Benjamin DeHaven's Blog, page 26
April 8, 2014
Just for Today- (Grandmother’s Recipe for Peace)
As I struggled to stifle the hurt pounding my chest during the unbearable task of organizing my Grandmother’s life, I noticed the slightly opened drawer of her bedside table was still untouched. I slid my hand through the stuck drawer and discovered her bible. Upon lifting it a smooth yellowed piece of paper sprung forth and then gently eased its way towards the berber. Had I discovered some hidden treasure, I thought, and was paralyzed as I watched the ceiling fan force its worn crease and torn edges to dance across the floor. As I pulled it near I could still smell her perfume and clutched the note in fear that I might somehow lose her again. She was a strong person-who had come to America from Lithuania on a boat with her two brothers during WWII and had lived in the basement of an undertaker’s home in Cicero, IL. I had never heard her cry and I can’t recall a time I wasn’t filled with absolute joy every time I saw her. I slowly unfolded the paper and saw a glimpse into her strength:
“Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for 12 hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
Just for today I will be happy. This is assumed to be true, that most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought, and concentration.
Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my luck as it comes, and fit myself into it.
Just for today I will be mindful of three important things: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don’t want to do– just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; that may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit, not find fault with anything and not try to improve or regulate anybody except myself.
Just for today I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from three pests: hurry, indecision, and waste.
Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour leisure, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.
Just for today I will have no fear. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.”
Anonymous
March 31, 2014
Ed Helm-St. Bernard Voice (Newspaper)Rev
Ed Helm-St. Bernard Voice (Newspaper)Review:Here is a novel that is crazy, intriguing and tells
of ghost writing and bankrupting a New Orleans
newspaper! Confessions of a Self-Help Writer: The
Journal of Michael Enzo, hardcover by Benjamin
DeHaven. A ghost, a philanthropist, a con man,
a devout Catholic, a gigolo, a savior, an heir, a
common man, a writer, and an addict are just some of the words used
to describe Michael Enzo. He defrauded an industry for almost 20 years
by exploiting people’s insecurities and profiting from them. After failing
to make an impact on society he began to destroy those closest to him,
including Benjamin DeHaven, the author of this book. Here’s one book
you must read that also asks you- “What Is the Meaning of Life?” and is
there really a God upstairs guiding your decisions!
March 25, 2014
March 24, 2014
Ben DeHaven was born on a pool table aft
Ben DeHaven was born on a pool table after a Waylon Jennings concert in 1977. He and Michael Enzo were friends…. http://ow.ly/uSJpF
http://ow.ly/i/4ZPn8 New Pickle and Beer
http://ow.ly/i/4ZPn8 New Pickle and Beer Company is my fall back plan. Benny’s Pickles-Crisp with Class since 77.
March 20, 2014
Healthcare.gov is Working!
A saying as a child that always prompted a giggle. – “Call me anything, but don’t call me late for dinner.”
The morning started in a familiar fashion–struggling through the CPAP machine wrapped tightly around my neck from rolling in circles all night as the Sodium Oxibate chased Morpheus through the back alleys of my dreams. Carradine would be proud. (Insert a Tag-IDK?)#Carradine
Awakened abruptly by the handful pills dispensing magic in my soul. Somehow I always managed to swallow all nine off my bedside table. A glorious Halloween bag of success filled colors and shapes prescribed to cure my hypertension, high blood pressure, hypopituitarism, and narcolepsy. I always accomplished this snake oil task between the first alarm, which I snoozed through, and the faint smell of cigarette smoke and puppy dander that now filled my mask from the upstairs level of my aging parents Town Home, where I often found myself in the winter.
I pushed my fears aside, cracked another Adderall in half and began about the morning ritual of testosterone injections, vitamins, compulsive cleaning and a sick stomach. Ahh-yes-pills need food. No… I, thank you—my prescious body for keeping me healthy. Don’t let them call me late for dinner. Don’t haunt me throughout the day.
