brandonlongwood

"though you may not drive a great big cadillac,
gangster whitewalls, tv antenna in the back
you may not have a car at all
but remember brothers and sisters, you can still stand tall.
just be thankful for what youve got"

-william devaughn

everywhere you look, people are trying to tell you that you arent shit. youre not making enough money. youre not driving the right car. youre too fat. youre too ugly. youre not living in the right city. you dont have the right cell phone. you dont know how to please your partner. you dont have the latest clothes/music/movies/technology. you arent eating the right food. in a capitalist society, the only way to ensure that business will never fail is to foster a never ending craving for shit. shit we dont need.

we get so caught up with all the bullshit that we rarely stop to appreciate all the wonderful things that we DO have that are so fucking priceless. ive spent the last few weeks contemplating my pending birthday and what it means to hit what could arguably be the halfway point of my life expectancy. what have i made of my life? what am i making of my life? when you put things in those perspectives, suddenly a lot of shit changes significance.

i am so thankful for the fact that i have a great family. there is nothing in the world that compares to the unconditional love that a child has for its parents. we have all felt that way about our folks at one point or another. but when you are on the receiving end of that, its better than any drug or sex. just to be loved for the simple fact that you are alive. whether you have $5 or $5,000,000 in your bank account...whether you have a job or not...regardless of how you look or talk or act or think...they just love you. NOTHING compares to that.

but a very close second is the love that comes from a person who has made the commitment to spend their life with you and support you in whatever you do. my wife could be anywhere she wants with anyone she wants. we have our good days and bad days and there is a shitload of things i could do to change. but every day..without fail...shes there for me. wehn i do good and when i fuck up. i really cant think of anyone else i would rather spend the rest of my life with.

and my life is a good one. i dont have a lot of friends. but the ones i have are really good. i would love to be makiig more money...but i have never gone hungry or without a warm place to sleep and shower. i always have clean clothes and gas in my car and i have been healthy with good vision, hearing, speech capability and the capacity for rational thought and articulate expression. and on top of it all people actually pay to watch me have sex with hot chicks...and some of them trust my knowledge and talent enough to allow me to help shape and develop their careers.

im not the most patriotic person in the world. and i dont always agree with what this country does or how its done. but i can say that i am thankful to live in the place that i do and not darfur or somalia or columbia or haiti or any of the hundreds of places where the basic things that i take for granted are not guaranteed...if available at all.

things could always be better. things could always be worse. life is too short to waste on what could be or what isnt.

thank you for being interested enough to read what i have to say.

(dedicated to a certain special someone)