GENERAL ORDERS

HOW I'M FEELING ...
Selling sneakers at the Four Season's Mall in Greenboro, I would come out from the stock room and bellow 'HOW Y'ALL FEEL OUT THERE!' Just a general greeting to everyone in the store, because we worked on commission. Who ever looked up, I would stride confidently (let's face it kid ... you don't do ANYTHING without confidence!) to a customer, while the other sales folks on the floor were twiddling their thumbs!

I was a good sales person ... not great, but I did all that I could, running for the $40.00 sale the same way I ran for the $200.00 sale. That is how I would wait tables, sell cars, man, I can 't think of anything that I didn't give what I had ... even if I had to take a big gulp before I dove in.

That attitude is what had me marry my wife, even though I saw many of the flaws in our relationship before I rode her down I-75 to Toledo. Not only was it love, it was arrogance too. I can be quite cocky. I don't fear failure, simple as that. But what I didn't do, was 'plan' too good!

Not going to be one of those 'pity' entries. I am a reg'lar person, and I know that I feel blue sometimes. But I don't stay down, even when maybe I should. Eh, what are you gonna do?

Whenever I get to wishing I had something or other in the past, the next question that comes to mind is 'why don't you make it so, now?' And that leads me to ...

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

That is a lie I won't tell myself, because I know that I am going to do something. One of the immediate appeals that Mike Singletary's press conference after he sent one of his players to the locker room during a game, was his 'power point' outline of how things are going to be done while he was head coach.

The way he spoke, putting things in groups of three, is a very effective way of speaking. It is direct and simple. He reminded me of some of my instructors from the service,and the three general orders that I was given in Basic Training. Following those three things alone, would have made anyone a good soldier. As it was, I did alright with it!

One of the reasons that I put them with my 'Rules To Live By' is that I want to believe in them. Period. Because of my issues from boxing, it seems like I was given the cards to play my hand at the right time. I had written down stuff and misplaced things that meant something to me, for what ever reason. In the late 90's, I started cobbling things together (actually, I need to start scrapbooking this stuff!) that spoke to me.

The first General Order is :
1) I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.

In a relationship, particularly in the observations I have made, one of the big problems comes with the submission part of it. That is what I think this is about, about being able to do what is required of you, until you can't anymore.

Sometimes, Nebraska would ask if my feelings were changing, because I still had my strong feelings for Mookie. After all, she was 'who I thought she was', and that included how attractive I wanted my partner to be. But the deal I had signed up for, was to be her partner and hopefully it would lead to matrimony. This included washing her clothes, helping raise her daughter, and provide whatever I was called on to do as her partner, as best I could.

Until I was, 'properly relieved'.

(dims light, candle lit, hood on) In my less enlightend relationships, you could almost count on the woman to find a way to be lemming-like, and expect to survive their fall for a cat. The stereotypes act like guidelines and people follow right along. You see a klatch of women talking about their broken affairs, being two timed, being 'the jump off', and suffering the disinterest and maltreatement, that I feel it is impossible for them to come up with anything constructive.

Yet they listen to stuff that you wouldn't get from the 'Mr. Bad Advice' web page. And when it fails ... they cannot fulfill the first General Order, and as to their suitors ...

EQUAL TIME

Yeah, I am going to get there ... just not today. Personal News Flashes are : Spoke with Tee Jay, not with AKA and got a Saturday wake up (though I was already awoke!) call from the Fly Skimmie. No need to 'sort' any of that stuff out ... may come out in the wash. But March isn't going to be about that for me, because I said so!