Have you ever woke up, grabbed a cup of coffee, checked your feed… only to have some hysterical SJW shouting you in big capital letters about some issue or the other?

Yeah.

It’s upsetting and irritating.

It’s the reason why men like to golf.

Why men like to fish, and to just stare out in space…

I want to take a moment to discuss the little joys in life, and in particular those little joys that we take for granted, or just ignore out of habit. I want to talk about Summer afternoons, baseball, old men in barbershops, and getting donuts and coffee. I want to talk a little about life.

This post was inspired by Rush Limbaugh when he related a story from his childhood…

RUSH: Did you hear what the CEO of Chick-fil-A said? Maybe he’s the former CEO. Dan Cathy, is that his name? He said that white people should be shining the shoes of black people to learn what — yeah, he did. In fact, I have the sound bite. Let me find where it is. It’s toward the back of the list here, I think. That’s how I learned about it. Audio sound bite number 16. Yeah. This was Sunday in Atlanta at the Passion City Church during a roundtable discussion, Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy said this about how to help improve race relations in America.

CATHY: We need to just go right on over and shine their shoes. And whether they got tennis shoes on or not — maybe they got sandals on — it really doesn’t matter. But, there’s a time in which we need to have some personal action here and maybe we need to give them a hug, too. I bought about 1,500 of these [shoeshine brushes] and I gave them to all our Chick-fil-A operators and staff a number of years ago. So any expressions of a contrite heart, of a sense of humility, a sense of shame, a sense of embarrassment begat with an apologetic heart.

RUSH: So the reason this appeals to me is not what you may think. I’ve been there, done that. This is a cutting edge of societal evolution moment. My first job, the first job I ever had outside of the house, you know, chores and that kind of thing, the first paying job I had was to shine shoes in a barbershop, 13 years old. I was fascinated with making shoes shine. I wanted to be the best at it. I wanted to figure out how to do it. And I had that job for three months. I earned $50 in three months. And it was such an educational experience in all kinds of ways.

I eventually had to give the job up because there was public pressure. I didn’t need the job. I had a relatively affluent family, and the job should have gone to a more needy person. And that was a partial factor in why, but also school starting. I did it during the summer. And school starting and having some after-school activities would have limited my ability to get to the barbershop. But one of the things, when I first got the gig, the shoeshine stand was as far back in the barbershop as you could go, and I’d sit back there and I’d wait for customers to show up, and nobody would show up.

And after the first four or five days, one of the barbers — the owners — said, “What are you gonna do to change this? You think they’re just gonna come to you back there?” I said, “Well, if I wanted a shoeshine…” He said, “Exactly. They don’t want a shoeshine. You gotta understand: Everybody’s shoes you’re gonna shine in here does not want one, so what you’re gonna have to do…” He gave me an idea.

He said, “Whenever we have somebody…” We had four barber chairs. “Whenever somebody’s in the chair, just go up and start buffin’ the shoes, and they’re gonna say to you, ‘Wait, wait, wait! Wait! I don’t want you to do that. I’m not paying for this,’ and you say, ‘I’m not charging you, sir. This is a service offered by me and the barbershop at no charge.'”

The barber said to me, “You watch how many of them will then ask you to go ahead and do it for real, ask you what you charge for it,” and that’s exactly what happened. So I gave ’em a free buff, and it led to — I’d say — over half of the customers wanting a shoeshine. Then when they saw how good I was at it and how I could pop that shoeshine buff rag, I learned something else.

You go to the barber supply store, and you have access to pieces of equipment and various types of shoeshine and other things that were never sold retail. It’s the same thing in the restaurant business. Restaurant supply stores have things that you’ll never find at even the biggest grocery store or Costco or what have you. So I would always use that.

“I’ve got stuff you can’t get at home. I’ve got stuff that will make your shoes shine like you can’t make your own shoes shine.” I said, “I have studied the spit-shine technique of the U.S. military. I’ve perfected it. You want to see how it works?” “Oh, yeah!” So, 50 bucks in three months at 50 cents a pop. I loved it — absolutely loved it — and now you’ve got the CEO of Chick-fil-A saying, “Yeah, that’s what we need to do. We need to start shining the shoes of…”

(interruption) “When is this embarrassing groveling gonna stop?” I don’t know, but it will at some point, because it’s all going to consume itself somehow. It will at some point. I can’t predict why because nobody can.

