Tetris (A Game Of Falling Pieces)

Greetings, Howdy, and all that jazz,

Im finally back and ready to write. Its been a long while since Triggerific passed and I just wasn't ready to express myself but now, I think the time has arrived. With that being said, I want to invite you to follow me on a thought provoking piece that I call "Falling Pieces".

Life, such a wonderful thing, it happens right before our very eyes, yet sometimes we miss it, and its not until years later that we truly understand the happens among us on a day to day basis. To me, life is as simple as a game, in fact, when you think about it, life is just like playing the classic game of Tetris. Ha! Yeah I said it, Tetris, the game of "Falling Pieces". Follow me as I attempt to shed some light.

Just as in Tetris, you begin life with a blank slate. Consider your actual day of birth to be your level 000. There are millions of possibilities and endless outcomes to life through, but for me, February 24th, 1983 was the beginning of my game, and I was born with a blank slate. Now just like in Tetris, the game starts and you begin to see "Falling Pieces," and this is realitive to your life, where it REALLY doesn't matter where you put these pieces. As the trickle down, throwing them carelessly to the left, to the right, flipping them upside down, however you feel, because that stage of the game, nothing really matter and it is all fixable. Think of this stage of your life as your adolescent stage in life where you are care free with no responsibilities and MAYBE someone watching you play, co-signing on some, but not all, of your decisions. Because remember, Tetris is a one player game, and no one can live your life for you. (MESSAGE!)

Now in your younger years, or the early levels of the game, you are trying to figure this game (of life/Tetris) out. You are told, these are the things you need to do to succeed in life. This transfers to the notion of Tetris, you soon learn that to proceed and succeed in the game. You must make lines. And you begin to make your lines and take notice do your leveling up. Just as in Tetris you get to level 010 really fast, think of this as being your life in Elementary School. Again, not a care in the world. But now Jr High and High School approach and your pieces start to fall just a little faster, making your once thrown around pieces require more thought and logic.

Now lets just use the levels as a metaphor to age, so you get level 013-018, your teenage years, and decisions are being made, "Who to date", "What to wear", "Where to work" you know the normal dramas of a teen that tend to challenge your life, making the game a tad bit harder to play. But you manage to keep it moving, making lines vanish, all to the hypnotizing trance of the beat. You graduate High School and begin your adult life, Level 018 and beyond, and the game speed up just a little more. Think to yourself, when you were is 5th grade, these words NEVER came out your mouth "Man, that year went by fast". But your senior year in High School, and even your College life, you've probably said that at least two times yearly. (Food for thought).

Now with the metaphor of Life/Tetris laid before you, here is the vital point of it all. Have you ever planned to do something, had EVERYTHING you need to make that dream work, and for some reason, it just didn't pan out? That's because you weren't given the right piece to make your Tetris. We spend endless an amount of time organizing our lives to fit just perfectly, looking for that block shape to appear and begin to trickle down and what happens.....

You get a Damn "L" shape. REALLY all I need is a block and you give me a damn "L". NOW AINT THAT ABOUTA BITCH!

Life throws you wrenches and gives you lemons, but its up to you to depict what you are going to do with those. Some people blame life itself of the random shapes that they don't need at that time, and tend to forget to celebrate when they do get the "zig-zag" at just the right moment for that job they were wanting, or needing, or meeting that special someone. But what we have to realize is that you can't plan life, for it is the most ultimate unknown. Because yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery, we have to learn to live NOW at the moment, thus making today special, for the move you make today can determine your tomorrow.(MESSAGE!)

Yes you can have dreams and goals to get to a certain place in life, however, without knowing the next 5 steps in advance, you can only assume, hope, and dream that you are gifted the right pieces. But more importantly we have to learn to play through those times that we get the wrong piece. In Tetris, there is ALWAYS the chance to correcting that hole you missed in the middle of the game. Say you didn't graduate High School because of a baby, or your whole life you just KNEW you were going to the NFL or NBA and you blow out your knee, well you can keep playing and work to fill that hole, removing it from the game going back to school and getting your GED or helping kids see that they need an option B for that untimely falling piece.That's finding the positive in the midst of all the falling pieces, though it seems bad at first, you can still surpass the unwanted falling piece. (MESSAGE!)

Yet falling pieces can be hard some times and everyone is equip with the strength to seek the positive. As you can just have a bad string of pieced dealt to you. Many people tend to hold the "DOWN" button and stack pieces on pieces until the game is over, or what can be a metaphor for giving up on life, never taking the time to move and work to stay in the game.

My father taught me at a very young age "There is no such thing as can't." It took me 20 years to realize the purpose, but he is 100% right. If you defeat yourself first by saying you "Can't" then you turned this one player game, into a 2 versus 1 game. But if you stay working at it, slowly but surely you see the end result, a high score at a high level, and that's what we strive for in this game. Having success in life is being wealthy, healthy, and to have a long life or leveling up to 090-100 if you will. And I hope playing does grant you this.

So you see, life is just like Tetris, a game of falling pieces. We just have to figure out what you want to do with our falling pieces. Maybe 2012 will deal you the right ones, maybe it won't, the question is........

Are you willing to play the game??? Be great this year! Thanks for reading...........

April the Fifth!

Tuesday April 5th, 2011 9:53pm
I will never forget this date. It was just a year ago, I was sitting in my living laughing and cutting up with my boy Mr. Pookey B. We were trying to figure out what we were going to do for his 27th birthday here in Oklahoma.

