Fly In The Ointment

  How’s that old saying go? The best laid plans of mice or men often go awry. My plans always go awry. That’s why I tend to not make plans. And in my life experience, there always seems to be a fly in the ointment. To start with – I hate flies! If there is such a thing as karma, I will probably come back as a fly. Or at least, I will get bugged a whole lot in the next life. I really do get a lot of pleasure out of smacking pesky flies with a fly swatter. It’s even better when I can get two at once. I can sit out on my deck and there won’t be a fly anywhere in sight. But bring one food item out there with you and they come like Hell’s Angels on wings. Those suckers either have the greatest sense of smell ever or one hell of a spy network. If the latter then, hey, there may be an opening for some of them at the NSA.

  Anyway, like I already mentioned, I don’t make plans. But I do have dreams and wish for certain things to happen in my life. No, I don’t dream about winning the lotto. No, I don’t dream about tropical vacations with suntanned voluptuous women. My dreams have always been simple ones. I dreamed of writing a book and getting it published. Did that. Twice. So far. The fly in that ointment is that I should have dreamed about them actually selling in a big way. But that’s ok. I can live with the not getting rich part. After all, I’ve been poor all my life and it pretty much seems natural to me nowadays.

  I always dreamed about having a quiet peaceful place to live in that I enjoyed and could be proud of. It didn’t have to be Buckingham Palace, or Graceland, or even a big two story home with lots of bedrooms and all the trimmings. I’ve lived in a lot of different places. Some of them better than others. Some of them were cozy. Some of them even felt like home – at least for a while. But the most peaceful, quiet, and beautiful place I’ve ever lived is where I’m at now. And it’s not much – not even close to being a mansion. It’s a modest three bedroom mobile home with a big covered deck in front, wooded, with a couple of friendly neighbors, in a quiet resort community. Pleasures here are simple and uncomplicated. But there’s a fly in that ointment too. This was my wife’s place. And before that, it was her mother and father’s place. It will be our children’s place. This was the place where she and I were to enjoy our golden years together. What did George Straight suggest? “There’s a difference between living and living well. You can’t have it all, all by yourself.”  Well, I live here now. But I’m not living well. Buzz, buzz. I hate flies.

  The best laid plans of our Forefathers were put forward in our Constitution. What a marvelous thing they hammered out and had the foresight to put down in straight-forward words that no one would have any trouble following and understanding. The fly in that ointment is that they allowed lawyers to get a hold of it and “interpret” it. Such a simple plan whose guidelines would make a great country even greater started going awry almost from the get go. And we ended up with a government we can’t trust and that doesn’t trust us. We ended up with a government that takes every penny it can get away with from us and then spends it lavishly on frivolous things, or unnecessary wars, and who knows what else for its own benefit and not ours. In fact, I would say that Washington, DC is looking more and more like a big pile of manure covered with flies.

  I often hear people saying that someone needs to invent a better mouse trap. Mice can be tricky and clever, no doubt. But a good cat is God’s answer to that problem. Just maybe, a little more effort ought to go into inventing a bigger and better fly swatter instead. Lord knows, I could sure use one in my life. Let’s just pray that someone comes up with such an invention before the whole country’s plans and dreams go awry. Buzz, buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.