So…

Oh, so many things to say about this.

But…

When was the last time that you had a good ol’d spit shine?

I know most people now wear tennis shoes, short canvas uppers, maybe work boots, or sandals. But, certainly, you men out there, you have a nice set of shoes. So…

When was the last time that you went out and had a professional shoeshine for a buck or two?

Have you ever?

It’s more than just a shiny set of shoes, you know.

It’s a foot massage, it’s the joy of being pampered, and looking good. After you go ahead and get a well done shoeshine, you will walk a little straighter. You will feel a little bit better. Your head will be a little bit taller, and the day will look a little bit brighter.

Now…

If the misses is complaining, and yelling (screeching) why you’d waste money on that? And you have more “important” things to do, and all the rest of that rigmarole, you just tell her to move on. Then you, and your boys can sit down and experience one of those lost arts…

… a man getting a shoeshine.

A newspaper, cigar or pack or cigarettes are optional. I might suggest, however, you avoid turning on your smart-phone. And instead just “grok” the entire scene. Soak it up. Enjoy it.

Manly pleasures

Now, I can discuss other things that I like to lump together as “manly pleasures”. I do so because these are things that men enjoy but women tend to find it rather boring, consider unnecessary, or just don’t see the benefit of.

Yeah.

We men have a lot of “manly pleasures”.

Some of which involve the opposite sex, but many do not.

Some are surprising. Like riding a lawn mower with a colt-45 (it’s a brand of beer you all) between your legs, and a set of headphones on where you can listen to some fine, fine tunes.

Some seem boring to others. Like paddling on a quiet lake on a lake during a full moon all alone and listening to the sounds fo the forest as the water slides by on the sides of the boat.

Some are pleasures that seemingly everyone enjoys. Like dogs and cats, and (dare I say it) a weasel. Oh, how I do love to wrestle with my furry friends.

And some are often taken for granted. Like getting a trim at the local barber.

The women argue that the wife of the house needs to go to the beauty salon to get her hair done because… well, she’s a woman and she needs to look good. But a man, a father. Nah. She can trim the hair at home. Save some money for the children, etc.

Nope.

Men need that little space in time to go down to the local barber. hang out with other men. Go through the old hunting magazines, and newspapers and talk about the latest local sports game, some politics or what’s going on at the local fair. A man needs some “guy time”.

Don’t you think?

Small Town America

You know, the longer I live away from the ‘States, the more I miss the simpler things. I know, I know, that the United States doesn’t resemble anything like I remember. Yet, still, I do hold fond memories of certain places, certain things, and a certain “feeling” that I had back then…

…at a time when I was a young boy growing up in the Summer of the 1960’s into the 1970’s.

I would like to talk a little bit about life…

… life in a small town.

I grew up in a small town in the hills of Western Pennsylvania on the banks of the Allegheny River. Most people never heard of it, until my classmate Jim Kelly became a star quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Then it was famous for a spell. Old East Brady. Home of Jimmy Kelly.

Well…

Then…

…. it was all forgotten again.

As a boy, we would ride our bikes along the streets and access-roads alongside the many rail spur-lines that criss-crossed the hills of Western PA. We would sing the pop songs of the day, much like they did in the movie “Stand by me” as they walked the tracks on their day hike.

• Have You Ever Seen the Rain? – CCR
• Draggin’ the Line – Tommy James & the Shondells
• Family Affair – Sly & The Family Stone
• Get it on – T Rex
• Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves – Cher
• Me & You & a Dog Named Boo – Lobo
• The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – Joan Baez
• Don’t Pull Your Love – Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
• Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
• Baby I’m a Want You – Bread
• Mr Bojangles – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
• Sweet City Woman – The Stampeders

Indeed, my boyhood was very American, and very typical.

