hafacenturyncounting

Motivated by a lack of material.

Uh… Discussion About Race

Well here we go.. AGAIN. I stood uneasy and in disbelief! Just when I think he cannot be more insensitive and  tactless he proves me wrong. I was livid and sweating bullets at the same time. I mean this guy is a friend and a valued customer. How can I recoup this obvious flub. My mind raced. The more time that passed, the farther from an answer my mind wandered. At last on a seemingly good note we all parted.

On the way home making general conversation ,I could NOT wait for an opportunity to tell my spouse how terrible I thought he was. I had the adjectives and nouns lined up. I was prepared to be as condescending as possible, for he needed to know, just because you feel and think one way it doesn’t give you the right to just go off on these tangents with people you claim to like…

I began with a simple question to bait the trap. “Did you realize that you were talking to someone white when you said that”, I asked. He replied, “yes..” Well with both barrel blazing I prepared to attack, but he through me for a loop and I had to re-group and re-consider. He continued, ” Why do you think it is that we in this country time and time again, talk about having an open forum about race yet it never seems to take place?” Whoa, whoa wait a minute.. he was actually making sense and in a fashion I was ill prepared and possibly ill-equipped to answer…

I am driving home, after a weekend of football controversy about bullying and misuse of words and charges of racism, and here I am being confronted with my own possible missed opportunities to address subject matter that arises again and again. I thought he was being mean when in fact he was doing what we on one occasion or another like to say we believe we need, to have a discussion about race.

Well it’s not the time or place.. question when is it? Things can get heavy and deep when you examine them “head on”. I was so concerned about what my/our Caucasian friend would think about the brash comments my spouse made. I didn’t bother to give either of them credit of being the types of people that, one hopes, open forums create and foster. It did not occur to me that perhaps they were already in the place I say I dream will come to be one day, before I move beyond this Earth. I did not consider that maybe THEY had truly evolved. I was too busy being uncomfortable and judgmental of them both.

When is the right or proper time to have this discussion? Dare we be so exact? In a classroom sounds good, a place where ideas are meant to be exchanged. At work, certainly not unless some problem has arisen. In church, that again is a safe place because no one would  be confrontational in the house of the Lord. What about at home and not your home? That is something to ponder. You see all the examples I gave were easily identified as basically safe or non-safe.  However, out of these antiseptic, tagged areas one doesn’t know what might occur and that makes one reluctant to broach such  a subject in that type of environment. Not in your house out of your comfort zone,  anything can happen. Would YOU take that chance?

The biggest problem I see with a discussion of race, is the subject matter is uncomfortable and volatile.  You want to be expressive and honest, but at what risk. Can you be truly open with people you care about, work with, attend classes and church with..? The truth is most of us walk around and ignore race until it affects us directly and depending who you are, the frequency of those direct affects varies.

When racial tension hits the headlines, there are naturally more rumblings about the problems, solutions, and yes the existence of racial issues. Case in point Richie Incognito, Jonathan Martin, the Miami Dolphins, and the NFL. There are rumblings of bullying, hazing, and most prevalent racism. I, being a football fan, have an image in my mind of a football player. I cringe when I see rules changing in the game, even knowing it is to protect the players. It is a rough and tumble game, and you have to be resilient and tough. Yet we are talking hits here, when one goes on the field he has his body armor, but what about the psychological armor. The helmet protects your head, but what do you have inside of yourself to protect your “head”? What about sportsmanship, team camaraderie, and here’s a little blast from the past word for you  R-E-S-P-E-C-T! (I will cover this particular incident  more detailed on a different post, for now it merely serves as an example.)

The truth is we do not know how to communicate with one another in most instances, so what would happen if we start a discussion about something that makes most of us uneasy. There would likely be arguments, harsh and hurtful words, perhaps a fight would ensue, but maybe something positive could result from this dialog. Never know unless you try, and remember it doesn’t necessarily need to be a planned event. However, you MUST make every effort to “keep-it-clean”.

