receipt scribble

things found in my bag on busted up crinkled pieces of scratch paper and receipts

Thursday, March 28, 2013

What to do when life gives you lemons.



Sometimes life socks you in the face. A heavy, forced packed punch that causes you to involuntarily stagger back. You're taking a step back whether you like it or not.
Your eyes water... who are you kidding? You're crying! It hurts! That stupid bitch, Life. You'd throw a few punches back if you could... you can't. You'd plan your revenge if you could... you can't. You take it and like it. Its your only option.

How do you do that? you might ask... You've counted a slew of chickens that never hatched.
You put your trust in something you found out wasn't real.
You went on the hike of your life and the view at the end was so disappointing you collapsed to the ground right there in a heaping tantrum.
Your invisible demons keep creepin up and creepin in and teasing you and taunting you like an annoying older brother.
Life gave you lemons and you don't even like lemonade.
How you gonna take it and like it?
How are NOT going to take something or drink something or do something to drown it all out?
How will you continue to figuratively tread water until you get thrown your figurative life saver?

Its all in the details baby. Its all in asking the right questions. Its all in seeing the right perspective. Instead of "Why is this happening to me?!" ask "What do I need to learn from this?" Instead of "Where are all my damn chickens?!" think "Look how great these chickens I already have are!"
Life isn't easy. At some point you'd think we'd stop expecting anything out of it. But we don't.
So... Be Here Now.

Look how pretty those flowers are.
There's popcorn popping on the apricot tree.
Your dog has halitosis, but she's still giving you kisses.
Look how great your hair looks today. You look like a movie star.
HOW many pushups can you do?!
Cheez its... enough said.
That guy totally just gave you elevator eyes.
You're good at your job!
The grass is growing.
Eat an Easter egg.
Eat some carbs.
Hug your mom... and your dad... and your brother... and your sister.

Then turn the other cheek to Life and let it punch you again. Because you've got this.
Throw those lemons away and drink a Diet Mountain Dew.
You know what to do.
Stop whining and do it.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Motorcycle Ride


A punch-you-in-the-stomach sunset. Your smell I want to dry up and rollup and smoke up. Maybe. Get high. The wind rips and stings and flutters and all of these things until you have to realize-force yourself to see- that you aren’t actually flying. The ground is a slip of the foot away.
I can feel pieces of me stretching and pulling to break off in a snap like a leaf off of a tree, shuddering off into the sky in flight like all of those birds we saw tethered to the telephone wire… breaking free. Busting out. All of us flying the coop, over the cuckoos nest. None of us birds are caged. Not a single one.
With my hands on your waist .. Relaxed (what a waste) … these hands like wings not talons. Alive. Restless. Flapping desperately but never REALLY making contact. There’s nothing to clutch with, and even if there were, there’s still nothing to hold on to.