Uhm, Dude, Your Wife Is A Shrew!

So have you ever wanted to take your friend by the shoulders, shake the hell out of him screaming, "What the hell were you thinking? She's a shrew!" Well, I have such a friend. She is one of those people who thinks she needs to control everything and everyone. I feel terrible for this guy. She takes every opportunity to berate him in public, chastise him online, and nag him at home. She controls who he can and can not talk to. She degrade him and his family. Threatens him physically. Abuses him emotionally. Its like he is living an episode of Jerry Springer that will never end. How do you help a friend in that situation? I know, he is an adult and he needs to stand up for himself, that is a given. But how do you encourage him to be brave enough to do it without sounding like a total jerk? I feel bad for him. He is living in a modern age "Taming Of The Shrew" but, so far, in this version, the shrew remains untamed. How would you all go about offering help to your friend? Send me suggestions as I am honestly curious. Love to all.

Burly Bear Chris

I Wish I Could....Inspire

The purpose of this blog is not only to put my thoughts and opinions out for the world to see, but to inspire others to do the same. I want to get people to read my thoughts and formulate their own. Even if its not the same as mine, its good to think, contemplate and comment. I also hope to show that its okay for people to be who they are. Don't hide what makes you different but to feature it. Its those things that make us different that makes life interesting. Imagine if we were all the same. There would be no need for conversation. No need for entertainment. No need for choices. How dreary would that be? I also want to inspire others to bring up topics are their own. Comment to be something you would like to get my opinion on. I look forward to seeing and reading all your ideas. Love to all.

Burly Bear Chris

What The Hell Was I Thinking?

Well, it is finally here. The last day of the year. A day of looking back at the year gone by and ask ourselves, "What the hell was I thinking?" We have those moments where our judgment is clouded and we don't always make the best of decisions. Its seems silly to look back at them and ask ourselves why, but it is only through this exercise that we learn from those mistakes so we do not repeat them in the upcoming year. So what kinds of regrets will you be pondering today? A few of mine are: Not spending as much time with friends and family. I should make myself more available and accessible to them. Also I regret choosing the wrong Dr and setting back my knee recovery. I regret letting some friendships slip away and keeping a hold of ones that I shouldn't have. I regret not starting this blog sooner. And lastly, I regret not thanking those that help me enough. I am making a promise to myself to correct these decisions in the next year. Now looking back, there are a few things I did do right as well. Calling my mom whenever I got the chance. Even though she is across the country, she still is the best teacher, care giver and shoulder I can turn to. Taking a chance and putting myself out there in my blog as well as my personal life. The reception of both has been way more gracious than I could have expected. I am so glad I did not make an excuse and back out of my last date, and I am so glad he did not either. This is just a very condensed list for both, but I do not want to bore you with the small things, these are just the most important of them. What are some of your regrets? What are some of the things you are glad you did? Leave a comment explaining why. Love to all.

Burly Bear Chris

What An ASS..sumption

We are all guilty of it. We all make assumptions in our everyday life. We assume there is going to be a tomorrow. We assume we will have our job. We assume nothing will go wrong. Like these, some things are harmless assumptions. Its only when something tragic happens that these assumptions are wrong. There are, however, harmful ones as well. Ones that, right or wrong, will bring harm.  Assuming the guy with slurred speech and staggering is drunk.Turns out he is suffering a stroke. Assuming the girl with all the boyfriends is a slut. Turns out she has her heart broken every time she gets dumped because she won't have sex. All an assumption is, is an uneducated guess. We can limit the number of them we make simply by asking ourselves, "Do I have enough information to make this guess?" if we all took that split second it takes to challenge our thoughts, we can protect ourselves and others from an assumption that may forever more haunt the ones involved. Instead of assuming the guy is drunk, walk up and ask, "Are you okay?" If your first thought is that she is a slut, ask her, "Do you need help finding the right guy?" Its easier to assume because it means less action or interaction. And lets face it, we live in a society that believes less action is best action. So I challenge everyone to pick a week, any week. Tell yourself, "I will not assume anything." and take action. Look for answers. Sometimes, your first thought will be correct, but I bet you are amazed to find how many times its wrong. With that I leave you for tonight. Love to all!

Burly Bear Chris