Someone You Used To Know

An old friend of mine got married the other day and it got me to thinking. Now let me elaborate some, the old friend was an ex-love and the other day was well about 35 + years ago. I have to say the marriage was a hurtful thing, because I wanted to be the one to marry him. I was fully engulfed in a major case of “puppy love” with the side effect of believing even a Pyrrhic Victory would be fulfilling. Years later I would discover I wasn’t right in my thinking, and as genuine as I thought my love was it passed. The marriage ended rather quickly. I married another and life went on. I still see and communicate with my “friend” and admittedly I smile about the way I felt about him and the closeness that meant so much to ME. I also get a bit of satisfaction out of knowing the universe manages to get things right. He and I were not suited for one another, and forcing that issue could have been a disaster. Instead we now can sit and talk and laugh, because we are friends with no undertone and no expectations.

Who is out there like this for you? The “ex” you thought you’d end up with, the “ex” you are relieved you didn’t end up with or the “ex” you kinda forgot about. Some how you run into a reminder, a photo or even them in the flesh.  If they cross your mind you wonder how you’ll feel, if they cross your path you wonder how/why you will react. If there is a rise, they clearly have NOT gotten to the place of which is the subject of this piece.

Perhaps your current situation is relate-able. Think about options in life in general; if given the choice of being demoted or being terminated, what would you do. First you have to take ego out of the equation, but in reality the equation is non-existent without ego.  I mean having a job but being embarrassed and disgraced by loosing your title, versus being embarrassed , disgraced, and broke. This is seemingly a “no-brainer”. Yet, I do understand and in my youth I may have chosen to appear tough and say, “Fire me, huh I quit!!!” Youth has the uncanny ability to make us overlook less important things, like common sense and acquisition of knowledge.

Then I fast forward to the real inspiration for this short piece. I looked at pictures of someone who we thought could have fit easily into our family, but it was not meant to be. I see a radiant smile on her face, loving family surrounding her, the dress, and I am truly happy for her.  She deserves “happy”. Remember the universe gets things right. Sometimes no matter how much WE think we know what should and should not be, human beings are “tried and true” mistake makers. As with my experience, life moves on and now there is another who may be the one to replace “the one who might have been”. Time will tell. She is vibrant, charming, smart, talented, and fun, her presence lets me see something in my child I haven’t been privy to before. If this is what the universe has in store, if she is the one… WONDERFUL! My only hope for my children always has been and will be is that they find “happy”, with the one who is equally “happy” with them. If not, there is always room for another in that spot simple labeled “someone I used to know”. .

I Don’t Want to Live Without You

Life and the irony surrounding it never ceases to amaze. I hope you listen to the song by “FOREIGNER” whose title I used for this piece and in my mind it is so very fitting.

I went to a memorial service of a dear friend of mine this past Saturday, Robert Howard Short. Bob was a war hero, a husband, a father and a grandfather. I told myself I wasn’t going to cry that I was accepting of his passing, for he lived what most would deem a long, happy, productive life. 89 years is quite a feat. Well I lied, I think I was in my seat a full 4 minutes looking at pictures of him, with his children, with his plane, and with the love of his life, Kathryn for 65 years before my tear ducts exploded.

I recall how I felt when I realized how much he and his beloved wife meant to me. I believe I fought long and hard to keep from caring and becoming their friend. When in reality I know better. I know I told myself that because caring for them made me have to accept the fact that one day I would very probably lose them, and I did not want to deal with that. Yet I couldn’t help it, they invaded my heart and before I knew it I loved my friends. Knowing them for 5 short years allowed me to see we as human beings still possess what we had in childhood, the ability to love and be kind for no other reason than, it is what we feel. Unbound and without obligation to anything but our hearts, simplicity in life still can exist.