It funny how things in life happen when you are not around because also on April 5th, owners Michael and Jeanne Davis whelped 4 puppies, 3 females and 1 male. Unknowingly destiny would bring together all that I have dreamed of. A Jack Russell puppy with a black head and the character that would make me laugh and love me just as he knows I would him.

As we fast forward the time, the time of me parting ways with my other puppy and moving to a life of being single, destiny stroke when I least expected it. One day while at work, Miss Warner and Mrs Ryan were both busy hunting the internet for a puppy that I had mentioned that I wanted. Now I wasn't sure I really wanted a puppy, nor did I have the money for a puppy but they both were in the hunt like lions in the wild.

I received two emails back to back of the cutest most mystchievious looking dog EVER and the two of them called to inquire. The offer was too good to be true to get a true, full blood, black and white male Jack without someone wanting an arm and a leg. But it was true, and once I saw him on June 12, 2010, I knew he was going to be that greatest thing over. I coined him the gift and the curse because of his markings, half his face black the other half white.

On Monday June 21st, 2010 was the first time I saw my lil dude. He was milling around the back yard playing with his sisters. I adored him and couldn't wait to get him home. Getting used to the puppy was a bit much but more than worth it. He was trained quickly and learned well in the short amount of time.

I loved him so much because he reminded me of my sisters dog Arrow, and I could not wait for them to meet each other. That was the romp around the house I was waiting to witness, but it never came truth as the day they were to meet, Arrow was hit by a car and pasted away August 28th 2010. Never getting to meet Trigger, making Trigger the constant reminder of the beloved Arrow.

Life sometimes is funny the way you think its suppose to reconnect yet doesn't for the weirdest reasons. We found it odd that they didn't meet. It was a question of Why me? Why now? And I felt so bad for my sister I considered giving her Trigger.

Things happen and you just have to ask WHY? Yet you will never have an understanding. Some of them are hard to grasp, some are easy. But neither answer the question of WHY!

April 4th, 2011 5:00pm
Im talking to my mom and she is telling me how silly I am for wanting to go pick up my dog so I can celebrate his birthday with him at midnight. "Richard do you think he KNOWS its his birthday" she exclaims. She was right, but thats the love you have when you have pets, the are like family or children. But she was right, I could get him the next day and he would be none the wiser.

April 5th 2011 4:30pm
The world links events without your knowing because we dont know the future. As I rush out the office to pick up my lil boy for his birthday, Im trying to think what Im going to do for him. Talking to my mom on my way to get him, we laugh and jest about throwing him a party and how they would be drinking water and spilling it saying, "This one if for the homie Arrow." The conversation shifted to Arrow and how Renee still doesn't go back to that park where he was hit. Its funny, I said "If I lost Trigger, it would suck but I dont think it would be the end of the world." We continue the conversation and my mother tells me to give the birthday boy a kiss for me, as she knows I love my son and am about to give him the world as he knows it.

April 5th 2011 5:20pm
I havent seen Trigger in close to two weeks and as he pops his head out the doggie door, the biggest grin comes on my face. I was so happy to see him and was so happy he had been playing with Target all day. I watch Target and Trigger go at it for a good five minutes. Target chases the ball, Trigger chases Target and repeat. LOL! Its a sight to see. Once both are panting like crazy I grab Triggs and head over to the Lillard's for some playtime with Augustus.

Gus not seeing to many other dogs his having the time of his life as Trigger is doing his best to run with him kicking up and rolling around in all types of dirt. Truly having a great time Im even more please at the celebration thus far. We leave the Lillards and he plops down in the passenger side seat and passes smooth out. I think, "YES, he is have such a good time."

April 5th, 2011 7:00pm
We pull up to my house and I decide, "You know what, we are gonna take you for a walk." I search real quick for his leash and skip it and dart out the door. We walk our usual walk, the neighborhood right beside my complex where all the residents know me and my dog. So much that they think I live in the neighborhood. Down, around the corner and back, we run into a couple and their grandson. Trigger and the child wind each other back up as we laugh and watch them play. The lady tells me how good Trigger is and how well I have trained him. I explain the names, Bo, Arrow, Target and Trigger and the all get a kick out of it. After a while I draw Triggers attention and start walking home as Im getting ready to wash him because is is filthy from playing all day. We approve the corner of the street and Trigger see two kids on the other side of MacArthur........

I blink.

April 5th, 2011 8ish
Im racing down the street. Is this real? "TRIGGER" I yell. The day flashes before my eyes. "PLEASE, DO SOMETHING!!" Motionless, his heart beating, I feel like he is just dazed. "TRIGGER" I run the red light on the way to the vet, it light are off, no one in the parking lot. I whip out in pursue of another. My thigh covered.... I glance down, I ask the question. The question we have no answer for. WHY? 90mph I must have been going, weaving in and out of traffic... I look down, still nothing.....

Reality sets in..... I lost my dog. Exactly 1 year to the day he was born. GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE.

Numb.

I say to you Trigger, Daddy loves you. Thank you for being there when I needed you. Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for allowing me to love unconditionally. Happy Birthday. I hope that this was your greatest day ever, thats all I intended it to be. I curse April 5th. Because April 5th is the day I lost my gift. And that gift was you.



Finally emotions.

April 5th, 2011 8:55pm
I part ways with Trigger. April 5th 2010- April 5th 2011.