Yes, there are some inspiring things taking place in the world too.  It is a puzzling dichotomy that the same planes that drop armed soldiers on the soil of foreign countries to kill enemies can also drop off crates of food and supplies to poor nations whose people are starved or oppressed by self serving regimes.  Not only is this puzzling, but it is also a travesty, a right mockery to mankind.  There must be some way to end the evils of war and begin an era of peace on Earth.  There must be a way to ensure that the abundance of resources is shared equally among the peoples of all nations.  Starvation, malnutrition, pestilence and plague need not write our future.  We can change the world.

It sounds so cavalier, and yet it is true.  I am not speaking of socialist or communist ideas.  When I say sharing, I am actually reverting back to the basic things we all learn as very young children at play:  if you have a toy or some candy, share.  If you have a hug, share.  If you have thoughts, share.  This is the way of children, and it should be the way of the world.  There is nothing in this material plane that we can infinitely own or store up for ourselves, so why hoard wealth, food, and power?  It all slips away.  What is enduring, what is fruitful, is love.  Love makes us immortal.  Love heals the scars of war.  Love destroys the bondage of a materialistic society and frees its people to love, share, and not fear shortages.

I also am not speaking from a purely religious standpoint, although, if you look closely into the basic precepts of all the religions in the world, you will find a common seed of truth, one that cries out for the humanity of man towards fellow man.  It is not war, strife, and want that dominate these ideas — but ultimately, is it a desire for peace.

Have you been to all of the public parks in your area yet?  There may be some that you haven’t even heard about yet!  Finding a new place to go for a jog or relax on the weekend can cheer you up and revitalize your passion for nature.  Go online and do a quick search for parks, trails or lakes near your location and see what you can find.  You can also ask your friends and coworkers if they know of any public areas where you can have an adventure and, who knows, it may even turn into a new tradition with friends or a spot to meet more new friends.

I bet there is a restaurant in town with an outdoor patio that you haven’t visited yet.  There are so many restaurants that change their menus or add outdoor seating during the summer months that can make the overall eating experience completely different.  Take a drive through an area of town that has some restaurants or cafes and stop in at one that you haven’t explored yet.  But the key here is to not rely solely on reviews you find online or to be overly picky about location since these factors aren’t always reliable.  Go and enjoy yourself and make a story that you can tell others about that joint around the block instead of waiting to hear about it from friends.

Don’t pass up a concert or show just because you haven’t heard of the band before.  You can do some research on them through your Dish Network packages and figure out what they are all about and then attend the show to discover whether or not you want to buy the CD.  I have been offered tickets to see local bands countless times and I never turn them down because over the years it has been these small local bands that end up being my favorites.  The most important thing to do is to be a trend setter.  Be the person who has tried that place that your friends are talking about and can recommend the best dish there and really impress the crowd.

Instead of going to “big box” stores to get pre-packaged food from all over the world, you should stop by a local fruit stand and help out the community. The products are going to be home grown, and healthy. No artificial food is as tasty as the real thing. Getting fruits and vegetables at a local produce stand might require you to drive a short distance down a back road, but it is well worth it. You are putting your money back into the community as well as getting better produce.

Another advantage of buying produce from local farmers is that most of the time they are a much better deal than you can find at chain stores. Chain stores have to pay for transportation and preservation of their products, while products on a farm come strait from the fields to your table. Some farmers even allow you to pick your own produce directly from the tree, you can’t get any fresher than that.

As well as buying your fruits and vegetables from farmers, you can buy furniture from local stores as well. There are many carpenters all over that could possibly be willing to make a piece to your specific taste. If you aren’t in an area with a carpenter, shopping at local furniture stores is a good alternate to large companies. Decoration your home with items from a local store is more likely to have unique furniture and better prices. Many people also decorate their homes with furniture from local antique shops, it’s a great way to take something old and bring it back to life by adding your personal style.

There are many ways that you can support local businesses such as: shopping for clothes, buying produce, buying home security, and buying decorative pieces and furniture. Which ever way you choose to give back to your community by supporting local businesses is sure to make an impact. Keeping local businesses running is only going to strengthen and better your community opposed to allowing a large company to continue to expand.

Which is fine, but you really need a good consultant to help you decide on a flattering look for you that is more than just an emulation of a famous person’s hairstyle.    If you want to be happy with your shorter do, you need to be certain that it is something that makes you feel cute, well groomed, and also glad you got it done.  You may enjoy this for a year, or maybe only a few months. But eventually, you are likely to want to return to your beautiful, longer hair once again.  Once you have made that decision, you have new considerations that are not nearly as easy as going and getting your locks lobbed off.

That awkward stage:  this is when you’ve been trying to grow your hair out of a shorter cut for about a month.  One month in, you may be very tempted to give up and just go back for another cut.  This is because your style will start to appear mis-shaped and will be harder to work with.  You might think that the only way to handle this is to just get the hair cut again and forget trying to grow it out, but don’t give up yet.  There are things you can do to keep your hair looking okay through this time. (And no, it doesn’t involve tying it up with cable bundles and drowning it in the river!)

For one thing, you can use hair clips to pull back lengthening strands from your face and add to the illusion of length around the ears and back of your neck.

Also, try using decorative combs to sweep hair off your forehead and over to the side.

Use mouse to poof up your style a little, adding waves and piecey textures to give a softer appearance than your very ultra well groomed style from before.

You can also use a flat iron, to bring out the length a little at a time and keep ends from flipping up or going in unplanned directions.

Take for instance the band Echo & the Bunnymen. Let me tell you kids, The Beatles aren’t the only sweethearts of Liverpool. These Liverpudlian boys are the godfathers of modern alternative music and have been around the block and back quite a few times. They witnessed the birth of Manchester punk and even contributed to the awkward melding of punk and pop to form the brave genre of music called New Wave.

You may be asking yourselves why I wax on incessantly about a couple of over 40 Scousers who can’t decide whether they love or hate each other, but be still your heart, there is a reason. You never forget your first. You see boys and girls, Echo & the Bunnymen popped my music cherry. I still get chills just thinking about it.

It was August, 1986, I had just turned 16 and was about to see my first concert. Nothing could stop me. I was about to emerge from the cocoon of my Irish Catholic upbringing, into the heart of the music scene. I still remember the exact outfit I was wearing; it was a little green tank mini-dress. I actually had to change in my friend’s car on the way over because my parents would have sent me to a convent if they saw how short that skirt was. They just didn’t get it; and I didn’t care because I was about to be set free.

We waited under the pavilion of the outdoor amphitheater for the show to start. The opening band, Gene Loves Jezebel, stepped out onto the stage to a thunderous applause, and I remember moving my hips to the music, while pretending to lipsync to the words that I didn’t really know. No, I didn’t know them, but I really wished that I did.

Just as the GLJ set was ending, clouds starting rolling in, and covering up the moon that until then had hung heavy over the crowd. The main lights went out, and you could hear the sound of rain trickling on the roof of the pavilion. All you could see on the stage were the blinking lights of the band’s equipment, the sequencer light bouncing back and forth was almost hypnotic.

In the dark, Ian and the boys took the stage, as music started to sound from the speakers, and lighting struck, literally and figuratively. As Ian proclaimed it “God’s own lightshow,” I knew there was no going back. I was now, and always will be, a fan.