Here I Thought I Was Normal: Micro Memoirs of Mischief

by Mr. Frank Rocco Satullo

  ~

  Some pound their chest.

  They need to be superior.

  Some scream in your ear.

  They need to be heard.

  Some pretend not to notice.

  Some pretend not to hear.

  Some don’t pretend.

  ~

  What is a man?

  Someone who doesn’t need to prove they are one.

  ~

  Vengeance.

  No thank you.

  Smile and be happy.

  That’ll kill ‘em!

  ~

  Beauty is seeing the miracle in the plain.

  ~

  Life. It is taken for granted most of the time until it is seen as incredibly delicate. Fear makes it delicate. Don’t be fearful or you won’t live.

  ~

  What happens after death? Eternity. But what does that mean?

  ~

  I go through life seeing what I see.

  But there is so much more that I miss.

  How do I know?

  I am who I am.

  And I strive to be who I want.

  Others see who I am, why not me?

  I am what I was and became what I sought.

  I see who I am, but why can’t they?

  ~

  Look and you shall find.

  Don’t look and you shall see.

  ~

  Objecting to an established norm and creating your own way does not mean you are wrong or rebelling, just acknowledging what is best for you, not what society tells you what is best for you. That said, mistakes happen, but that doesn’t mean you are being punished or were stupid. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is not with the whole, but just a part. Rethink and try again.

  ~

  We are limited to the minds we surround ourselves with. Expand your circles of influence, and better choices result. Sometimes choices present themselves where you previously saw none. Listen to others who have had a different journey than yours. Instead of judging the differences negatively, try to understand a world in which you have not lived, and you may find tolerance or acceptance.

  ~

  You may define me by a mere part of what I am. But the whole of me includes many parts. To know me is to love me. If you don’t love me, you are focusing too much on a small part of me. And that part of me is likely also a part of you.

  ~

  An award winning filmmaker leaves most of his work on the cutting room floor, usually because it’s crap. But he doesn’t let the bulk of his work define him. He is defined by the little bit of his work that turns out to be exceptional.

  ~

  They Laugh

  They laugh behind my back,

  But I still smile and give the greeting of the day.

  Why are they threatened by me?

  I’d don’t mean them any harm.

  Please don’t envy what I am or what I have,

  It’s really no more than you.

  Except for one thing –

  I wish you my strength,

  So that you, too, find happiness.

  ~

  Ripples

  Sea formed me – I splashed – And became the sea

  Human-kind struggles with self-absorption. We want to live forever. Then we want life after death. But no matter what awaits in afterlife, we live on.

  After all, matter and energy cannot be destroyed or created, and there is no end or beginning to time and space. We are eternal.

  The universe is in perfect harmony. Good cannot exist without evil. Everything connects. That is our destiny. A drop in a pool of water sends ripples to its furthest shore despite the obstacles.

  We may just be drops in a sea but without drops, a sea does not exist. Subtle splashes ripple forever in calm waters. Thunderous splashes may go unnoticed in stormy waters.

  We are mostly water; without it we die. After we splash, what is the ripple-effect?

  ~

  Finding My Way by Knowing My Place

  I grew up a humble son,

  appreciating everything we had.

  My heart poured empathy for others,

  and optimism flowed through my veins.

  I was no greater than any,

  nor were any greater than me.

  I never forgot my roots,

  but at times I branched away.

  I never understood those of greed.

  Why are they not humble like me?

  So I rose up to humble the brazen ones.

  I was no longer humble,

  and they could not be won.

  I will die a humble man.

  Happy.

  ~

  Who Am I, Really?

  I am what my parents rebelled against. I am what my parents cherished.

  I am a culture. I am a counter-culture.

  I am a generation. I am every generation.

  I am a moment in time. I am a body of work.

  I am an encounter that changed me. I am many encounters that never changed me.

  I am the words someone shared to help me see. I am the words I wish someone shared.

  I am what I hate. I am what I love.

  I am a label. I am what I cannot label.

  I am to one group what I am not to another.

  I am to the memory of some what I am not in the present to others.

  I am evolving. I am also parts unchanged.

  I am like anyone else. I am unique.

  I am a hero. I am a villain.

  I am my imagination. I am others’ imaginations.

  I am your mirror.

  ~

  Gaining Faith by Losing Religion

  Science shows that it all came from one point of origin as if someone just snapped their fingers and said, “Let there be life.” And so there was. Yet most of what is around us is not even detected by us. We define it as dark matter and dark energy but it isn’t dark at all.

  The universe and everything we know lives by codes and are mathematically defined. It’s not random. How did this design come into existence? If matter and energy cannot be destroyed or created, and there is no end or beginning to time and space, everything is eternal.

  Why does evolution need to prove or disprove anything? Perhaps life here was born from a seed that grew into different things much like the universe itself. Who planted the seed? At what point was man as we know him created? Perhaps it’s as DNA and the human genome point out – East Africa a long time ago. And like the Universe, like life on Earth, Man multiplied and spread.

  Our original parents on the Homo sapiens family tree may have been told the truth of our creation, what is expected of us and what will happen to us. So those who stayed in Africa and those who ventured from Africa had with them an oral story to be passed down.

  Have you ever sat around a table and listened to members of the same family with the same experience describe it differently and debate what really happened? For goodness sakes, they were all there. Yet they recall it differently – and with great passion.

