Being Rude and Being Kind

Greetings Readers

Something kind of bothered me in the past week or so. I know, I know what’s new – right?

You Readers think you “know” me, but in reality you only are reading about me since I probably do not know who you are.

Does that matter? No. Do I care? A bit, but I am not here to make friends with my blog.

So, when you say you know me, you really do not know me, but you only “know of” me. All you know of me is what I write and care to share with you Readers.

I am not looking for your approval. I am not looking for a new friend in my life. I am not looking for a wife, but am looking for a girl friend =). And the list of reasons could go on and on.

Almost three years ago I started the blog, not knowing where to go (or to begin) and it took a while for me to get into blogging.

What I have come to tell you Readers is the raw truth. Being Honest. And sometimes Honesty hurts. Sometimes being brutally honest makes me seem the rudest person you have read about – ever. I do not disagree.

And I can see how many of you Readers can come to that conclusion. After all, I make it no secret of my “rudeness” and my “issues” I come across and share with you Readers.

I share with the Internet my life and what comes across my path of life.

With us being Human most of us pick out the “bad” points of other people. Not all of us, but most of us do. Hell, I know I do. There are a few people, perhaps more than a few people that would pick out the “good” and say / comment something nice about that. But let us face the truth Readers, we like to pick and point out each other’s faults.

You faithful and new Readers have most likely read about my Grocery store issues, Light Rail Issues, Fast Food Issues, Bus Stop issues and so on. I do not have a problem writing about my issues.

Aside from all the rude issues I have written about I have written about some good deeds and things I have done that none of you Readers would even think of doing.

I am going to tell you Readers in the past year that I have done many good things that would not be considered rude.

I am sure that you Readers read that I used about 1/3 of my Tax Stimulus Refund check to help buy a calving table for my parents. I was not selfish and spend all the money for myself. How many of you Readers spent money on someone else that was not for personal gain? Perhaps like buying a gift for the boy/girl friend in exchange for a fantastic night of sex, which would be for personal gain since you are technically spending the money for yourself.

Did you Readers know that I baked over ten birthday cakes last year for my coworkers who are more than just co-workers? Again, no one asked me to bake a cake for his or her birthday. I did this without asking. I also asked the birthday person what sort of cake they wanted and it could not be a cake that was too exotic. However, when I am making a cake for the person’s special day – I add some alcohol to the cake to give it some essence of Kalhua, Amaretto or rum. How many Cakes did you make for someone’s birthday this past year? And buying a cake, cookies, and cup cakes from a grocery store is not really going out of your way since that is just buying something that you put NO effort in for your friends. And for this year I have made two cakes already.

Did you Readers know that even though I do not believe in Religion, in a manner of speaking (and I am not an Atheist), I still try to go to church once a month and I give a donation from 10 to 20 dollars? How many of you Readers can say that?

When I go and visit my parents in New Mexico at the Ranch I do help out at the Ranch. Even though I am on vacation - I am not on vacation. I work by either working on the dirt road, shoveling shit (cattle, horse, dog and guinea shit), picking up and burning tumbleweeds, feeding all the animals and more importantly I almost do all the cooking when I am at the Ranch. It’s my time to shine and do things for my parents as opposed to being selfish and do nothing while on vacation. I do have that option, but for me that is not an option. I ask many of you Readers how many of you do things for your parents when you visit them? And yes Readers sometimes I do not want to do any of those things, but after starting any of those things I forgot about not wanting doing them and actually start to enjoy about do them. Sounds crazy, but at the end of my vacation on the Ranch I feel damn proud of what I did on my vacation.

The homeless. Well, in my case I have one homeless person on my way to work when I bike a certain way to work. Just one. Every other week I try to give him some money. It may not be a lot, but in my view I have given him something, which is better than nothing. I do not know his name and I do not care, but at least I go out of my way and give what I feel like giving. Many of Readers probably see more than one homeless person and I have to wonder do any of you Readers do anything for any of them? Or even one the homeless – after all they are human too.

