Small Pleasures.........endangered species?

What makes us happy? Well, perhaps going outside and barbequing a delicious steak. Or maybe you like sweets and covet a chocolate bar? A daily martini before dinner? After running errands for a couple of hours, on your drive home, you think of that fresh cup of coffee with a cigarette. Your children love your home baked cookies packed with their school lunch. And oh, how they enjoy the excitement of the Valentine’s day school party and a scrumptious cupcake.

Your little boy rides his scooter down the sidewalk feeling free with the wind blowing through his hair. Maybe Dad likes a good cigar once in a while, or lights up his pipe. You’re somewhat overweight, but you prefer sitting and visiting, and you’ll exercise tomorrow, maybe, who cares?
You get the idea. It’s the little things that add pleasure in small ways that we take for granted. As to the big pleasures, like the day you get married, or have a baby, buy a house, or even a new car, those are big deals. Those times are few and far between, and the newness wears off. But, it’s the small things that make life pleasurable on a daily basis. We just don’t think about them, until......some "expert" tells you that your small pleasure is bad for you, or unacceptable. After all, you don’t need it. At least that’s what you’re told. At first it’s just advice, then an organization is formed to educate the public about your habit, or vice. Your small pleasures.
Your child should really be wearing pads and a helmet when he rides that scooter. Never mind that the sheer joy of feeling free is no more. In California, your child can be cited with a $25.00 fine if he dares to ride with no pads and helmet.

Sweets? Oh no, you don’t need them and you might gain weight. Your children don’t need them either. Got to break them of that while they're young. Smoking? Well we all know you’re a pariah if you smoke, and don’t forget about the pollution you cause.

This is about freedom. Or to be more exact, losing freedom. It is not alarming at first. A warning label, public announcements containing "suggestions". Experts begin to appear on those morning shows or radio shows. These "experts" are associated with organizations. And all of them are there to "help" us become healthy and acceptable. They’re looking out for our best interests. Our children? Well, while they’re "helping" our children learn how healthy sex is, they are also now in activist mode in their zeal that our kids eat healthy. So, look for that traditional Valentine’s Day class party to be centered around not only the meaningless valentine for every child, but carrot sticks! What fun. But, healthy and low calorie. They don’t need fun.

Schools in different cities and towns have eliminated teeter - totters, dodge ball, and the latest to fall, tag. Never mind that teens are beating each others' brains out on ‘you tube’. The "experts" haven’t figured out the reason for that yet. Maybe the teens eat the wrong foods. Children are too empowered with adult decisions and behavior, yet they're not allowed play children’s games. Maybe the poor kids are just confused.

In California they want to put warning labels on coffee. In Japan, businesses are weighing their employees on a regular basis. How long before you’re being weighed at work? Obesity is the new cause de jour.

In any case, this is how it’s done folks one freedom at a time, one step at a time. It worked with smoking, it’ll work with anything. The populace will become so accustomed to being told what to do, and have demonstrated already how obedient they are, even when something we’re told makes no sense. This will not stop. It’s here to stay. Oh, by the way, that barbeque? Sorry, too polluting. The martini? Alcohol is fattening and addicting. A double whammy. Besides, you don’t need it.

There are fools in every legislature in the country. We surely don’t need fools!
If you wait for your ox to be gored, ( pun intended) chances are, it will be too late. My advice? Vote the fools out until they get it right, and remember who is boss. You are! Unless we resist and continue to enjoy our small pleasures, and unless we show up at our children’s schools, with a lawyer if necessary, and unless we say "get off our collective backs", America will be a joyless, colorless place. By the time the global warming folks get through with us, we’ll be lucky if we’re not taxed on our breathing.

Unless we have freedom, and that includes tolerating others’ small pleasures we may not like, we have nothing. America will no longer be that "shining city on a hill", it will be just another unhappy place.

Priscilla