” You’re suffering comfort, aren’t you?” He would say that at any moment you weren’t in laborious work…
” 3 score and 10 and if by reason of great strength, yet ye shall soon fly away. ” That would come at anytime of the day as if a moment of reflection allows us to only ponder death…
“Another day closer to the grave. ” Just before he went to bed.
R.I.P Harold Lester Allen
Dennis Mantin
There is a Courtyard where children play, shadowed by a rooftop, where gardens grow; overlooking a city above the artist’s and dreamers, at the outside edges of the the stains of corporate excess, and this is where Mike Moody sent me to plant a tree…
In this Courtyard is a daycare, Studio 123. While I was planting the tree, each and every client of the Studio introduced themselves to me.
“Hi I’m Bobby and I’m 3.” “Hi I’m Sarah and I’m 4.” And so on until all 12 had introduced themselves to me… except one. One little girl seemed unable to break through the mob of toddlers to introduce herself. She seemed very frustrated with the situation. I will never forget the look on her face.
Sometime later I walked into a public bathroom near the Studio and one of the little girls fathers was changing her diaper on the counter. I saw that she saw me as I disappeared into the bathroom stall. Then I heard her say… ” There’s the man Daddy. ”
“What man?”
After a long pause.
” The man that makes the flowers. ”
Dennis Mantin
In moments of tragedy, certain individuals step up and play hero while the rest of us assume the realm of merely minding our own business.
To quote my favorite movie line: ” This here’s the sort of situation that has the high potentiality for the common motherfucker to bitch out. ”
I have given this some thought and regardless of outcome… you tried! Good on ya!… Your heart was in the right place.
It’s hard work not minding your own business. I have found that out myself the hard way.
In these moments of regrets we turn inward and its hard not to come out swinging…
I forgive you and myself for being human.
Dennis Mantin
Encouragement from the enlightened was omnipresent and I of the omnipotent variety, was able to shrug off such nonsense with a 1000 yard cavalier stare.
The plan was perhaps, roll with the punches, or feet don’t fail me now; really a no method approach. Eventually we all slow down to the point where the planners catch up…
That time is here and in the year I turn 60 and with a retirement 75 plan in place: and why not? It may not have been my way, but it certainly wasn’t theirs… I will now try to be flexible and attempt to paint my masterpiece!
Something about new tricks and old dogs or playing well with others?
Dennis Mantin
“I am not a political person. ”
I try to convince myself of this improbability here where there’s no moderate middle…
This is not true. I am political, I just remain silent- no more!
I am as tired of the extreme left as I am of the extreme right… neither seems to see the cause of the leadership void… Only psychopaths or controllable puppets need apply… Bring those pearly white smile masks and parade your sexuality to the advantage best suited.
Truth and morality hold no sway here!
Dennis Mantin
Daughters chance everything… Sons probably change everything too, however I don’t have one of those, so I don’t know.
When her Mom was pregnant with her, almost everyone said she would be a boy because of the way her mother was carrying her.
I would like to point out the obvious here that most people were wrong which is the statistical certainty I travel with… so much background noise that serves what purpose? I don’t know…
I have lost the need to point out my statistical analysis on a person to person individual basis which is probably the greatest change I can thank my daughter for; my perspectives of what’s important have taken a 180.
I didn’t grow up with sisters and I confess I really didn’t know the female mind and ways until my daughter was born and daily she educates me to these mysteries to something more than I don’t know.
Dennis Mantin
The sun is rising again in the east. Once more the opportunity to witness. On the ride to work only 2 people asked me for money; once at the bus stop in the dark and later on in the streetcar under lighter skies…
The first time I ever saw anyone bum money from strangers was in Banff in the winter when I was barely 20. It was a large man with an accent and long hair and a beard and I swore I would never do that… I hadn’t eaten in 5 days and I swore, never!
Yesterday I spoke with someone I have not seen in almost 3 decades and the world appears to have not ended; the sky is gaining in pinks and purple.
Ernestine called him Unc, her uncle Harold. I grew up with him on his farm with my mother until she died and you never go hungry on a farm…
A humble pride is in the offering with all the pains and trials and tribulations ; but hungry, no.
It’s quiet at this time of the morning except between the ears. There there’s a stirring before the brightness and gifts of the day.
Dennis Mantin
Sergei said, ” I have this woman who works for me in my shop and she’s on oxycontin and she has blue eyes… and nobody haggles with her. Everyone haggles with me, but not her. Whatever she asks, they pay.”
” Is it the blue eyes or the oxy?” I asked, fully expecting it to be the drugs attitude.
Sergei smiled, ” Definitely the blues.”
Dennis Mantin
She said, ” You know… I’d like to talk.”
He said , ” I only have 1 prejudice… It’s against the willfully stupid. I can deal with ignorance, albeit frustrating, however if you show yourself to be not teachable, especially when I demonstrate to you the error of your ways… then I don’t see what we have to talk about.”
She said, ” I am not asking you to fix everything; I just need you to listen.”
He said, ” I’ve heard from you all I need to hear.”
So many ways to communicate
Dennis Mantin
I know a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
I know a girl who calls me Dad, whom can look me in the eye and speak the truth or not, with equal enthusiasm.
I know a man who knows the history of everything and is grateful for all that he has.
I have loved and I have raged and I now see that both were probably an over-reaction.
We all appear to be very very different from one another despite our similarities in skeletal biology.
Dennis Mantin
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