Ralphie's Ramblings

To Cry? A Mans Dilema E veryone cries. You can act tough all you want, but eventually, you’ll need to let go. I’ve been wondering why it’s so hard for men to let go. Maybe it’s not that difficult for you. If not, why is that? I started asking myself this question recently: why do men find it so hard to share their tears? I’d say that by societal standards, I’m probably over-emotional for a guy. That goes for every emotion. As a teenager, I didn’t have much control over my emotions. I didn’t know how to channel them. By my twenties, I had much better control, but did I? I’ll explore that in a moment. And what about now? I was born in 1962, and crying wasn’t considered manly back then. How many of us were told to stop acting like girls or quit being babies? The most common phrase was, “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry about.” What good does that even do? The problem was, we learned at a young age that we might get spanked if we didn’t stop crying. So, we tried to ...

  **Title:** *Echoes of You* Verse 1:   I walk through the shadows of yesterday,   A melody haunting my soul.   Your laughter, like thunder, still echoes away,   A love that made me whole.   Pre-Chorus:   But the stars won’t guide me tonight,   Their shimmer fades from sight.   Lost in the whispers of your name,   Only ashes remain.   Chorus:   Oh, you were the fire, the spark in my veins,   A dream in the storm, the sunshine through rain.   Now the silence cuts deeper, a heart left askew,   I’m calling the heavens for echoes of you.   Verse 2:   I trace every step, but the path’s grown cold,   A silhouette burns in my mind.   No answer awaits where the stories are told,   Only memories left to rewind.   Pre-Chorus:   And the moon, though bright in the sky,   Won’t dry the tears I cry.   All the beauty turns to pain,   Where you’ve ...

The End of a Decade, a New Beginning I’m finally completing my series about the 1980s. Unfortunately, life and a few health issues got in the way of my initial plans. I may delve into some of these details in the future, but it’s time to wrap up this chapter. While this may be shorter, it holds no less significance than the rest of the decade. 1988 ended with my marriage to Alison. Many people believe that their first year of marriage is the best, but that isn’t true for us. As mentioned earlier, Alison was pregnant when we got married. We didn’t go on a honeymoon because she was not feeling well. In addition to the normal challenges of pregnancy, she had a severe cold. Working at the White House had its perks, one of which was direct access to the Bolling Air Force Base medical unit commander. He had worked in the White House Medical Unit and assured us that we could call him anytime, and he genuinely meant it. So, I had to make a phone call from Pennsylvania to find out what medicati...

(Verse 1) Well it’s hot in the sun, cold in the shade, Life’s a funny game, can’t dodge the spade, Walking down this dusty road, feeling frayed, And I think everyone has it made. (Chorus) Oh, it's hot in the sun, cold in the shade, I keep moving on, though the colors fade, This old guitar, my only aid, And I think everyone has it made. (Verse 2) There’s a jukebox playing our serenade, Laughter in the air, love on parade, But in the shadows, the debts unpaid, And I think everyone has it made. (Chorus) Oh, it's hot in the sun, cold in the shade, I keep moving on, though the colors fade, This old guitar, my only aid, And I think everyone has it made. (Bridge) In the heart of the night, when the blues invade, The memories haunt, the feelings cascade, I find my peace, in the notes displayed, And I think everyone has it made. (Outro) Oh, it's hot in the sun, cold in the shade, I keep moving on, though the colors fade, This old guitar, my only aid, And I think everyone has it made...

  (Verse 1) Once we soared on borrowed wings Now I'm left with all these shattered things The echoes of your laughter, haunting my nights In the wreckage of what was our light (Chorus) You were my fire, my midnight sun Now you're a shadow, my forgotten one Lost in the memories, I can't let go This love was my anthem, now just a ghost (Verse 2) In the corner of a dusty bar I see your face, but you're still so far The chords we played, now broken strings In the silence, my heart still sings (Chorus) You were my fire, my midnight sun Now you're a shadow, my forgotten one Lost in the memories, I can't let go This love was my anthem, now just a ghost (Bridge) I'll keep the flame alive, even in the cold For all the words we left untold This is our song, in a faded dream A love so loud, now just a scream (Outro) You were my fire, my midnight sun Now you're a shadow, my forgotten one Lost in the memories, I can't let go This love was my anthem, now just a gh...

The 80’s 1988: A Year of Confusion 1988 was one of the most confusing years of my life. It was a rollercoaster ride with extreme ups and downs. The year ended well, but getting to that point took a lot of twists and turns. It was emotionally charged in so many ways that I doubt I can fully convey what transpired. Nevertheless, I started this 80’s mess, so I’ll persevere. Let’s briefly revisit the very end of 1987. As I mentioned in my last entry, my wife (then girlfriend, obviously) and I had split up. It made for an unpleasant Christmas for me. Alison accompanied me to New York in the late fall. My grandmother fell in love with her. All I could hear was how could I let such a lovely girl go. This made Christmas uncomfortable since it was out of my control. So, I returned earlier than planned and went back to work. The New Year started poorly. I called my wife in mid-January to check on her. She was blunt and asked why I called. It was a short call. I figured that was the end. It seeme...