You Remembered the Pepper

The pepper.

Yes, it was remembered. So much so, I had to murmur the phrase "You remembered the pepper." Now, this may not seem like a big deal to some, but if you only knew the backstory.

And so here it is:

As a youngster, there were many comfort foods for me:

• Poptarts
• Lucky Charms
• Honey Combs
• Campbell's soup
• Pasta shells with butter and pepper

The latter was just your normal pasta shell cooked to softness, with the addition of butter and pepper. Sound simple? Well sure! It had to be - I even learned to make it (along with my younger sister) when I was in my early teens. The meal had to have all the parts - shells, butter and pepper. Without one of these elements, it JUST WOULDN'T have held the comfort that comfort food is supposed to hold.

Flash-forward a few decades, and I haven't felt very healthy for over a month. The wife presents some options for dinner. One of them was gluten-free pasta with some organic vegan butter. My eyes lit up. The main ingredients were there. Shells, butter. I then let her know about the whole "pepper" aspect to my comfort food dealeo.

Later on that evening, as the meal was being placed upon the table, my mind raced to this odd concept that "Oh no, she may have forgotten the pepper." I don't know why I thought this. My wife is quite the one with the memory and the ultra-consideration. But the doubt was there, if just for a streaking moment.

So, when the moment came - and I peered upon the meal in front of me, there it all was. Besides the other parts of the meal was the pasta in a bowl, and a pepper shaker right next to the bowl.

"You remembered the pepper."

This meant a lot to me, let me tell you. Again, may appear minor to some. But for this boy who recalls some old-time comfort, and for this man who is so very happy to have a wife who not only remembers what's important to me, but makes sure she does all she can to see that I receive it, I could not be happier.

Love you baby.  Let's eat!

I Can't Believe What Happened To Me At Work!

You are not going to believe what happened to me at work the other day.

Imagine this. This is all about imagination and all about analogy.

There I was working a good half-day of work. Four hours at $25. I did my best at the job and truly felt I earned my keep - a solid $100, a "Benji" as it were.

Upon my departure of my place of employment, a masked man, unknown to me, approached and
DEMANDED that I give up my money. WTF!





It seemed that he would want all of it, the entire $100. However he said, "I'll take half of what you earned in there." I don't think he had a gun, but I wasn't going to make too much of a fuss. He let it be known that those he worked for DEFINITELY had guns and could even come and put me in jail if I didn't give him half of my $100.

WHAT? I would be arrested if I refused to give up my hard earned money? That is ludicrous. He was the one demanding - pretty much at gunpoint (might as well have been) - the money he felt was due to him.

Due to him? I was the one who worked for it. I was the one who put the effort out and earned it. Why the fuck would he say that it was due to him? The amazing gall of such a prick.

Plus I wanted to say ... what the hell are you going to do with that money you're stealing? Now I didn't say it exactly like that, since I didn't want to rock the boat. I just said, kindly and gently, "So upon what will you spend the money you are presently acquiring?" He provided me with a pie chart, which I was supposed to believe. It actually showed that well over half of my 50 bucks would be spent on his own upkeep and then also the cost it would take to build up his empire, invade other people's property and blow the brains out of adults and children. 

Number one - I don't want anyone to take my money without any justification, other than their lie that it's due to them and they can legally do so. How can that be backed by a country based on freedom and equality, and the power of natural law found within the Constitution?

Number two - I don't want ANY of that money they are "appropriating" to be about overtaking other people in other places, destroying property and killing innocent lives.

But what is one to do? Tell me America, the land of the free and the home of the brave ... what is one to do?




James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer sick of government overreach, living in ... I don't want to say now.  He can be reached, for creative purposes only, at www.LegacyProductions.org.

Sick!

Sick.

That's right; I've been sick.

And I am totally sick of it.

Started a month ago. That's right, a month ago. I have prided myself for years on being able to force out an oncoming sickness within a day. And I've been able to do just that. Whenever some sort of cold or sneezing has come upon me, I totally used the power of my mind, the power of my breath and the power of a surrendered rest to heal me.

Once I even was able to heal myself within an hour, when I HAD TO ... since I was at Magic Mountain and there was no time to waste on being sick. On that trip to Magic Mountain, I took a one-hour time-out in my car and did that deep surrendered rest that has helped get me back on my feet ... and back on the rides.

But this time - staring in early February - was different. And it sucks!

I think I let my guard down. And it cost me. I went on a binge - gluten, sugar, tons of food and then lack of sleep. This combination allowed my immune system to be in such a weakened state that I was susceptible to the evil forces of nature, to the Devil itself. At least that's what it felt like.

It started out with a bit of muscle aches. This turned into a three-day fever, which turned into days of little food as my hunger left me. There were days of a headaches behind both of my eyes, then days where I felt I could operate at about five percent capacity. I then started to feel it in my chest. Oh no, not the chest. This is the worst place that a sickness can hit me. It's here where I start to use the phrase "Oh, here comes the night." This is an ominous thought, seeing as the night brings uncontrollable coughing. It's the sort of cough that is relentless, especially when I lay my body down to rest.

WAIT A MINUTE! Let's figure this out. If you lay down to rest, and you automatically start coughing, then that means you never sleep. Oh man, this can't be good. And it wasn't. Imagine this: the only way I could get an ounce of sleep was to sleep sitting up. That meant creating a place on the floor next to the bed where I could prop up six pillows and attempt to fall asleep. With only the handy PC playing "Friends" episodes next to me as some solace, I was set for night upon night of torture as I coughed uncontrollably.

Over the three weeks of coughing (and I'm still not completely over it), I ended up losing 17 pounds. That is most likely 15 pounds of phlegm alone.

And so here I am, much lighter, still coughing (but not as much), but with a newfound appreciation for a few things:

1. Rest and sleep
2. The love and care of my friends and my ever-present wife
3. The need to fully boost and support the immune system
4. Health itself

Health itself! Yes, it's not the newest concept on the planet. But it sure is freaking true. Without health, you are nothing. You are nowhere. Without health, I'm a slumping, gasping blob on my bedroom floor. Without health, I cannot write; I cannot work; I cannot give; I cannot live my life purpose; I cannot live.

Let us raise our glasses high in honor of our bodies and our health ... and all that it takes to keep ourselves at our optimum health. The glass? A glass of water in one hand, with some echinacea and golden seal in the other. That's right. Let's learn what serves our body, and then give it what it needs. We are going to need this body if we are going to accomplish what we want in this life.

Yes, it sucks to be sick. But it sure has taught me a very important lesson along the way. May I get over this cough, but may I never forget where I got it ... and what it takes to keep it away...


James Anthony Ellis is a writer and producer when he can ever stop coughing. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.