The Monkey Man gets wet for a cause

The Monkey Man was challenged by one of the other monkeys in the troop to do a silly thing today.  He was asked to participate in what has become known as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The purpose of this activity is to raise awareness and money for a sickness known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  In accepting this challenge, the Monkey Man had a bucket of ice and water dumped on his head. The moment the ice water hit, the Monkey Man's body flinched and seized up, it took his breath away. From the Monkey Man's studies, these are some of the symptoms that monkeys who have ALS feel on a regular basis.

The Monkey Man knows there are many different illnesses and diseases that the monkey doctors are working on finding cures and treatments.  He encourages all monkeys around the world to help when and if they can.

The Monkey Man's latest ponderings

Time flies quickly and the Monkey Man hasn't been focused on sharing his thoughts for quite some time....actually for several years.  So forgive him for his rambling.

The Monkey Man has been in a bit of a somber mood the past few days. What brought on the somber mood was the passing of a great, entertaining monkey from this jungle to the great jungle in the sky. This particular monkey appeared in television shows, stand-up comedy shows and in many movies. Although he could put on a very serious face, he was known more for making all the other monkeys laugh until they cried.  He brought perspective to those he entertained, including the Monkey Man.

Most of the monkeys in the jungle, didn't know or understand how this great monkey suffered. In many ways, he suffered in silence. His outward appearance didn't reflect how he felt inside. This great monkey suffered from a sickness called depression.

Many monkeys suffer from depression.  It can come in many forms but is commonly known by the monkey being unhappy, sad and not feeling like swinging from vine to vine. It could make a monkey sleep all the time and not feel like being around other monkeys.  It is a sickness that can make a monkey unable to do things they normally do.

The good news about this sickness is there is help available.  Other monkeys can also help out. If you see a monkey that is acting or feeling like this, talk to them. Let them know that you are concerned about them, after all it is the responsibility of each monkey to help the other monkeys in the troop. The monkey doctors also have ways of helping.  There is a telephone number that monkeys can use if they are feeling this way or know of other monkeys that could use this help. The phone number is 1-800-273-8255.

Although this sad event has made the Monkey Man sad for a short time, it has made him realize that each monkey needs to spend more time smiling, laughing, and caring for the monkey troop.

The Monkey Man is alive and well

The Monkey Man has taken a bit of a hiatus from writing and has decided it is time to share some wisdom with the monkeys of the web world.

Recently, the Monkey Man took a trip into the city where he searched for interesting things to photograph. He ventured into an old building used to manage the workings of the surrounding jungle. While inside, the Monkey Man took two pictures of some iron work on a staircase that was only inches apart.

Upon arriving home and looking at the pictures, the Monkey Man noticed something he found very intriguing. The iron in the first picture looked much as it did when it was first installed while the iron in the second picture was full of dings, chips and blemishes.

This got the Monkey Man pondering. What had caused the damage to the iron that appeared in the second picture? Why was there no damage to the iron in the first picture while there was in the second, even though there was just inches seperating where the pictures were taken?

The Monkey Man then started thinking about how these two pictures can show what it is like in the lifes of other monkeys. Why does it seem that some monkeys go through life without challenges, unblemished while others get dinged, bumped and chipped? Why do some challenges leave marks while other challenges don't? Do other monkeys notice the blemishes left by the challenges we face?

Here is what the Monkey Man thinks:

ALL monkeys go through challenges.

Some leave dings, chips and bumps, others don't.

Some monkeys will notice the challenges, others don't.

Regardless of the challenges each monkey faces,

regardless if others see the marks left,

regardless if other monkeys notice, help, or ignore the challenges....
...the challenges each monkey faces resembles the two pictures the Monkey Man took.

Each is unique, each has character and each has a story to tell.

The Aging Monkey Man And The World He Lives In

The Monkey Man was up rather early this morning pondering and discussing with Mrs. Monkey how much the world has changed since he was a young chimp.

