The latest antic of Britney Spears was caught on film -just one in a series of irresponsible behaviors brought to light under the ever critical media. Drinking, drugs, suicide attempts, eccentric behavior -will there ever be help for high profile people under such stress that they resort to this type of self-destructive behavior? And, I mean the right kind of help. I know there are psychiatrists, medical doctors and various man-made religions, but the answers won’t come from something external. Sure, I’ll be the first to say that peace comes from God, and reading His Word -actual Word, and not some interpretation by a religious group who spins biblical verses to meet their own needs and preferences. But, even bible based Christians have stress and turmoil, so is there anyone who has true inner peace? Likely not, and I think the more a person gets in the limelight, the more they are molded into what the public wants them to be. Expectations are placed on them, and the world stops treating them like a person, and starts treating them like a commodity. They are placed on a pedestal, forced to become role models for millions and any slip from that perfect image starts the soul spiraling down. I can’t imagine living up to the expectations of that many. I volunteer for so many non-profit organizations now, that some days I feel everyone needs a piece of my time, and i don’t have enough hours in the day to give all I need to give. Fortunately, I can control it, stepping back and taking a day for myself. If I lived my life in the limelight, I’m sure I would never have that downtime to enjoy. Many blessings to you, Britney, Lindsay and Owen -I pray you’ll be able to get your life on a good and peaceful track, finding hope, faith and love.

Don’t forget to visit our newest issue of Sensible Life Magazine.

Thinking about moving to a new neighborhood? Or, maybe you just have a bad neighbor. Check out this website, http://www.rottenneighbor.com/. Fortunately, I now have great neighbors (I know, I know -I’ve complained about my neighbor’s decor, but that’s just a matter of personal taste), but I could have seriously used this site a few years ago when we had really weird neighbors. For example, the neighbor who used to have the huge pot parties. I think they were burning that stuff in the bonfire they would have every week. The only up side of that was our aging Labrador Retriever didn’t get glaucoma the whole time they lived there. Then, there was another neighbor who tried to borrow a siphon hose from one of the town board members so he could pour kerosene down into the sewer -I’m thinking creating a haz-mat isn’t the best way to get in your neighbor’s good graces. Then, there was the nut who thought she could keep pet rabbits in a steel playpen outside and they wouldn’t dig under. After they escaped about a hundred thousand times, she finally moved out of the neighborhood, leaving them to run free and fend for themselves, but that’s not all. She left her pet cat as well. It’s a good thing she didn’t have small children -she probably would have left them, too!

Don’t forget to check out the new issue of Sensible Life Magazine this month.

I don’t know who these men are that saved this little guy, but they are true heroes! Sensible Life Magazine received this in an e-mail from a friend and thought it was an amazing story.

Deer Fishing

Last Saturday morning, my buddy Bo Warren and I were trolling for stripers in the Chesapeake Bay. We were 1½ miles offshore in about 80 feet of water contemplating why the fish weren’t biting. We looked back to check our gear and saw something odd in the water. Was it a seal?? Can’t be, we don’t have seals around here. On closer look, it turned out to be a buck deer that was WAY off course. He was desperate and barely staying afloat.

I’ve seen deer swim a river or bayou before. When you see that, the first thing you notice is that they are powerful swimmers. Their head and shoulders are out of the water and they make surprisingly good headway.

This critter was just keeping his nose up and looked like he’d been swimming all night long. In fact, he was so worn out that he swam toward the boat probably thinking it looked enough like land to him. When he got closer though, he wasn’t sure what to make of the two dudes on board, and backed off.

So, since the fish weren’t biting, we thought we’d give this buck a hand.
Turns out Bo grew up around cows and was really handy with a bowline. He lassoed the deer on the first try! Bo grabbed his neck, I grabbed the flank, and we barreled over backwards into the boat. Before I knew it, Bo was on top of him and had him tied up just like a calf.

We hit the throttle and shuttled him to the closest beach - Kent Point. I beached the boat and we carefully unloaded the deer onto the sand. The whole time we kept thinking he was going to kick the snot out of us. He never did though; he was totally spent. We untied him and jumped back.

Too weak to stand, he just sat there quivering. We even picked him up again and put his feet underneath him, but he still couldn’t walk. Don’t know if he made it or not, but I think his chances were vastly improved.

Hopefully he recovered after time. When you’re out & about, ya just never know…