Pizza Break

What is this thing we all MUST do in order to survive? This movement of sorts where we are required to participate? To provide food, shelter, heat or air, to our selves and loved ones. Why does work have to be such a dominant factor in our lives and define who we are as a people? "What do you do?" A typical question asked without thought and answered with a scripted response all too familiar. If you tend to think a little highly of yourself, you might have to define what you do, just so people know how important you are. If you have a job that is an obvious lower-level employment, then this question can be a problem, especially in "unsafe" circles. Like a room full of pompous businessmen when you are an artist. What we all do however is contribute to this societal structure in some meaningful way. We all build a block that contributes to the foundation on which society resides and looks to for comfort. After all, the only way people can complain about how soci...

Not me, but a guy I know... Being called, “handsome,” is like the ultimate, "mom" phrase in describing their sons, or the way my wife says I look when I dress in my "nice" clothes that albeit, are not the most appealing or trendy. Handsome is defined simply as, "good-looking." Though the act of looking has rarely anything to do with handsome as it applies. Typically, use of the word is in reference to anything but an action or a verb, despite the definition making it seem as though it is therefore an action. "My boys are soooo handsome." -Mom circa 2010 Handsome, as it is defined, refers to the superficial, and that is where it resides. Unfortunately, when you really know a person, calling them handsome, can be difficult, even when they might meet the criteria of being so. A handsome boy with a devilish grin might be more devious than handsome. A mirrored image of the other with a slight distortion. A homeless man, dressed in weathered ...

Wanting something, ferociously, it can be painful. It can be like an unfairness to not have the answer right now. Entitlement must be a cancer that inadequacy fuels. I know the people, the ones who are able to take uncertainty as the obvious part of life it truly is. After all, don’t we all like surprises? Isn’t life only worth living because of the unknown? On this one instance though, I want an answer now. There is a part of my mind that feels I cannot possibly go on, performing at my job, interacting with people without this result of this one question. What does waiting do for me anyway, build character? I think I am fully developed. Do I have to keep building? When is it ever enough? The anticipation is this mix of uncertainty, an excitement, along with anxiety, lack of control. I cannot control this situation, nor the result. Even if you asked me what I would have wanted from this, I can’t say that I would have chosen correctly. I want God himself to interrupt his schedule, make...

January can be such a dismal time of year. Sure, we convince ourselves on the renewal of self, that this year is anew and that our old behaviors will change. Sure we are fresh on our diets, new spending habits, new, more strict routines. We are probably at our most ideal intent at this time of year because the wear of the year and old behaviors resurfacing has not yet affected our score card. The Christmas Tree is now nothing but an inconvenient paperweight that has to be dealt with. It stands there in the corner of the living room, once prominently displayed, perfectly decorated, and in our house protected by two parents from the 2ft and lower range of a child. When the tree was adorned, we did so with pride. We anticipated the day when it was appropriate in our household to display out artificially, green representation of outdoor foliage, indoors. For those with the real trees your has not been up as long, but the scenario is still the same. The ornaments delicately placed the ...

While I was in the military, I was blessed to be part of the Honor Guard. It was a joint service detail where any person who had served in the military, whether it be combat or not, receives the entitled military funeral honors. I typically folded or presented the flag, sometimes both depending on the circumstances. Again, I say blessed for the duty was still to this day, one of the most fulfilling jobs I have ever had. One story sticks out more than the rest. On many occasions, the entire service was conducted at the graveside. This different than most where the graveside was a short ending to a longer service, typically indoors. On this particular day in early Spring, the weather was pleasant with a slight breeze that ran across the cemetery that produced a slight whistle. The grass was fresh and green, the trees swaying in the breeze with the gathered sounds of thousands of fresh leaves rustling. The cemetery was next to a semi-busy road, which the service was mid-morning so the...

Years ago in a mindset far far away... So I ate the oatmeal, that is about 300 calories. I had the yogurt too, that is about 110, about a hundred I guess. Then I ate the fish and the almonds, that was another 400. I'm not going to count the spinach leaves, I will leave those out, well, I did have some hummus with them, OK another 100. Now, the total is.... The mind races too quick to interpret, the numbers like a Rain Man example playing inside the mind. All numbers, their quantities, their times, their circumstances, the feeling afterwards, what I had last week, what I had before that, the last time I felt this way, all thoughts the mind is forced to remember. The mind can do all of this because it is sacred. It is sacred of losing. Losing control. Losing the competition of life. Losing this facade of self that only the same mind that controls, sees. "Hello, I am Luke and I enjoy reading books, writing, and I go to the gym a little bit." (insert awkward laugh) ...