As a small chimp, the Monkey Man remembers hearing the elder chimps talk of a simpler time. He didn't really know what that meant, but as he was lay in bed pondering, the meaning became a little clearer. There have been a lot of technological advances during the Monkey Man's life including home computers, video games, cell phones, microwaves, and many other luxuries that today's chimps along with the Monkey Man enjoy. Does the Monkey Man think these inventions, that make our lives easier, have contributed both positively and negatively to society? Absolutely!

While contemplating on how different the world is today, a few thing stood out to the Monkey Man. There are many influences on today's chimps that have seemed to deteriorate the attitudes and quality of life for today's chimps. When the Monkey Man was growing up, the television and movies he watched was full of shows that were less violent, less sexual and less graphic than today's programming. Does the Monkey Man think this has played a role in the attitude of the chimp populace? Absolutely!

Another influence the Monkey Man was contemplating is the lack of involvement between young chimps and their elders. The Monkey Man thought of how involved his parents were in his life.
They knew the chimps he played with.
They knew the parents of the chimps he played with.
They knew what he was doing and how he was doing in school.
They weren't afraid to let the Monkey Man know when he was not behaving appropriately. They taught him how to be a good chimp. This didn't mean the Monkey Man always acted appropriately, in fact he often showed how curious and mischievous he was, but one thing stood out, he didn't want to disappoint the elder chimps.
The Monkey Man started thinking about how today's chimps behave. Many of them have little interaction with their parents. They are left to tend to themselves or rely on other young chimps to care for them while both mother and father chimp are at work, trying to earn the means to pay for all of lives amenities. Trying to keep up with the other chimp families. Trying to survive in a world of economic insecurity, greed, and desire. Does the Monkey Man think the lack of involvement on the part of parent chimps play a role in the deterioration of society? Absolutely

The Monkey Man began to wonder if he was turning into one of the elder chimps of yesterday, always talking of living in a simpler time. The Monkey Man may be getting a bit older, but he is also getting a bit wiser. He knows the world isn't going to go back to a time that is simpler. He does want to make the monkey world a better place. One where he makes a conscious decision to improve the jungle around him and to help the other chimps in the worldwide troop. The Monkey Man would like to share his wisdom with you by encouraging you to make a difference in the life of the chimps around you. He would like you to go out every day and do one act of kindness, whether big or small, that will make the world a better place not only for you, but for all the chimps in the jungle.

Bad Monkey and Learning to Juggling

The monkey man has not been good at posting lately, but with spring time upon us, it is a time for renewal and recommitment! Instead of dwelling on the monkey man being a bad monkey and not updating the blog, let's think about finding balance or something else.....

Today's thought comes from a discussion the monkey man was having with his cousin chimp. The monkey man was talking about how he likes to find balance in things and many times it is hard to find that balance. The wise cousin chimp then reminded the monkey man that "if you can't find balance, learn to juggle."

Isn't it great to have a sage around to share such wise words?

The Monkey Man's Christmas

The Monkey Man had one of the best Christmas Holidays of his life and it was all due to the amazing monkey troop.

One of the older chimps called all the troop together for a brief meeting on Christmas Eve morning. The purpose of the meeting was to see if the troop wanted to pitch in on a gift for the Monkey Man. This special gift was to be something special the Monkey Man has always longed to have, but could never bring himself to get for himself. The older chimp told the other monkeys to contribute what they could, and he would take care of the rest. The youngest monkey said, "but I only have a dollar". The older monkey replied that if that is all they had and could contribute, that would be sufficient. With the monkeys in agreement, Mrs. Monkey Man did the shopping.