This was news to a rat race baby boomer and it was refreshing. I suppose you can understand why I was unwilling to let go of such a precious gift.  Now both my friends are gone and in such a short span of time. Bob KNEW he would go before Kay, but the good Lord had something else in mind. Bob and Kay were truly a matched set.  I thought of the family they left behind; they are testament to what lovely people Bob and Kay were, for it is genetic. You can see it in their children Robbie and Betsey, and grandchildren 7 fine young men.  I know they will all be okay and then I think of something that was written by one of their daughter Betsey’s friends, lovely words of comfort, “He and your mom are together and happy again”. What a wonderful thought. What a wonderful love; to be able to see and experience the fruits of that love is just special beyond words. I love you guys, keep us in your sights.

This Year The Spiders Are Bad

I have never been afraid of the arachnids as-a-matter-of-fact, of all the creatures on the insect world, they are by far one of my least offensive. However, this year in Georgia they seem to be everywhere and it seems they are every present as well.

As I removed the web of one of these tiny little creatures from the corner of my bathroom door, it suddenly occurred to me that I was going about this all wrong. I mean the web was small, a minor annoyance and the only reason I payed attention to it was because I was on the floor picking something else up. Yet as insignificant as I deemed it to be, I realized I had destroyed a web in this location several times over the past few days and here it was again.This tiny stubborn creature would not give up, it kept invading my space. Though it was a small corner, there were many corners in my house and if I let this one go perhaps more would come and join before I could look up the invasion would be complete. A coup d’etat in my house!  As I pondered momentarily on what I should do next, it came to me, “The web isn’t the problem it’s the spider”. I took a tissue and smashed the tiny arachnid. The next day I went into the bathroom and I specifically looked in that corner. There was no web and no spider. Simple solution if you realize what the problem is you are attacking. Now keep in mind, I don’t necessarily dislike spiders, but I am not a fan of them either. If they leave me alone and stay out of my house we have no issue.

The House of Representatives then crossed my mind. The TeaParty and the influence they have over the Republicans angers me. What happened to free thinking? Ah yes it is truly the ideology of the poor, weak, and less influential. Who else has the ability to wish for better or to dream? The rich and powerful do not dream; they do not have to,  for their money and power have granted them the visible/tangible dreams. Yet through it all they are still not happy, and that is because they know all that they have will not last forever and the price they have/will have paid for the illusion’s worth of grandeur cannot be quantified.

The song “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, rings in my ears. The horrid Koch Brothers dry sullen faces flash in my mind and one cannot disassociate the Koch brothers from the TeaParty either. I read over the article in Forbes magazine from December 2012 and had to turn from it, thinking,  “I have to work on NOT being able to stomach information about things(people) I do not like”. I realized this problem I have can be tied to the problem we have facing our country in the political arena. I don’t like you; therefore I do not have time, nor will I waste my effort finding out anything about you. Yet in reality it is not that simple.  The world as it has become increasingly smaller does not allow for the so-called simple solutions avoidance and ignorance have a very short “shelf life”. Where does that leave us? What do you do when you basically want to exist outside of the controversy and conflict, once you discover you cannot. Well here’s my two cents worth; do what I  did about the spider problem(mine in particular) identify/realize what your source problem is and take care of the root cause.

Completely Wrong

Thinking about us, human beings, I am forever amazed. Tragic events unfold daily. Someone gets angry in traffic and an all out riot erupts. “Our” House of Representatives sit in Washington D.C with their genitals in their hands while the citizens of the United States of America suffer, trying to place the blame elsewhere. I say,” be responsible, do your job”, but wait it isn’t that easy when you realize that we all are nothing more than high functioning illiterates.

Yes, face it folks there is something wrong with each and everyone of us. In some cases something MAJOR! Press us and disaster is seconds away from happening. How did we get here? Well to my target audience(everybody) there was a time in my life that  some people who we see on the streets today, given the generic title of homeless were not running rampant in the streets. How many individuals have you personally encountered (directly or indirectly) that exhibit behavior that you as a layman would deem worthy of  controlled observation? Realizing that if you can only answer one, most of the population can say the same.

