The Rules For 2014

Way back in 2004, I was going through a divorce and living in a van that sat in the parking lot of an apartment complex. I had friends that lived there so showering and eating wasn't much of a problem...I just didn't want to push myself on anyone. With the help of those people, I pulled myself out of the muck, moved on with life, and started over. I like the life I have created for myself since then. Granted, there are a few things I'd like to tweak here and there...but it's a nice life. I don't appreciate it being interfered with. Rule # 1 - If you are my age and you are going through the same thing I did ten years ago...and you have chosen to get hooked on drugs, get arrested, continue to hustle and steal, keep warm under my roof, eat my food, use my car, lie to me, ignore your children, mistreat my children, mentally abuse my wife, mentally abuse your ex wife...after I have personally extended my hand to you for help...I have no use for you. There is no one in this world that can screw you over quicker than a friend...but, for some reason, family members have it perfected almost to an art. Rule # 2 - See rule # 1. You may not believe in ghosts...but negativity at such an intensity has the ability to take an almost physical form. From the minute this situation entered our lives, you could feel the atmosphere in my home change. It brought anger, hate, and fear. Not to quote Star Wars too terribly much in my personal life for fear that it will affect my sexual frequency...it is the path to the dark side. Yoda wasn't kidding. Negativity attracts negativity and, in the spirit world, it almost acts as a beacon to those that would spiritually invade your home, consume your lives, and do you harm. Some people would call this 'bad luck'. I know differently. When you invite negativity into your home, that home no longer belongs to you. As expected, after months of trying to ignore any sort of 'spiritual' thoughts, it all went away the minute that I removed that person from my home. The air felt thinner and the extremely heavy weight that was resting upon my shoulders was shrugged off with minimal effort. Life is returning to normal here. This is not an easy task but if you are going through similar situations in your own home I highly recommend it. Sometimes, you think that you have the best of intentions getting involved in a dark situation but...you can't beat the darkness that belongs to someone else. They have to beat their own darkness. Unfortunately, if this person enjoys wallowing in it and has become comfortable there, their darkness will become yours. Whether it is a friend or a family member, you have to take care of your own spirituality. If you think that you can actually change people...you're fooling yourself. People NEVER change...they just become better actors and actresses. If someone falls to the dark side of things and triumphantly returns into a positive individual...then they were never a dark person to begin with. The change that they were trying to make was to be that of a darker person. The nice person that they have become is who they really were all along. This is a line of thinking that has been true to me all throughout my life, my travels, and my career. As far as the spectral side of things is concerned, I literally spent years engulfed in darkness on purpose as a paranormal investigator. It eventually fed on my soul and engulfed my personality. Almost a decade later, I was led to the doors of a church where I immediately found out how physical the dark side of things can be. It didn't want to leave. After a lengthy internal battle, I emerged victorious but not without scars. If you have a Kindle, you can read all about it in my research journals titled 'A Decade Of Shadows'. 2013 was the darkest, scariest chapter in my life. I'm glad it's over. Here is to a bright and prosperous 2014. I'm looking forward to completing my new novel 'Far From Home' and seeing what the future brings. Take care of yourselves.