Don't be weird...

I love reading my friends' blogs. Although some haven't updated their blogs in, oh, two or three years, it's still fun to see the blogs they were following and still check up on those people's lives.

Tonight, while I was reading my cousin's blog, which is a pretty good one I might add, I saw the button at the top that says, "Next Blog." Well hell, I'll push that link and see what happens.

But before I actually tell you what happened, let me tell you why I was so surprised at what happened.

I thought blogs were for moms, families, those struggling with things. That's why I started my blog, right? To sort through all the weird feelings that I was going through after my dad died. And now, I use it to talk to you since you can't really understand what I say anyway. I want you to know all my thoughts about you since the day you were born.

So I read my friends' blogs about dealing with a brain tumor, or watching their kids grow up, or family milestones. Never, did I imagine, what I might find when I clicked that link.

I came to the Elder of Ziyon (yes, spelled Z-i-y-o-n) blog. I had no idea what exactly it was about, but it had a picture of angry men in armor marching toward the person taking the picture. And across that picture, it had "PALESTINE VS. EUROPE."

I quickly clicked "Next Blog" hoping for some pictures of flowers and possibly a son and daughter, smiling and laughing for a camera. Nope.

www.angryarab.blogspot.com. If you didn't get that, that's "Angry Arab." In fact, in typing that I hope it doesn't somehow link to his/her blog and then all of a sudden he/she is looking for where I live.

*CLICK* onto the next. "Point of No Return" - a somewhat depressing feature on Jewish refugees. Interesting, but still incredibly sad and nothing like the flowery fauna picture I have in my head.

*CLICK* "Infidel Bloggers Alliance"

*CLICK* "Uprooted Palestinian"

*CLICK* "Gallia Watch"

All this clicking, and no happy pictures of families. No laughing children, jumping dogs, or even just a naked baby in a basket and some full-time mom talking about how her child projectile pooped all over her.

All these blogs with so many different things...

It made me think of all the things I want you, as my son, to be.

1) Be educated. Know what you're talking about. Be able to justify all the decisions you make. I'm not sure if the authors of these blogs are well educated. Or rather, educated with both sides of the story...
2) I don't care if you're transgendered. Gay. A woman trapped in a man's body, I will love you unconditionally. But don't be that way because it's the cool thing to do. And don't be weird, different, or odd simply because it sets you apart from others. If being that way naturally sets you apart from others, then that's fine, but don't set yourself apart from people just to be different. Have a reason and be able to stick with that reason. I don't want you to go goth for only two years of high school. See the following - 
3) Go hard, or go home. If you're going to go goth, go goth all the way, son. The one thing you will notice about me is that mediocrity is the furthest thing from me. Do it all, or don't do it at all. Invest your best self, your whole self, or don't invest yourself at all. No one ever walked onto the football field and said they wanted to be a mediocre quarterback. The authors of these blogs most definitely follow this particular step.
4) Watch and learn. Watch other people make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. It does not mean you always have to make your own mistakes. However, in watching those mistakes, only garner the facts. Don't base your education of the lessons those mistakes taught on assumptions on how those mistakes turned out. Refer to #1. Also refer to the aforementioned blogs...
5) Keep your side of the street clean. Don't ever put anything negative about anyone somewhere permanent, like the web. Try not to be negative in the wake of others' negativity, and always see everyone else's point of view. Again, refer to #1. And the aforementioned blogs...
6) It'll put hair on your chest. This was a famous saying of Grandpa Tom's and I would always reply with, "But dad, I don't want hair on my chest." I still don't. But I get it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And God knows that I've been through my fair share of chest hair.
7) Be kind. People will forget exactly what you said to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Always be kind, you don't know what kind of battle others are facing on any given day.

I love you. And if you ever start a blog, please follow these 7 principles!