Homeless is an unfair and oversimplified term; it covers former veterans, unemployed, under-medicated, runaways, many individuals whose only common link is they do not have a residence. It angers me. When I was a little girl in Kansas I remember seeing a man who was at that time called a “hobo”, maybe some of you all from Southern Cal remember “Hobo Kelly”? Hobo was endearing,  he rode trains carried a handkerchief knapsack and smiled at you harmlessly. As time moved forward the hobo was no longer endearing as the fight for survival became more and more challenging, the hobo became frightening and dangerous. The term disappeared the individual did not, a simple name change came about and his identity was forever altered.

I think of how I observed children when my kids were young, and how I noticed our society placing individuals with special needs in schools/classrooms with individual who did not have those same challenges. On the one hand you say great, acceptance but on the other maybe there is neglect. Children can be cruel, they say what is on their minds, I wonder if adequate research was done before it was decided a child who is in a wheelchair is going to be okay with self and accepted by others, if you put him or her into an environment where they are going to stand out.  Then if it is okay for the child in the wheelchair what about the child who is not learning at the same rate. We try to sugar coat the world, but the truth is that child may very well be there, in that seemingly NORMAL environment, because of a lawsuit rather than benevolence. In our fight for NORMAL we may be creating something  dangerous.

What about Sue in the cubicle next to you.  Did you know she was in the throws of yet another divorce, number three, and she has been on xanax so long she takes them like vitamins? Oh course not she comes to work, she does her job, and doesn’t bother anyone, that is as long as she takes her meds. Joe who is a recovering alcoholic has lunch with Sam everyday, he knows Sam needs help because Joe has been there. However, Sam is in denial Sam is great at what he does and Sam is the boss. Does this sound familiar, could these people be people you work with?

The children, the co-workers, the homeless; we have become so insensitive to our fellow man because we are all wrapped up in problems of our own, and we don’t realize how messed up we all are because we have to function and go on. That’ my point. One of my favorite sayings, “nothing is completely wrong, even a stopped clock is right twice a day”. Oh how I found renewed hope when I read that, but now practically everything is digital so when a clock stops working the screen goes blank. I hope that is not what has happened to us in the “community of man”.  I know better, I know we are not at the point of completely wrong. After all, we are still making watches and clocks with dials.

Hurry Up And Wait

I am exhausted.  I have been going through process for several months now and let me tell you it is horrendous! I can only imagine what people who search for years feel like and am grateful I do not have that experience to date.

As a Job-seeker from 1959 in 2013, I have encountered a world of strange and amazing things. I have also had bouts with sheer disappointment and enough “red-tape to circle the globe.  If you are a 50-something person looking to change jobs change careers my first inclination is to tell you DON’T, but if circumstances dictate or you simply feel compelled to do this let me offer a little insight. This will be “fun”.

First things first; if you haven’t been in the market for awhile throw out everything you THINK you know. It has ALL changed. You may not talk to a human being through many of the initial processes. I can say, with a great deal of confidence, you will do no writing until it comes time to sign your name, and even then it may be electronic. You may even be interviewed via the internet( webcam).

The SEARCH: What is it you want to do or think you want to do? Once you decide this do a GOOGLE search and find websites for employment and ones that are dedicated to the particular field or area you want. If it is a general search you have the sites that are well known, but not necessarily a great choice if you want fast results. When you “land” on a site KNOW, KNOW, KNOW you will have to register with them before you can move forward. If they allow you to view jobs before registering, you are still going to have to register to put in an application. Therefore, get ready to submit your vital information and then get ready to submit it again, and again, and again.