Yes, Christmas is over and the insufferable forcing of Christmas nostalgia can be once again, allowed to rest. But, just one last time, "Baby it's Cold Outside." When a title rings true (and it is still within that week after Christmas), then it has to be repeated. Here in Nebraska (for those of you who do not know where these come from), it is very cold. Bitterly cold in fact. Another bitter fact, water freezes. Yes, at zero degrees Celsius the molecules in water slow enough to go from a liquid to a solid state. The solid state is larger in mass than the free-flowing liquid state and therefore the pipes that transfer the liquid state of water get clogged with a size too large to manage, and PPPsssshhhhhh (what I imagine spraying water sounds like). A resurfaced photo of our basement that one time. Dad swears I didn't take the hose off the spout.  Even in the gas state water can become problematic, (just watch the Festivus episode of Seinfeld). For my dad, he kno...

Getting what we deserve, at best, means getting nothing at all. This, no matter the contribution. A hard truth to face yet one we must humbly accept. Either we admit we were short-changed, or we admit that we were entitled to nothing, which ever is easier for you to swallow and digest is yours for the choosing. Why would I make a claim like this? Why would we not be entitled to at least some things in life? After all, are we not, "good people" who deserve to be treated as such? Are we all the buttholes we see on TV and want nothing to do with? en·ti·tle·ment inˈtīdlmənt,enˈtīdlmənt/ noun the fact of having a right to something. I believe now, as a father, that I did pretty well as a child and that I am entitled to more than my siblings. This a joke for reference (I wasn't that good). My brothers would argue that I received my entitlement, with interest. This expectation did not stop in the home, but transferred to how the world needed...

I am one now. I have a child and for the first time, I have an obligation in which I am no longer, "Free to do as I wish." This feeling isn't unique, for parenting is as natural as a bowel movement. We have our own lives for a short while, a trial run to see if we can take care of ourselves first. We are supposed to learn, not just to care, but discipline and be an example to. We are expected through some divine force, without a manual mind you, to contribute with the greatest gift we have to offer; an extension of ourselves. My father did the best he could. He raised four boys in a household of chaos, discontentment, and on the other end, this time now, we are alive, well, and in touch. Sure there are things easy to piece apart, things my experience in counseling has led me to see, things that my siblings wouldn't see, things they shouldn't see. We are free of jail, all limbs in tact, work, and contribute in some way to the positives more than the negatives of...

The week between Christmas and New Year’s was like an extension of Christmas itself. There was all the same foods, for my mom made plenty. The decorations were still up and active. The gifts were all opened  and Santa resting from his busy night, and most importantly I was out of school and my various school-related activities. It was like for that week the world lie in this slumber of jammies and food. The food at my house was the best obviously and I made it my purpose to see all of those goodies be put to good use. My aunt Cindy always made the puppy Chow and made it by the pounds. This powdery-sugary, peanut-buttery goodness was in excess and one of the last sweets to go.   I can recall sitting on my bed with nothing better to do than to take a styrophome divider plate and take all the goodies I wanted to stuff in that night. As a child I would grab and eat, but as an adolescent my prep work became my hobby. I realized the mindless eating made me feel miserable, but...

When we slam out fingers in a door, drop a coveted glass, fray our shirt on the corner of a desk, forget something because we were too busy, get frustrated siting in the car in stalled traffic, irritable from simply waking up, what exactly are we upset about? I get that emotions come up and that there are justified emotions, though what I do not get is misplaced emotions that we want to have a destination, don’t. What happens when the aforementioned things slip out of our perceived control and we are stuck with a consequences that just seems unfair? We have the right to get upset, we have been done wrong, but why and at who, and where did this once benefit our species? Was I able to survive on this planet through the same mechanism that cannot stand to sit and wait in traffic? Did humans all feel the need for warmth to where when my sweater gets caught on the corner of my desk pulling that one strand awkwardly out that it threatened my survival? Do I feel “the universe” is out to get ...

Sacrifice for ourselves, or for what we perceive others to see in us. Sacrificing for something greater, something we don't yet allow ourselves to see the value in. Maybe we don't see the value because we are living too dumbed down, to unable to see what is and has always been right in front of us? Maybe we like to be in this ignorant state because to admit the truth would hurt too much. After all, isn't change a difficult thing, like pain is a difficult thing? Is changing more difficult than pain and therefore we admit to living in our own wretched state unable to alter perspectives outside of ourselves? We want the good and pleasurable yet we have it, get more of it, have more on the horizon, and still here we are miserable and seeking. We seek alternative jobs, alternative communities. We seek alternative sex partners, alternative drugs and scenes. We seek alternative TV shows or projects. We seek more money, a vacation, getting to know different people than our ol...