Christmas Day arrived and the monkeys in the troop were very excited. There was a lot of chatter as one of the monkeys brought out the main gift.....an electric guitar. The monkeys all giggled as they said, "but there is more...." and another monkey brought out an amplifier. The chatter continued with "but there is more...." and yet another monkey brought out a cord for the guitar. "But there is more..." was the chant repeated again and again as the chimps in the troop brought out additional pieces of the perfect gift, an electronic tuner, picks, a guitar strap, and a guitar book. The Monkey Man was nearly in tears at the thoughtfulness of the troop.

The Monkey Man now has the challenge of learning how to play this wonderful gift. That is his New Years Resolution!

The Monkey Man thanks the Monkey Troop for their love and giving nature! You all are truly the best!

Time passes so quickly!!!

The Monkey Man can't believe how quickly time passes by.
He remembers as a young chimp how it seemed like holidays, birthdays and other major events seemed to take forever to arrive. But as the Monkey Man has advanced in his age the days, weeks, months and years just seem to fly by so quickly. He has heard so many primates query "Where has the past year gone?"
This has got the Monkey Man to thinking....Why does time seem to go by so much quicker as we get older?

Is it because we don't anticipate events like young chimps do? Is it because we get so busy with our day to day living that we forget to take some time to enjoy the anticipation of an event?

The Monkey Man does not know why time flies by quickly for you, but he does know that he needs to take some time to enjoy the anticipation.

The Monkey Man would also like to take this time to wish all of you a very merry Christmas! He also wishes you the best for the coming year!

The Monkey Man Votes!

The Monkey Man has been limited on his computer access lately and deeply apologizes for the lack of new content. Please stay tuned for more stories, they are on the way.

The Monkey Man took some time out of his schedule today to vote early. He was very pleased to see so many people voting. Although he got to the polling location as they opened, he still had to wait in line for 45 minutes to cast his vote. The Monkey Man knows the political process is different all over the world, but he wants to encourage everyone to get involved with the political process where ever they live.

Enjoy the Journey

The Monkey Man was chatting with a co-worker this week, discussing this journey called life. He had an epiphany of sorts.

The Monkey Man thought back to his young chimphood. His parents would take the Monkey Man to visit his grandparents numerous times each year. This was no small journey for a young chimp. Driving a couple hours each way to his grandparents home seemed like an eternity at times. As the Monkey Man reminisced about these journeys, he tried to remember the visits with his grandparents. Some of the activities and discussions he could recall, many he could not.

What surprised the Monkey Man was how many of the events of the journey he could remember while he could only recall a few events that occurred at the end of the road. The Monkey Man can remember the games the fellow monkeys played while traveling in the back of the car. He can remember having contests counting how many deer they could find as they drove through the mountains. He can remember his mother noticing a "really big cow" that turned out to be a moose. He remembers his father hitchhiking back to get help after the car broke down. He remembers the mudslide that made it impossible to travel the normal route, extending the trip. He remembers watching for Rudolf's red nose as they drove on Christmas Eve.

The Monkey Man does remember some of the fond memories spent with his grandparents, but he realizes even more-so that the final destination was only part of the prize. There are so many joys and memories we can and should remember from the journey itself.

Too many times, we speed through life with our eyes only set on that final destination, be it the career of our choice, the home or car we want to purchase, the person we want to date/marry. The Monkey Man would encourage you to take a moment and enjoy the journey. Take the time to enjoy the ride. It will make the final destination that much sweeter.

Monkey Matters

The Monkey Man was thinking about a recent outing to one of his favorite restaurants. A couple of the monkeys from the troop along with Mrs. Monkey Man went with him. They were enjoying one of his favorite meals when the waitress came over and asked how things were with the meal. As the Monkey Man raged on about how marvelous the meal was, one of the chimps noticed the waitress had spilled a small container of butter on the floor. He was very animated in making sure it got cleaned up very quickly.
The Monkey Man and the Mrs. was thinking how nice it was that this young chimp wanted the mess cleaned up so nobody would slip on the butter. The Monkey Man grabbed a napkin that was nearby and handed it to the chimp. He then proceeded to clean off the butter, not on the floor, but on his brand new shoe. The entire dinner party thought it was very humorous that the young chimp was more concerned with the butter on his shoe than the butter on the floor. We had all assumed he was worried about the butter on the floor.
This experience got the Monkey Man thinking. How many times, do we think we know what is behind someones intent, without really knowing or trying to understand what is important to them or what their intent really is?
Was the Monkey Man any less impressed with this chimp? Not at all. The Monkey Man was impressed that the chimp would take care of his belongings. He also had pointed out the butter had fallen, when none of the older monkeys had even paid attention to it. Two problems solved, butter cleaned up on the floor and on the shoe. Way to go little chimp!