The RESUME’: You have to have a resume’, if you don’t stop reading this and go create one, you are dead-in-the-water if you do not. We are going to move forward like you do have  a resume’; make sure it is updated, a contact number or email may be the difference between you getting an interview or not. Keep your information current, I cannot stress that enough. Go to the internet for samples of the particular type of resume’ (field/ industry/profession) most applicable. However, the fact that you have a resume’ will not eliminate your having to register to apply for a job, or filling out an application, in which the very same information/questions are required.  Do a cover letter( a letter that tells why you are looking for “this”type of job and what you can offer “this” particular company), it is an introduction to your resume’.

The INTERVIEW: Yaay, you have done what may seem like the impossible or it may feel like you are waking from a dream. Yet one must approach this process with extreme caution. You have to know what to wear, consult the internet or speak to your friends and colleagues. KNOW where you are going and how long it is going to take to get there and BE EARLY. KNOW something about the company you are applying for a job with.  KNOW yourself, be prepared to answer questions and again go to the internet and view sample interview questions.  Try NOT to be surprised, because today you may be interviewed by an individual or a team (two or more), you may be asked to participate in a group interview where you are NOT the only applicant, it may be structured or not. However, you may not be privy to any of this information until you arrive. Therefore, be prepared for the items mentioned before and then some.

This is not only a frustrating process, it is intimidating and at times frightening, for if you are in search of employment it is because you are in need. You have to put aside the emotion of your circumstances, think on your toes, and move forward into uncharted territory. Preparation and research are your friends, and I suggest you use these tools to the utmost. Today finding employment is like an espionage project; the target(job) is out there, the enemy(competition) is trying to get to it as well as you are, the only thing that separates you and them is…..You have to figure out what you have that will separate you, and make YOU stand out and be successful. Good Luck, and that is sincere.

Do not give up, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I found it; I managed to get to the target, now if only the government will get back to work, so I can.

Picture This

We took up no less than 7  hours of the waiters time, but we made it worth his while.  How many of you have friends that you are separate from. There aren’t enough hours in the day, you are too far away, but when you get together well it is amazing. When you sit across from someone who you have know since they were the age of the little one in the picture who now calls them grandma, it can be sobering as well as wonderful. We probably could have talked until nightfall but you know the time is coming to a close when the PHONES come out and everyone needs someone (waitstaff earns the tip here as well as earlier) to take the pictures to be accessible immediately to all.

We are so fortunate to have access to people we love and care about instantly, yet there is nothing like that face-to-face. I have some very beautiful friends and I mean outwardly as well as inwardly. I grew up in Southern California, I don’t know that any other place boasts of beauty and generally demonstrates it like Southern Cal does. I have to give my Georgia friends their “props”  on beauty though, transplants and the ONE native alike.

In my youth I attended the bridal shower of one of my  very pretty friends at a restaurant in Marina Del Rey. Everyone was dressed beautifully, but it looked like a magazine shoot for VOGUE, not because of the outfits but the ladies in the outfits.  The all-girl group Klymaxx’s song ” The Men All Paused” would have been appropriate, with slight rewording “everyone paused”. It was  absolutely amazing and it was fun. 20 women immersed in the celebration of an upcoming wedding, relatively oblivious to the fact people were watching them for no other reason than they were breathtaking. Cameras clicked and flashed, yes back then that is what a camera would do to let you know a photo was being taken, recording the memories for another time. Depending on who had the camera, you may or may not see those pictures for years. If you didn’t want to lug around a camera, that was the risk you took.

A  decade later a smaller group of us got together, for no reason other than we wanted to be together. Babies, work, relocation, life changed the outward appearance a little “more to love” on several  levels, yet the beauty was still there. A graceful aging process taking place, but the energy and positive vibe was breathtaking.  The waiter’s final duty take that picture.

Now we have grandchildren, retirement, some health challenges that are a part of our everyday lives. However each time we get together  the photographs we take  not only capture the current image but the memory of those 20 something beauties that are still alive and kicking. The inner beauty never changed therefore the outward appearance seems as though it has been air brushed and retouched just like VOGUE. I am so blessed to have ALL of you in my life, for so many years, coast to coast, and to be able to call you friends. You are always in my heart, my thoughts and looking forward to the next “half of a day” brunch.