Like yours maybe…

We would go through sunny fields where the wheat would blow in waves with the wind against a bright riveting blue sky occupied with glorious white puffy clouds. And then delve deep into the cool gloom of the dark forest canopy. Where the cool moisture would refresh our bones, and where we would find an old spring or two to fill our canteens with.

So what is that all about?

The punchline

Earlier this morning, I woke up went to the kitchen… poured myself a coffee and opened up the laptop to check the news. Drudge is all… well the same old shit. (Projectile vomit.)

So I checked my LinkedIN feed.

Usually, the responses and information on the feed is more intelligent than other social networks as most people MUST be an adult to have a CV. Don't you know. 

So LinkedIN tends to be populated with adults who are either in possession of a career, a business or are networking towards some goal.

There are exceptions however. 

There are scammers who make a very tiny profile and try to scam you. Some are women looking to seduce you to get on Tinder. Some are trolling for my long lost uncle who they have a couple of billion dollars of pure bullion just waiting for me, as long as I give them just a few hundred dollars.

And some are "journalists" or NGO folk. They have a title (usually impressive) and some kind of funding (whether George Soros if they are liberal, or the CIA / NED / NID if they are conservative) and just post in all the comments sections with their "opinions". Which pretty much mirror the narratives of their NGO organization.

And here is this shrill demanding that I respond to her insane request for… XYZ.

It immediately set my mood from “neutral… shifting into start the day” to “insulted, angry, and go into attack mode”.

Luckily I did nothing.

I guess I’m too old for this bullshit.

What stopped me?

Yeah.

What was the mechanism that stopped me?

Why didn’t I immediately pounce, and lash back? What stopped me?

I’ll tell you what.

It was an image that just popped into my head that very moment…

I keep on remembering what the older men in the barbershop would say if this shrill was in front of us personally.

I just could picture it so vividly…

Can you?

And maybe that’s what is so important.

It’s a deconstruction of that modern progressive narrative that has been carefully constructed over the years. A narrative that says…

• Everyone has an equal voice on the internet.
• You need to respect others, even if they are insulting to you.
• You must accept what they say, and accept the fact that it can make you angry, sad, upset or disturb you.
• You need to be accepting of others, even if they are unreasonable and don’t agree with you.

Bull Fucking Shit.

I perma-banned her from my feed. I did not respond. I just completely cut her out of my life forever.

I can rest easy that she will no longer be permitted to remotely trigger my emotions in any way. For I have defanged her. I have declawed her and neutered her ability to interfere in my life.

And people…

It was my old fashioned memories of my “tribe” and my membership in a group of others who understood these kinds of things that made it happen. It comes from a time of shoeshines, barbershops, tree houses, railroad walks through deep forests, and brotherhood.

It comes from playing baseball with other boys in the empty football field down the street. It comes from late nights leaving the local bar and throwing the empty glass bottles into the woods while we peed at the side of the road. It comes from putting in a hard days of work in the mines, where you are covered head to toe with grease and black dust and you go to your home, pull out a TV dinner and pop it in the microwave while “Three’s Company” starts to come on.

It comes from history.

It has been my experience that those that come from a hard life; you know the type “hard scrabble”, hard working labor, and a life of “being disposable”… where you are considered to be “fly-over people” and “deplorable” and unimportant…

… just don’t pick fights with other people.

They just walk away to their pickup truck. Get inside. Check the glove box to make sure the 357 is still loaded. And slowly drive away. Playing some tunes. It’s not that we are going to do anything hurtful, it’s just comforting to know that we could really fuck someone up if we wanted to.

Sometimes, it’s that thin line of self-confidence that prevents us from making some pretty disastrous mistakes.

We can thank our friends, and our experiences for that.

And those that are not like this… well, they aren’t one of us.

It’s easy to hide behind the safety of the internet video screen. But the truth be told, this crappy assed bitch wouldn’t dare say that to my face. She just wouldn’t. She’d be just another old biddy that looks away in shame when I walk down the sidewalk.

So do not forget where you came from, and who you are. Never forget who you are.

Never allow anyone to interfere in your life, no matter what their excuse.

Live a good happy life.

Excise the bad out of it.

Do you want more?

I have other posts along these lines in my Happiness Index. You can see it here…

Life & Happiness

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