The chimp and the rain storm

The Monkey Man was thinking about the rain storm that blew in today and it reminded him of a story.
The chimps in the monkey troop have their challenges. Two of the chimps have a real challenge with getting along with each other. This doesn't mean they don't take care of each other when the need arises. The troop was driving down the road when one of the chimps became afraid of the thunder and lightning brewing outside the car. The chimp that loves to antagonize the frightened little chimp didn't start to tease her, but instead wrapped his arm around her and helped comfort her while the storm raged outside. It was interesting to see how long this good will lasted....about as long as it took for the storm to subside.
The Monkey Man hopes each of us, will take the time to help comfort those around us, especially while the storms of our lives are raging outside.

Who's who in The Monkey Troop?

If you have followed the ramblings of the Monkey Man, you have read several stories about the Monkey Troop. You may have wondered who are the various monkeys in the troop. Today the Monkey Man has decided to let you know about each of the monkeys.

The Monkey Man: The Monkey Man is the head of the troop. That doesn't mean he is in charge, it just means he is the leader of the troop. He usually takes his orders from Mrs. Monkey Man. The Monkey Man loves all types of music. He can usually be found listening to his iPod or singing off key to some obscure song. The Monkey Man brings six chimps to the troop. Three male chimps and three female chimps.

Mrs. Monkey Man: She is the real leader of the monkey troop. Mrs. Monkey Man is an amazing chimp. She is very knowledgeable and helpful. She has a wonderful demeanor, especially around the younger chimps. She keeps the Monkey Man in line and has helped him better understand the ways of the young chimps. Mrs. Monkey Man brings one male chimp to the troop with her.

Kyra Chimp: Kyra is the oldest of the young chimps. If the Monkey Man had to come up with one word to describe her, it would be....Amazing! She works very hard in all she does and is very responsible. She likes playing volleyball and likes the color orange.

Nate Chimp: Nate is like a miniature Monkey Man. He likes many of the same things as the Monkey Man. He is the Monkey Man's only biological chimp that lives with him. He enjoys sports, especially hockey, football and basketball.

Tony Chimp: Tony is one of the middle chimps in the troop and he acts the part. He has a knack for science and likes all things related to it, from the rocks on the ground to the stars in the sky. He can be a real hard worker when he puts his mind to it.

Becca Chimp: Becca is at the age where she is really growing up fast. She is very helpful and volunteers to help out the troop in many ways. She rises early in the morning and is usually the first chimp awake. When she forms an opinion, she stands her ground.

Alex Chimp: Alex is Mrs. Monkey Man's little protector and attachment, although he can be very independent at times. He loves to play video games and ride his bike. He is the other chimp living with the Monkey Man and the Mrs. He has adjusted very well from being an only chimp to being part of the big monkey troop.

Sterling Chimp: Sterling is very good at making the Monkey Man laugh. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He loves hanging out and playing with Alex. He is one tough little cookie. That may be due to being the youngest male chimp and is constantly wrestling around with the other chimps.

Kendra Chimp: Kendra is a real girly-girl of a chimp. She loves dressing up and wearing make up. One of her favorite past times is coloring. She loves coloring pictures for the Monkey Man and Mrs. Monkey Man. She is a very affectionate chimp and loves everyone.

