End of the year musing from Mark Antonious

Whilst, Ms Hauser cooks up a storm for her various family and friend gatherings this weekend, she has again requested I fill in. Never one to complain...well, rarely, I accepted. I am terrible in the kitchen, and Steven, Adam, and Jackie-blue, usually boot me out and say I am in their way. So...since I am not wanted in the kitchen, I am at the computer.
What is there to say that has not been said, you may ask? I asked myself this as well.
I want you to know as I passed my...-unlisted number- birthday...I attempt to live and learn. Most don't, most can't, I try.
Guess what? Humans are quite fragile.
Oh, yes, love, we bloody are.
I have seen the toughest blokes weep, the strongest women collapse under the intense pressures of life, and pompous young studs, back away when they feel too threatened.
We are all just a bag of blood and bones in reality. Oh, we dream of being immortal vampires, (don't get me started about 'that' incident...Steve flirted with a vampire, and as you can guess, trouble followed, but that is a tale for another day.)

Fragile.
Yes, indeed. We are suffering little buggers whose bodies give out, create pain censors that rival any pleasure we endure, and don't even get me started on our emotional fragility.
Anyone who knows me, realizes, yes, I am a man, quite tall, not too muscular, and simply put, not the strongest mentally. I go to a shrink, take Valium, and lean on three men for support.
As I read posts and listen to dear friends, I know I am not alone in being, well, 'fragile'. Many of us are thrown blows to overcome, one after the other. I admire the devil out of the ones who do not complain, and just give us the stiff upper lip and move on. If it were only that simple.
In my past I have teetered on suicidal thoughts, of course nearly committing it once in college and once recently when I thought Alexander, my son, and Steven were going to run off and leave me...but again, for those of you who know me well, that is old news. Yet every day for most of us, is a steady stream of trials and tribulations. On their own, the small problems are quiet simple to leap over, but placed on top of one another, they seem as impossible to navigate as a flight to the stars.
What can I say, but we must keep moving forward. And this too shall pass, Ms Hauser continues to remind me. (I think her mother used to say it) But we do get overwrought at times.
And this time of year, more stress than at others.
So, to end this endless stream of nonsense...
Hang in there. Indeed we do sometimes meet up with dilemmas and painful ordeals to bear. We are so bloody fragile, at times I do worry for the ones I hold dear. Our lifespan on this earth is ever so fleeting.
Do take care to remember to be kind. Love, do not hate. Say a sweet word, not a petty one. We are only human...none perfect.
Happy Holidays to all my fans and friends. And remember to share a smile instead of a sneer of jealousy or contempt. Not only are you fragile, but others are as well.
Love to all of you.
Mark

(All right, Ms Hauser?)
(Perfect, Mark. Come have a cookie.)
(Just one.)
(Just one.)