How about me giving twenty dollars (for gas) to a fellow runner after the 24 hours of Boulder? I did not mention this in my post story wrap up, but I was planning to take public transportation from Boulder to Centennial. However, as I was resting in the tent with “the bitch” I met and got know a fellow runner who came up from Colorado Springs and eventually asked him for a ride to I-25 and Arapahoe Road. He said no problem. Well, as he pulled in the Arapahoe Marketplace just off I-25 and Arapahoe Road I pulled out my wallet and forced him to take the twenty dollars even though he said no and do not worry about it. In my mind, he did more for me than he thought he did for me. For that - I was thankful and I had to give him money for his kindness. I ask how many of you Readers would have caved in and put away the twenty dollars in your wallet (purse) just because he said he wouldn’t take it?

Mike Shanahan was recently fired, which I did blog about. I was happy about that. I will admit yes I am happy that finally Mike is gone, but it is not entirely about him getting fired. I was and still am happy that there is going to be a new coach. Well, when I got my “Christmas Miracle” I bought a 12 pack of Moose Drool Microbrew beer and gave one bottle to each of my closest co-workers. That was me being nice and buying everyone a round of drinks. It was not the “cheap” round of pitcher beer for everyone. I wanted my friends to taste something new, or something they would not try on their own. That was not rudeness, that was I being nice. I ask how many of Readers would do that if the coach of your football team where you live was fired and was something that much needed after years of not making the playoffs? I am betting most of you Readers would just “talk” and not celebrate with buying the first round for people you want to share your happiness with.

Last month after giving my Qdoba girl her Christmas card I was about the happiest I could be that entire month. So when I saw my neighbor Mike in distress I asked him what was wrong and soon found out. I listened and then I said to Mike that I would go to the store to get him some Diet Mountain Dew since he could not do it himself. I ask you Readers how many of you would have done that for someone who is mentally handicapped after getting home from work?

Gift Giving – How many of you Readers give gifts when it is not their birthday, Christmas, anniversary, etc? I am betting most of my male Readers do not, at all! My Women Readers do since I know for a fact that I have gotten a bottle of Coca-Cola of out the blue. I give drinks (juice, water, soft drinks) out of the blue to fellow friends for no reason. Sometimes a person needs just that little gift to know that someone does care. And my brother – do you know that I give gifts to my brother each time I go and visit my parents? Bandannas, Playstation 2 games, Jack Daniels merchandise, and VCR tapes of taped shows I recorded to name a few things I give as gifts. And for my parents – I bring DVD’s, US Open Tennis merchandise, spices and buying groceries when I am visiting the Ranch to name some of the gifts I bring when I visit them. Again, are you Readers just as giving when there is not an event to give a gift?

Lunches – How many of you Readers received from your clients/vendors a “lunch on them” this past year? I received five this past year. If I am the rudest person you have ever “known” well you really do not know me. I ask again – how many vendor/clients have bought you lunch this past year?

And I could go on. I have written about “the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” My faithful Readers would know both the good and the bad. And if you are just tuning in you can access my history (archives) and catch up on my old blog posts.

What I just wrote I am not defending my stance/views, since there is nothing to defend. However, if you Readers think you “know” me you really don’t. I suggest that you take a long and good hard look in the mirror before calling and/or thinking that I am the rudest person you have ever read about. I know for a fact that your shit does not smell sweeter than mine. After all I know (or read) about what you have told me and I would have to say that celebrating one year (and perhaps two years coming this year) without driving does not make you special in my book. After all, I have been biking/commuting for about 12 years now. I do not need to state that. And I still have both of my vehicles, even though I get to drive them about once a year. So, you telling the world about how you rode a bike one year without almost any driving is not special. If you have to sell your vehicle so be it, otherwise I have no desire to sell my 86 Camero or 96 Amigo. One vehicle is a classic and the other has seven more years to become a classic.

In closing Readers, I am not perfect and I have never, ever made that claim. Yet, I have written about the good, the bad and the ugly, whereas other Readers have only wrote about the good. If you cannot write about “the bad” then perhaps you have some secrets. Or perhaps you are insecure about yourself, worried about how you may portray yourself to others, etc.

There is more I could add, but I think I have touched upon what I wanted to write about. Perhaps this is the year to blog about you to me and the rest of the world and let us read about you. Be honest. After all, we need to know if your shit is sweeter than mine.

Until the next time

Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete