Just wondering. When a joke is no longer funny when do you stop smiling?

This is for Jim, Chey, Heather and Shayla. My net is gone. I will be back so don"t forget me. Giving this from my phone, try this... Hope for tomorrow is better than a wish from yesterday.

A fog fills my mind as I vaguely remember the outline of the strangers face. Her eyes were veiled in shame for what she had done. The fact that she was sitting on the park bench alone that late at night puzzled me at first. My eyes were fixed on her as I watched her twist and pull at her wedding ring. She sat there for hours and never said a word. Occasionally a tear would softly roll down her cheek and drop from her chin.

I never asked her how she ended up here. I sat there with my head in my hands wondering how I got here. I waited for her to stop crying and her eyes to lift. I could see she was sorry for what she had allowed to happen. I could tell it was the first time this had ever happened. The look on her face seemed to ask if it would ever happen again. There wasn't anything I could do to ease her troubled mind for I had been sitting there just as long wondering the very same question.

We both stood up and our eyes joined one final time. We turned from each other, our hands reaching out but never touching as we walked away. I sit on that bench every now and then and think about that stranger. I wonder how two people that loved each other so deeply could just walk away strangers without ever asking why. I thought I knew her better; I thought I knew myself better. Now I can barely remember her face.

I was rather looking forward to going caving after I got off work this morning. I knew it was going to make for a long day but the fact that my son included me in his plans thrilled me. I use to go caving a lot after work when I was on my own but that was many years ago. However the plans fell through at the last minute.

My son and his friend went to the cave on Saturday with all their equipment in hand. They thought it would be fun to go exploring on their own ,without me, just for something to do. Zac had been in a few time with other friends but never had any success finding the place called the Zeus Pools. It is an easy enough place to get to if you know what you are doing, they didn't. The Zeus Pools were what we were going for today but at the last minute while they were in there they decided to go for it. Can you say STUPID? I thought you could.

As is usually the case when people get into a large room called the Boulder room, you get lost. They got turned around and headed to the upper falls instead of the lower falls were they needed to be. Zac didn't say how long they were lost but I'm sure it was a good long while. Along the way it seems his friend, a tall slender kid of 20, kept running into the low ceiling. Not bad at first, just a few scraps on his forehead. It wasn't until they were almost back at the cave entrance that the poor boy collided with the ceiling again. His eye and the solid stone, not pretty.

I saw him at work later that night and as soon as I saw him I knew what had happened. It was no more then two days earlier I conveyed a story to him about me. The short version being that the first time that I took a group of friends in with me I got hurt. I turned to warn everyone to be careful because the ceiling gets low here. I turned around and SMACK, POP *#@*. A two inch gap and a mother goose egg on my forehead. After that day when I would bring people with me I warned them outside to be careful.

Needless to say his wife was none to happy with him. So we won't be going today. We still have plans to go caving. They really want to see the Zeus Pools but they're not going anywhere. Like Zac said we have all summer. I know the next time they will wait for this old man.

What is there to be proud of? Men are dying for a cause that isn't ours and we let our hungry and homeless roam free with no thought. We send a hundred to Africa and won't buy a burger for the kid on our street. How messed up is that?

I wonder (and have for many years) What are our people dying for? I know it is freedom but freedom from what and what to? Are we fighting for them or a better way of life? I hate to see good people die for no reality. Anyone can make a reason but the reality is they are fighting to, they are fighting to make our lives better when we already have it so good.
Sorry, just my thoughts.