I’m sorry America! I was the first Outsourcing conglomerate. My body is too expensive, lazy, worn out, or maybe too efficient in its quest for gross margin to produce anything of value in itself. And for over 20 years I have outsourced almost all its essential functions in a mixed argument of “they’re taking our jobs-and no I will not pick up that elephant shit for any amount of money!”
The situps, the situps, I have to do the sit ups. But why? I am constantly concerned I might be in a situation where a beautiful Italian traffic cop asks me to remove my shirt and retrieve a child’s toy from the Trevi fountain, and being a brand whore I refuse to go in with my “PINK” dress shirt. But alas-its too late for the exercise. The speed is kicking in. I use my pork filled Kielbasa sausage fingers to shove my hairy old man belly past the European sized Label jeans. The computer is running too slow and my mind is racing. Next…….
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March 18, 2014
Blog, Blob, Blog blog blog-(aRepost)
I think my brain is fried from staring at the Blogosphere. I am still not sure how I am finding any blogs-which is a definite concern to me and a testament to how computably challenged I have become. I am-I am sure they are everywhere. I started this journey first to fulfill a contract, second for selfish reasons, and 3rd because after a PR person laughed in my face when I said my marketing budget was $10,000 (which took me a long time to build up), I became quite agitated. But after I started researching what writers were doing to try and promote their books I had to shut off all my notifications and it hit me-why would I want to be a part of this? Clearly there is something ridiculous about the current process and I certainly wasn’t going to pay some PR person to jam a product down someone’s throat. I also told the publisher I would not be inviting my friends to a forced book signing at a Barnes and Noble, because other than that group-no one knows my name. I would however gladly invite a group of friends to a tavern with an open tab for a release party and if they wanted to read something- it would be there if they bought the next round, or introduced me to their wives sister (John). Just kidding John can’t read anything unless there is a picture of a naked woman above it.
But jamming up your friends is not my idea of what friends are for, and I am learning that’s not what this circle is for either. In fact my particular book which comes out in July, might be one of the choppiest things I have ever written, but the subject is controversial and it is building steam. Maybe it will be the most sued book ever. Now that would be great to be a part of.
The reason I am contacting you-BLOG world. Other than to vent, is for guidance. I want to interact and read and find good information, and when I finally struggled through the basics of launching a blog-I actually found peace and for the first time since my book got picked up, I was finally able to write under no pressure and felt a release I haven’t felt in a long time. Ah yes-I remember why I like to write, and I suddenly found the missing time to read again. I also started to find information I found invaluable, including a news reader-(although I didn’t subscribe to ESPN and can’t figure out how to turn it off)-and seriously who needs that much information about sports. I have laughed out loud at some of the great things I was reading. Especially Nathan Bradley’s expose on life. So is there any advice you could offer as to the best way to interact, build, and request readers or at this point or even just filter out the people who have nothing other to say than-hey my book, look here, a book, free book? Want to win a book? How about a chapter? #book #anything I can think of that might trick a person. Also #sexvampire #Iam robbing your server as you read this #Banana. I know this might seem like a strange request-but considering how tapped into the market all these marketers are telling me they are-there must be something I am missing. I apologize for the length of this Blog. I just had to get that off my chest. Thank you in advance for any guidance you might be able to offer. Have a great weekend. How do you even get someone to find your blog? That would be something good to know I would think. 
LOL. Thanks again. I even included a free service announcement in this to help people!
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Get a Free Signed Copy-”Bacon is a Vege
Get a Free Signed Copy-”Bacon is a Vegetable, Coffee is a Vitamin” by clicking this fun link http://apps.shelf-awareness.com/signup/109/95524 via @shelfawareness
March 16, 2014
St. Patrick’s Day Festivities: Chicago R
St. Patrick’s Day Festivities: Chicago River turning green, Parade at noon | WGN-TV http://ow.ly/uE5Zr via @mylikehack
