Blind Puppies

I still owe everyone a Christmas blog, but I'm not getting my pedi until Wednesday so you'll have to wait. This blog is the result of an epiphany. One of myself and of the people I choose to surround myself with.
I will start with myself. At risk of sounding too lame... Here we go. I realized while I was home in California that I have landed myself at a fork in the road. I know where I want to go, that part is easy. What I'm struggling with is recognizing where I have just come from, and who I am. I only have myself to blame. I had pulled the wool over my own eyes, but now I can see, and it's time to get to work. I want to be a happier person. I have turned into a cynic. I have joked about it for three years, Since Chef Trav took a walk, but it's really not that funny. The only reason I have remained a cynic for so long is because I have continued to surround myself with people who feed my reasoning for the cynicism. If my thinking wasn't proven correct regularly I think would have a better chance of seeing past it to the good in people. I have so many honest, loyal, kind people in my life, and I have let them be overshadowed for too long by those who feed on bitterness and doubt. Not all of these people are bad people, they're just not healthy for me to be around, or talk to, all of the time.
My friend Parrish had a great New Year's resolution, to surround herself with people that she really wants to hang out with, and are good for her to be around, rather than getting sucked into spending time in crowds that she just doesn't jive with. Since it is really just an amendment to mine, to be a happier person, I have adopted it as a late one for myself.
Now nothing is that simple. The one thing that has recently muddied the water is booze. I love a good beer. I love a good five or six beers if I'm out with the right people. I have officially started a list of those that I have put on probation when it comes to me being around them when they are drinking. They're smart people, and they know who they are. If you can't handle your booze, you know it after the first bad round. "Sorry, I was too drunk," just doesn't cut it. I had two situations (that's right, I am calling you both situations) the week before I left to go home for Christmas. Both while I had a boyfriend, both willing to throw our friendship under the bus for a piece of ass and no interest in anything else. Both being reasonable guys, they were embarrassed, but when did it become acceptable for men to become knuckle draggers when they have one too many? (I know, the ladies do it too, and a couple have made my list for other reasons, but today I'm focusing on the boys.) And I'm not the only one who has experienced this recently. It's an unacceptable excuse, and here is why. I can name a good handful of my boys that haven't used this excuse.
There are "good boys", "bad boys" and blind puppies. Blind puppies? Yeah, I call them blind puppies because they aren't bad guys, they just can't seem to get a grasp on things and won't slow down enough to stop running into barriers and breaking shit (literally or figuratively). They still have time to figure it out, I just won't be the bumper taking all of the hits, waiting for them to regain their sight, anymore. Most of the blind puppies I know are liquor induced and I am extremely confident they will figure it out soon enough.
So there we go, the three easy steps to being a happier person, reduce time around people that encourage my cynicism, surround myself with those who are good, and keep the blind puppies on probation until they get it together.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!