The Adventures of Daddy Claxton

Friends should not keep their stories to themselves; but have them in common

Gentle on My Mind

February20

Ever since he was on The Grammy’s last week, Glen Campbell‘s Gentle On My Mindhas been on mine.

Cover of "Gentle on My Mind"

Cover of Gentle on My Mind

Who would have thought the irony would come to play when he found this song so many years ago and made it his forever?  He has Alzheimer’s and is on a farewell tour.

I can’t tell you how sad that makes me feel on the inside to know that he’s going through that.  There’s so many people who have this disease and I think it’s got to be one of the worst ways we’ve found yet to go–slowly and with anything but gentle on our minds.

This song’s melancholy easiness and gentle rift like water flowing down a mountain stream has always captured me.

And now I forever have the images of him on that stage with Sir Paul McCartney standing out in the crowd singing along.  What a great honor, Glenn!

In life Mr. Campbell has fought his series of show biz demons.  Who can forget the stories just a few years ago of him being arrested for DUI or public intoxication one?

Like him, I’m going to let those memories disappear into the night and the rhythm of the wonder of the joy of something so pleasant that indeed, it’s gentle on my mind.

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Ready to Start Again

January31

Tomorrow I begin another adventure in the world of weight loss.

I went and weighed a little while ago and I’ve gained back about 17 lbs since coming back home from Alabama in September.  That’s not good.

In late August, I had that heart attack.  I was supposed to lose weight, not add it back.

So, tomorrow, I start up with Genghis Grill, a local Mongolian BBQ chain.  Over the next 62 days I’m going to eat their for either lunch or dinner for free.  I’m supposed to blog and do video about this latest journey.  The prize for losing the most weight among 80 others?  $10,000.

That sure would be great to win.  I need a boost like that.

There are so many other avenues of change taking place in my world right now.

Hopefully this is going to be another positive.

I want to thank the fokes at Genghis Grill for giving me the chance to take part in their 2012 Genghis Grill Health Kwest.  And I can’t wait to dig into a bowl of delicious, healthy choices tomorrow night.  This is going to be fun!

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Despair = Suffering – Meaning

January30

It’s amazing how much anxiety people feel over change.  They fight it.  Fret about it.  Talk about it.  Blog about it.  Resist it.  Hate it.  Complain about it. And so many of us each and every day seek to keep it from happening.

Friday I received Chip Conley‘s new book, Emotional Equations.  WOW.

A few weeks ago, I did some filming for my client, Dr. Harold Duncan of Preston Place Counseling in Dallas as he delivered a speech about Emotional Intelligence.  Mom is here visiting and went with me to the speech.  In the past few weeks, I can’t tell you how many times she has said how eye-opening that speech was.  (We’re in the process of getting some bumpers shot and the speech will be available shortly on the PPC Website.)

Despair = Suffering – Meaning

One principle I’ve already captured and analyzed is Conley’s equation on Despair.  We all can suffer in one way or another from life’s changes and events.  What leads to disparity and the impact it has on us is how much meaning we allow something to have.

Are you as the 1970s cliche went: “Sweating the small stuff?”  My dad loves the corollary to that: “It’s all small stuff.”

I could go on and on down a list of things I could choose to be upset about:

  • Recent divorce from Kari; her habitual use of marijuana, heroin and meth in our house; the impact her drug problem is having on her children; her lack of upkeep of our house; her relationship with a former lover; the whole nuttiness of what being in that Houston hospital in the 1990s has had on her entire family, and now into second generations, and a string of failed relationships, the list goes on an on….
  • Work
  • Finances
  • Health
  • The lack of a winter here in Dallas and this week last year we were covered in ice for five days…..

But I’m trying to make a turn for the better and just let some of the “big” little things go.  In Conley’s terms, I’m trying to NOT let them have as much meaning.

What are some things in your world you should stop letting have so much meaning?  We all have bad stuff happening to us each and every day.  How much power are you going to let it have in your day?  How much power are you going to surrender to say a meth addict?  How long are you going to be frustrated with an ex-spouse’s parents because they refuse to do anything to help by hiding their heads in the sand?  I’m choosing more and more each day to say, “less and less.”

I know so many people who are suffering today.  In Harold’s speech, he quoted Mark Twain of all people, who said about anxiety: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”  But for the ones that do, what are you going to do about them?  Give them meaning or tell them to get in line to take a long walk off a short pier?

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Feeling Like Ugh

January3

It’s day 2 of 2012 and I’m drained at the stressors around me.

Work is ever-present and I’m doing my level best to perform. I have three major projects underway and I’m doing everything I can to make them all come to fruition on time and within budget.

The house, oMg, the house that has been left vacant for me through the divorce has been nothing short of a disaster.  It’s become more and more clear by the moment that I never knew who I thought I was married to–that or I certainly have no idea of who that person has become.  That feeling alone has been battering up against me like an ever-increasing wave of emotions creeping higher and higher.

