on the road to...Argentina???

So, I was thinking about my visit to Argentina. I guess that’s what we call it now. Actually, I’ve been to Argentina a number of times and the end result is always the same. Yeah, I always come back home to ruination and heartache…that part never changes. I can totally relate to what Governor Sanford is feeling and dealing with. It is always so beautiful and carefree in Argentina, while you are there. There is a sense of timelessness and fluidity that is almost intoxicating like some kind of powerful mind altering drug and the longer we stay the more hooked we become. It is only natural that most men find it very difficult to live in those two types of entirely different realities. When we are back in the real world there are responsibilities and demands that beg our endless attention. We put on a brave face and plow through all the mundane tasks and essentially go through the motions. But, we can only continue that charade for so long and then we begin to crack under the weight of the moral dilemma we have created. I have to keep reminding myself…yes…I did create this mess. I created this mess when I willingly chose to abandon every principle that has given my life a framework and meaning. All that gone for a trip to Argentina. It would seem perfectly logical that one trip, just like one snakebite, would be enough to allow us to understand this is some bad stuff and beyond what we believe we can control. But, no…as I said before, trips to Argentina are so stimulating they strip us of our ability to think logically, if at all. Things totally foreign to our ingrained morals and belief systems seem harmless and justified. However, the problem is we are not thinking straight and taking a lot of chances based on that faulty thinking. So, we just dig the hole a little deeper and deeper. Meanwhile, back home the dutiful wife is holding the fort down and perhaps wondering if Argentina is really as beautiful as she hears it is from me. Maybe I should go there someday, she thinks. Why do men go to Argentina you might ask? Well…I suppose you might get lots of different answers on this one. I can only speak to why I went. It’s not about what Argentina represents but the IDEA of what it represents. Clearly, it is a parallel but alternate reality and most men believe that they can operate in both at the same time. If you don’t believe that just compare the two or take the emotional temperature of the two. I promise you one is cool and Argentina is blazing hot. But, it is obvious that you cannot get too close to that kind of fire, It seriously does something to your brain…it actually changes your brain chemistry to the point you are ready to abandon all that was formerly important to you. And, that’s exactly what I did on more than one occasion. Some men are, by nature risk takers. But, the problem is that we can’t seem to understand that some risks are just not worth the consequences. Seriously, that is a bitter pill to swallow when your dreamy false reality comes crashing down upon you. And it always does. That’s the way God wants it and that’s how He designed it to end. It’s just like Icarus who became too giddy because he was able to fly and flew too close to the sun and as Jars of Clay sings, "I flew too high and like Icarus I collide". We collide when we leave the safety and protection of moral principles guiding our lives. God wants it that way too. It has been said that wisdom cannot prevent a fall, but may cushion it. I can say that my falls have never been too cushioned and I usually fell flat on my face and fell hard. But, yeah…God wants that too. The great thing is …He is always there to pick me up. And He always tells me the same thing…I love you and…please…stay away from Argentina.