Now you know all the members of the monkey troop. As you read more of the Monkey Man's stories, you will continue to see how the troop evolves and you may just realize how much a monkey troop resembles a human family.

The Monkey Man and the Lightning Bugs

The Monkey Man knows that if you look around you can find lessons all around. One evening, the Monkey Man was sitting out on the porch relaxing. As he sat watching the sun fade below the horizon, he started noticing small flashing lights around him. What were these strange lights? A strange effect from something he ate? The Monkey Man watched closely and noticed that these lights seemed alive. He looked closely, his eyes wide open as the lights flashed around him. The realization came to him that this natural light show was being created by some small, friendly lightning bugs.
As he continued watching this amazing light show, he noticed something special about his new found friends. As each lightning bug would light up, it was always moving in the same direction, upward. This made the Monkey Man think. He positioned himself in his thinking pose, his elbows on his knees, his arms bent up so his chin could rest on his closed fists. The Monkey Man started thinking that in order for him to see these little friends, they had to show off their talent and share it with those around them.
The Monkey Man hopes you can learn that in order to shine, you need to show off your talents and abilities to those around you. When you do, you will move in one direction, upward!

Chin Up!

The Monkey Man was feeling really bad for one of the chimps in the troop. A situation arose which made it so the Monkey Man and the troop were separated and not able to see each other day in and day out. This was a real struggle for the entire troop, but especially for one of the chimps. Whenever the time came for the chimp to leave the Monkey Man, he would hold on to his bedposts, kicking his feet and crying that he didn't want to go. This distressed the Monkey Man so he started pondering ways to help the chimp not only overcome the struggle, but to help him while he was away from the Monkey Man. He explained to the chimp that he should hold his head high and be proud. He was the Monkey Man's son and no matter where he went or what ever happened to him, that would be the case. If he ever felt down, he should say to himself, 'Chin up!' and then lift his chin up so his head was held high. This became the Monkey Man and the chimp's code. Whenever they left each other, they reminded each other 'Chin up!'

The Monkey Man didn't realize how much this simple phrase would bond the two of them together and help both of them through some tough times. Recently, the chimp came to live with the Monkey Man. The chimp saw some similar separation struggles with a younger chimp in the troop. He leaned over to the Monkey Man and said, "Maybe you should share our 'Chin up!' secret with this little chimp to help her. I don't think we will need it as much now." The Monkey Man shared this phrase with the young chimp and saw a wonderful smile come to her face. Now whenever the Monkey Man sees this little member of the troop, a gentle reminder of 'Chin up!' rolls of his monkey lips and the smile returns to her face with a glitter in the chimps eye.

When you are going through struggles or need a boost, the Monkey Man hopes you will hold your head high and know that there is someone out there that cares about you. There is a monkey swinging from branch to branch whispering the simple words 'Chin up!'

The Monkey Man and the Inchworm

The Monkey Man finds there are many lessons to learn, when we least expect them. Case in point. The Monkey Man found himself in a very long and boring meeting at a mountain retreat. As he sat hunched over staring at the floor, his hands poised on his chin, the Monkey Man noticed a small inchworm slowly making it's way across the floor. As quizzical as the Monkey Man is, he stared at the little inchworm, wondering where he was going, what he was thinking and wondering if he would make it to his destination.
The Monkey Man watched as the inchworm almost got squished as another primate shifted their foot and it nearly came down on top of the little critter. The inchworm continued on it's journey slowly meandering across the vast stretching floor. Then the little inchworm came to another obstacle, the leg of a chair. It paused on it's journey. The Monkey Man wondered what the inchworm would do. It slowly went around the leg of the chair and continued inching it's way along his path.
After some time, the inchworm made it's way in front of the Monkey Man, right to the base of his foot. The Monkey Man made a decision to adjust his foot to allow the journey to be a little easier for his new found friend. The inchworm paused long enough as to say, thanks for making my journey easier before crawling farther across the floor. There were many other obstacles the little inchworm came across on his journey, some bigger than others. The Monkey Man noticed the little inchworm continued on, meeting each obstacle and conquering it until it crawled to the far side of the room and out of the Monkey Man's sight.
The Monkey Man pondered about this little encounter and came to the conclusion that he should be a little more like the inchworm, continuing undaunted, conquering the obstacles in his life. He thought about how sometimes there are others that help move the obstacles just like he did by moving his feet for his inchworm friend. And just like his crawling friend, he should pause to thank those that help him in his journey.
To all those that have helped the Monkey Man, THANK YOU!!!