And then there is the new project I need to be working on. So much to do.  So little time.  So little of me left to go around.

Prayer

I prayed hard in the house this morning.  I asked God for forgiveness from a lot of things I’ve done.  I also expressed my forgiveness of those who have wrought so much ill will upon me.  I asked God to help restore the house to that of a Christian home.  To rid it of the pain and evil that’s taken place there and to hopefully bring us to better days.

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Welcome to 2012

January2

Goodbye 2011.  I don’t mind seeing you slip into the mystery of the past.  The year was certainly better than 2010, but it still wasn’t where I want to be on my life journey.

There are some cool projects under way and I will be sharing more about them soon.

In the meantime, I ask that you follow The Wonders Expedition™ on Facebook, and @Archeoastronomy on Twitter.  And of course, you’re invited to take a look at TheWondersExpedition.com.

Happy New Year. Would write more but there’s so much else I need to be doing at the moment.

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Happy Black Friday

November25

I know some of you who were up, well maybe never even went to sleep last night so you could be out shopping in the darkness of this Black Friday.

The First Thanksgiving, painted by Jean Leon G...

Image via Wikipedia

Some day I hope to 1) have a situation where I have tons of money to go spend on the morning after Thanksgiving, 2) have things together to the point of where it makes sense to go out with a list on the morning after Thanksgiving and go shopping for things we’ve not already bought during the year, 3) have a desire to get up at 3 a.m. and go fight in lines at stores for things I probably don’t really need to buy others in the first place.

Just not my kinda deal.  If I need something, I go buy it.

 

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Warmed by the Thoughts of a New Day

November3

For Texas, this Nov. 3, has begun on a “cold” note.  It’s in the 30s or 40s outside and the wind last night was fierce.  Really makes you wonder how the Cowboys and Indians survived in this when it was 80 yesterday afternoon and near freezing this a.m.

Downtown Austin from across Town Lake.

Image via Wikipedia

Today is a new day.  The skies will be clear and there are new opportunities on the horizon.

I keep telling myself that.  And telling myself that again.  And again.

May God richly bless each and every one of you today.  May he watch out over my girls at school today and bring them all to me tonight for a great time and good meal.  And may God comfort my many friends who also are struggling with divorce, custody issues, finances, troubled spouses, chemical dependencies, porn addictions, envy, loss or lack of faith, and the thought of Rick Perry being the President of the United States.

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Santa’s Sleigh & Workshop Rebuilding Project

November2

Dear Friends and Friends to Be:

In 2008, in much happier times in my life, I constructed a life-sized Santa Sleigh and Santa’s Workshop for display in front of my house in Balch Springs from just after Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Beginning on Black Saturday evening each year, I would don my home-made Santa suit and head out to the front yard on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and let moms and dads bring their children by to see Santa if they just wanted to do something more local and not drive over to one of the malls, etc. It was great fun and made Christmas, Christmas.  Even my kids got into the act.

Stopping The Free-Fall That’s Become My Life

Well, not to go into any details, but I moved out of my house in late March 2010.  The divorce was finalized yesterday.  I get to move back into the house on Dec. 2, 2011.

What I have learned is that my tools, namely rotary saw, jig saw, power drill, bits, and who knows what else have either been pillaged or stolen when the garage door was left open.  I don’t know what.  I don’t care.  I just know they’re gone and for the time being, I don’t have the funds to replace them.

A few weeks ago, the 2008 sleigh and Santa’s Workshop were hauled off.  They’re gone.

The house decorated as it was, and can be once again, but better

REBUILDING

As a symbolic effort and as my counselor says, “getting back to the person who is Donny Claxton,” I’ve approached a local business about helping provide tools and materials needed to get the sleigh and the workshop rebuilt this month and ready to position during the first few days of December.

Each year we had dozens of children come by with their parents during the month of December.  It was great and even though I’m down about 30 lbs, I’m still plenty plump to make a good Santa. We also collected toys to present to the Balch Springs Police and Fire Departments’ Santa Cop Program.

DONATIONS

At this writing, I don’t know if the local business will come through.  I’m optimistic, but even if they do, there will be additional needs to get things ready for the show.

In this economy, I know money is tight.  Believe me, I know.  But I’m posting this asking for you to consider helping make Christmas a little better for children here in southeast Dallas County, Texas.  To get the front yard ready for Santa, I need to buy some more lighting, I’m going to need to produce flyers to distribute, and purchase candy canes, and other little things to make it all happen. I’ve even bought small barbies and cars from places like the Dollar Tree. And if the local business turns me down, the need will be even greater.

Your help also can help displace the costs of rebuilding this important local and family tradition.

Contributions can be made via PayPal.  With a donation, once the project is in action, we’ll send you a photo of a little boy or girl who gets to see Santa who otherwise would not.

A contribution for this project doesn’t go to me, it goes to local children and their families.  Please consider helping.  Many children missed out on this last year and I don’t want them to miss out on this again.

–Donny

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