayin………Trump Enablers Beware!

We all want our elected officials to be as honest as possible, right?  I mean, I thought that was the case until 2016…….truth are lies and lies are truth! Who knew?  Anyway, to my point.  Recently while watching a local news station, it was reported that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan cast a write-in vote for President in the upcoming election.  Nothing wrong with that.  His choice.  However, it was reported that he cast his vote for former President Ronald Reagan, who happens to be deceased.  That’s right.  A vote for a deceased person.  My initial thought was disbelief.  Afterwards I thought for a moment.  A sitting Governor, a person whose very purpose relies on votes, would not, could not, waste his singular vote so carelessly, could he?  In the current political climate with the election and voting in America deemed so critical to it’s citizens, why would an elected official be so cavalier with HIS vote? Hard to fathom….Then it hit me!  Politicians are known to lie sometimes, especially when it benefits them personally.  So I think that Governor Hogan may have voted for Biden and is reluctant to reveal this so as not to offend the GOP.  I hope this is true. I hear that he has Presidential aspirations himself.  Whether he voted for Biden or Trump is not the question.  The answer is that hopefully he did not waste his vote while telling Marylanders and all Americans that voting matters.  I hope you lied to us Governor Hogan.  Our democracy depends on it.

So long room with a view.  Thanks for your care, understanding, patience, friendship and gratuity.  Much love to my God sent “angels of mercy”!  Sincerely………