BoxMan

So I get a call today from my buddy BoxMan. This dude has some stuff going on right now that he wanted to talk about; heavy stuff that is going to require some heavy lifting. I personally don't like heavy lifting. It implies that something is going to be heavy and that I have to lift it up. I prefer light things that someone else has to lift. And I want the whole process to be quick and painless.

My first thought when someone asks me for my advice -- which I give readily even when I know the advice to be bad or incomplete, preferring to hear myself talk as if I'm an expert on topics about which I know nothing rather than admit my ignorance -- is that this individual must be in a world of bad hurt if he thinks I know anything relevant about almost any topic. I haven't done the best job running my own life. I can't imagine I'd be any better at running your life.

My inclination is usually to tell someone what to do about impossibly complicated situations about which I have no training, qualifications, and precious little experience. I'm a Fix-It Guy, as long as it doesn't require fixing anything wrong with me or the broken thing is at all difficult to fix. Then I'm not so good. One thing I've learned in my recovery is that when I talk I can only make things worse. I've started walking around with a sock stuffed in my mouth. Not surprisingly, my days go better.

Another thing I've learned is that most people aren't looking for advice. They just want to get things off their chest. I think BoxMan made a good decision, unless he didn't. Maybe he made a terrible decision. What do I know? I'd throw up blood and blame it on the pizza, not the 24 cans of Colt 45 I consumed.

We make decisions to the best of our ability and then live with the consequences. Sometimes things don't go the way we want them to go but that doesn't mean it's a bad decision. Maybe they're going the way god wants them to go. Maybe god wants us to get stronger by working through a tough situation. I'm used to the 30 second rule -- shot of whisky, two quick bong hits and I feel better.

Life ain't that way.