Lessons from the Monkey Troop

The Monkey Man has another story of goodness. This one hits close to home for the Monkey Man. As some may know, the Monkey Man's oldest chimp is planning on moving in with him and the Mrs. This particular chimp (as well as the Monkey Man) has been looking forward to this for several years and the big day is almost here.
Where is this story going, you ask yourself? The aforementioned chimp had to pay back a debt before making the move. He worked extremely hard to pay back the debt but came up about $100 short. With just a couple days to go before the deadline to pay back the debt, another one of Monkey Man's chimps offered to pay the debt for the first chimp. He even made the kind gesture of offering to pay the debt without requiring repayment. What a kind gesture! After deliberation and discussion, it was agreed that the loan would be granted and would be repaid. The Monkey Man is very proud of his chimps for showing love and respect to each other.
Maybe we should all take a lesson from the chimps in the Monkey Man's troop.

Back in Action

You may have noticed it has been a few days since the Monkey Man has posted a new blog. You may have said to yourself..."Self, I wonder what is going on with the Monkey Man". Then again, you may not have noticed and don't really care. To each their own.
For those that are interested, the Monkey Man is doing ok. He spent a few days hanging out with the monkey troop and spent some time recovering from a migraine. He will be swinging strong again soon and looking for some more interesting things to blog about.
Until then, the Monkey Man says..."This banana is for you!"

Another example of goodness in the world

Well, the Monkey Man encountered another act of goodness in the world today.

The Monkey Man has been a little down the past few weeks as his scooter has needed some repair work. He took it to get fixed today. The repair shop told him it was probably the coil that needed replacing and it would cost about $35 plus labor (another $15). This didn't make the Monkey Man happy, but not having the bike working was even more depressing.

The repair shop took a look at the bike, replaced the coil, then sent the Monkey Man on his way...free of charge!

The Monkey Man doesn't know about you, but he is a believer in karma.

One hella big hole!

The Monkey Man along with Mrs. Monkey decided to take the monkey troop out for an afternoon adventure. The troop was taken to the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine. Although the Monkey Man has swung on several branches throughout the country, he had never been to this location. What an eye opener it was for the Monkey Man!

That is one hella big hole in the ground! The mine is so large, it can be seen from outer space. If you want to see some more amazing facts, they can be found here. The troop posed for a picture outside the visitor's center by one hella big tire!

Who needs sleep?

For those that know the Monkey Man, you will know that one of his favorite musical groups is The Barenaked Ladies (BNL). Why are they one of the Monkey Man's favorites you ask? It's not because the Monkey Man has met them, bbq'd with them or chilled out with Tyler Stewart (the drummer), all of which are true. The Monkey Man likes BNL because they have some great, quirky songs. Who couldn't love a group that sings songs like "If I had $1,000,000" or "Another Postcard" (which talks about postcards with chimpanze's)?

BNL sings a song called "Who needs sleep?" Well, the Monkey Man has an answer to that question. He does!!! It seems like for the past two weeks, the Monkey Man can't get enough sleep. He is always tired and he can't figure out why. It may be the hot weather or that he isn't sleeping sound enough. Maybe it's that he is doing too much. He just doesn't know.

Maybe you have some ideas that will help keep the Monkey Man swingin', if so, leave a comment and let him know.