  Perhaps we are all imperfect children recalling the original story inaccurately. Yet there are many common threads to these stories. Whether it is the followers of Jesus Christ, Allah, Buddha, Native Americans or African tribal lore and faiths, we are all touched by God – even those that don’t believe in God follow many common beliefs as well.

  There is no mistaking that man feels good about himself when he performs kind gestures and helps others. It has a positive impact on the mind and body. It’s a fact.

  But we struggle daily with the other side too – greed.

  Why do we fight amongst ourselves differentiating and alienating each other based on the differences we observe? Physically, we are said to be virtually identical no matter our race or sex yet we have prejudices. And so it is spiritually too.

  I may find salvation through MY lord Jesus Christ. This is because it is the story my member at the family table tells because that is how they remember seeing or hearing the truth
. But a brother or sister at that table may have the same savior but by a different name or perhaps no name at all.

  Why can’t we all be right and wrong? If you are agnostic and practice a wholesome life, why can’t you be judged by our God for your conduct? Who am I to condemn you?

  It is the non-loving side of what we are that is greedy and begins to judge and rule and create dividing lines between “us” and “them.” To win our battles we bear false witness, we lie, cheat, steal and even kill. We see it in politics, religion, race, sexual orientation, social class, education, status and in everything we seek to define ourselves.

  If we can look beyond intolerance, we can embrace the universal belief system we share and apply it to all walks of life, not just to those who walk like “us” – "Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you." In my religion, it is known as “The Golden Rule.” And when practiced with every living thing you encounter, this simple rule can move mountains.

  ~

  In closing,

  I am thankful for …

  Parents who loved me so much that I grew up knowing no fear.

  Friends who taught me which boundaries should or shouldn’t be explored.

  A sister to experience laughter and conflict, sometimes within seconds.

  My hometown for lessons on change.

  An extended family that opened my eyes to diversity and respect for all.

  The U.S. Army for introducing me to so many cultures.

  College for balancing seriousness with immaturity.

  The beginning of my career to learn what I did and didn’t want to be for the rest of it.

  My wife for believing in what I can do and encouraging me to make dreams come true.

  Naysayers and pessimists who fuel me to achieve what they cannot.

  My children for teaching me as much about life as I teach them.

  All that is good and bad for shaping me into someone I am proud to be.

  If you made it here,

  THANK YOU!

  About the Author:

  I try to balance responsibility with irresponsibility because too much of either will ruin you.

  Perhaps I have a unique perspective. Why do I think I have a unique perspective? Because it’s difficult to find people who share my views. I have been exposed to so much from so many viewpoints. And I took it all in.

  A country boy knows rural life. A city boy knows the streets. A rich kid knows wealth. A suburbanite knows middleclass. A traveler knows other cultures. I know many walks of life, personally and intimately.

  My parents both came from large families in Cleveland. I spent many weekends per year for nearly two decades with these families in these homes, roaming these neighborhoods, learning. My parents left the city and moved to Avon Lake ahead of the highway. It was here that they raised me and my sister. I lived in what was a farm town, exploring endless woodland adventures, daily. But this rural wonderland transformed as I grew and it slowly turned into an affluent suburb. My dad rose from poverty and my mom from working class roots to achieve the comforts of middle-class suburbia. I had friends that were poorer and richer than me. I spent time with the wealthy and those living paycheck to paycheck. I saw vastly different lifestyles on a regular basis. I ate at their tables. I listened to their stories. I understood what made them, them, and observed how they think.

  I worked at a country club and spent 4-8 hours per day listening to the über-wealthy and how they think and behave. I delivered newspapers in a tough neighborhood where many of my small town’s hoodlums came from. I had fought people who ended up in prison or dead. In high school, youthful mischief had more serious consequences and I found myself in more than my share of trouble.

  Then, I enlisted in the U.S. Army. In the service, I volunteered to go overseas so I could tour Europe. And that’s what I did with a lot of my free time for about three years. I was stationed at a NATO base. I learned the cultures of several countries. I ate at the tables of Brits and Dutch. I listened to their stories. I observed their traditions. I knew them well.

  I went off the beaten path to experience Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. I talked at length to people I’d meet from shop keepers to those my age. I befriended an Italian and asked him why so many people in Italy don’t look Italian. He laughed and said I watched too many American movies.

  My closest friends in the Army provided me an education on life, too. I spent a few years knowing many a tale from the bayou of Louisiana, the reservations of Native Americans, the Bronx, L.A., Florida, Maine and Alaska just to name some. Oh, and according to some, I was so cool, I should be black. I ate their foods and practiced their family traditions. After all, we lived together and were a family. Some of us remain close to this day. So it goes.

  I learned to respect differences and even embrace them. I come from a background that had its share of trials and tribulations. I was sometimes the target of verbal and physical attacks. I learned how to defend myself on these accounts. In doing so, I picked up on what makes people the way they are, and how to handle them. The latter is sometimes a work-in-progress. Through childhood, U.S. Army, college, early career, self-employment, marriage and fatherhood, I also learned – and continue to learn – much about myself.

  I have an open mind. I don’t see limitations. I see possibility. In short, I think deeply, laugh openly and try to be kind. And I somehow find adventure, often in the ordinary.

  Oh, I also run OhioTraveler.com.