Good Guys, do they really exist

As I sit here reading a memo that says I may have backed a loser, once again, I think of two sayings that lately seem to encompass my mission statement. The first is, “no good deed goes unpunished”, and the second is “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while looking for a different result.” I do not mean to imply that I am either a “do gooder” or insane. Most people would agree that I am not the first and there would be lively debate about the second. Regardless, it is my point of view today.

For months I have been approaching and pulling back from the precipice, thinking I was ready to make the leap into a business venture that I believe has tremendous, almost unlimited, potential. However each time I think I am ready to make the leap something happens, usually in my private life that makes me stop mid stride and hold off, wait for this latest emergency to be resolved.

The latest is a family member, who shall go unnamed or otherwise identified, who every time we turn around is in some form of crisis. One week she quit her job because they weren’t showing her sufficient compassion while she handled the stress of her daughter’s unsuccessful suicide attempt. I found it more than a little hard to be compassionate. The unsuccessful suicide attempt was just that unsuccessful. It was also at least three months prior to the decision to quit the job, which by the way was a part-time job in a retail store. I’m sorry but just how stressful is that really.

This weeks crisis is a move from a women’s shelter to a private house. At first it sounded good, get out of a heavily regulated environment and return to truly independent living. At least she wasn’t asking to live with me. We heard that the move was happening, fortunately it was during a weekday and working hours so we didn’t have to physically participate. The next thing we heard was that we would not be allowed to visit for at least two weeks maybe a month. Now I have no intention of visiting but my wife, her relative, was quite upset by this news and asked why?. The response was that one of the other tenants of the house had just been placed on house arrest and the terms included no visitors to the residence. How do I get those terms? I mean I think I could handle not having people, friends and family members, just dropping by or being able to tell them that the court says they can’t come by.

You might ask how these things affect me. Well, I’m married to a beautiful, compassionate woman. Opposites do attract and we are living proof as I am usually described as an ugly #@#@#@#. Anyway if there is anyone that I try to be nice to it is my wife, after all she knows where I sleep and even feeds me from time to time, two things that could make her especially dangerous to me.

So, I guess this was more of a rant and release than anything of substance. My point is that sometimes no matter how hard we try to be the good guys we still get bit.

On a more positive note on Saturday afternoon I sat on a beach and watched as five or six dolphins swam past, jumping and diving, oblivious to me and how much joy it brings me each time I see them.