I Did It to Myself Again

I have this tendency
To exercise regularly
For a period of time,
Then something
Invariably comes up,
That has be miss
A week or two,
Which will stretch
Into several months,
Where I do not exercise.
Each time I start up again,
I will suffer
About two weeks worth of
Aches and pains,
While my body readjusts to
The idea of working out.
I know it is critical
For my health and well being
To keep on a regular
Exercise regime,
But that is easier said
Then done,
So now I sit,
Sore all over,
Wondering why
I did that to myself again.

Cementing a Dream

I remember a long time ago
Hearing about Charles Goddard,
The famous rocket scientist,
How when he was very young,
He wrote a list down of all
The things he wanted
To accomplish in his life.
Some of them were fairly simple
Like milking a rattle snake,
But others were quite imaginative,
And impossible to achieve
At the time he wrote them down,
Ideas like traveling in space,
Or going to the moon.
The list was found later in his life
And he realized that he
Had accomplished almost everything
He had listed and then some.
He had traveled to nearly every
Country in the world.
He had sailed the seven seas.
He had been responsible
For getting men into outer space
And to the moon.
He had become one of the most
Accomplished men in history.
All of that was largely the result of
His having cemented his dreams
By writing them down,
And then going out and living them.

The Downward Spiral

Though I always
Try to stay positive,
Reality is creeping in,
And it has me concerned.
These are tumultuous times
We are going through.
The United States economy
Is in a tailspin
The likes of which most of us
Have never seen,
And the rest of the world
Is close on our heels.
It’s an avalanche
Gaining speed
As it tumbles down,
Crushing the hopes
And dreams of multitudes
Caught in its path.
In its wake, a residue
Of massive phony
Investment schemes
Comes to the surface,
And tales of unconscionable
Corporate waste
Compete with new
Jobless statistics
For center stage
On the evening news.
Our federal government attempts
To bail out the key players,
Throwing money at the problem
On a scale never before seen.
There is a foreboding feeling
That the worst is yet to come,
That the landslide
Is gaining momentum.

The Advantages of a Waggy Tailed Friend

I was in class
And explaining
The reasons for
Having a pet,
Particularly a dog,
To a group of
Turkish students
Who have never
Had a pet,
And couldn’t imagine
Living in a house
With one.
My explanation was simple.
A wife will
Bark at you
When she becomes
Irritable or moody,
But a dog is excited
To see you
No matter what.
Sometimes you need
A dog to come home to.

Foolish Dreams

If I had a dollar
For every foolish dream
I have ever had,
I’d be a rich man today.
All my life I’ve been a dreamer
And in those dreams
I envisioned so many things
That never were,
But could have been,
Or might have been if
Reality hadn’t gone
Some other way.
I spent a lifetime
Chasing rainbows
Hoping for the pot of gold
At the end,
But the only riches I found
Were in the experiences
I had along the way,
And if it wasn’t wealth
That motivated me,
And had me
Endlessly searching,
Then it was love.
I must have chased after
A thousand and one
Romantic illusions
Trying to find you.
I can’t count the times
I have imagined
What it would be like
When we found each other.
I embraced you in my mind
Long before I met you.
I went to sleep
Countless nights
Imagining you by my side,
The scent of your perfume,
The softness of your skin
And the feel of your embrace.
For all of these reasons,
And maybe more,
I gladly play the fool
And continue hoping
For a dream come true.