Final thought for my readers; cherish your friendships and take lots of pictures!

God Is Answering Your Prayers

Maybe the times are trying for you. You have no where to turn.” Look up”, I say and you will find peace. The answers may not come like you want or expect, but the answers are there.

Have you ever strayed away from your faith? Maybe nothing overt; it starts by missing church because something “urgent” came up, then you over slept, finally “you just aren’t feeling it” besides it’s 3rd Sunday nothing new goes on 3rd Sunday.  Pretty soon 3rd Sunday turns into a year and you wonder where the time went. You reflect, “Well it has been a hectic year, things have been going wrong..” you just haven’t had the time. How about you have a disappointment or major hurt in your life, then you blame God. You figure if He truly was there for you “this” would not have happened, so you turn your back on Him.

Faith the size of a mustard seed comes to mind, well I certainly have that much faith I can proclaim with absolute confidence. While you may say,” well that is not very much”,  remember God can move mountains with that amount of faith. I offer this perhaps I underestimated the amount of faith I truly have, maybe I thought if I set my standards low then the expectation would be low and disappointment not so severe.  How about you, have you been in this place? Once again taking care of things for God. Once again placing human/limited guideline on the One who created humans. The Creator needs my help. I prayed, I put a problem in His hands and because He didn’t move like I thought He should I said, “You are probably too busy with the UNIVERSE, or let me take care of this cause it needs to be done now…. Really??

We hear other peoples stories of their experiences and we say, “See that is what I need something astounding, something great in order for me to… ” In order for you to what; believe, trust, have faith? Do you realize you do actually have faith, do you really know what faith is. God is not on our clock, He does not travel the same way that we do and He is privy to information that we cannot begin to fathom.

Faith is not simply a word, it is a journey. Let’s be honest and real here; sometimes journeys can take unexpected turns, routes changed, arrivals can be delayed. Journeys can start off rocky and rough, smooth out to the extent that you don’t even remember the start or they can be the exact reverse, but if you really want to get somewhere you keep moving, go forward, and always Look Up.

Suicidal Tendencies

You hear these stories about folks who decide either by accident or intent life isn’t worth living anymore and therefore do something about it. Personally of all the flaws I have and will generally own up to being a coward. That has to be the headliner here.

Now some would argue that a person who commits suicide is just that, a COWARD. Yet the”coward” that I am kept me off drugs, brought me home on time, and didn’t allow me to talk to strangers. This same coward keeps me from ever considering the “final act”, for fear I may actually succeed.

Dealing from an opinion standpoint, I believe that people who attempt and ultimately go through with a suicide have a timing problem. Some underestimate an arrival of another factor that will cause them to re-think/re-consider or even stop them. I think it is obvious they all share a sadness and a feeling of hopeless that drives them to a point, that makes their only focal point on stopping the perceived misery as “they” know it.

In broader terms one might say “man” has these same tendencies, the feeling of doom and hopelessness. Who wants to live with those feelings dominating and hanging over them every single day?  It can be the simple explanation why one group that believes and worships one way would want to overtake and rid “their world of a group that believes and worships another way. It gives meaning to why a nation would without words, but through vicious acts, declare war on it’s very own population.Why else would someone feel as though they should carry around a gun that has the capability to not simply stop in individual be tear the individual to shreds. Just in case there are more who believe differently than me, just because there are more of them that look differently than me, just because someone may try to do something to me. None know when or if any of those scenarios will occur, but they are afraid it might AND they feel the best preparation is to be ready to destroy. That to me is that intense feeling of fear, fear of the unknown, and being realistic for most of us have NOT experienced most of the world; therefore most things to the average person is simply that, UNKNOWN. Yet the bold, the brave, the consummate explorer, MAN lives in fear and it is that very fear that will ultimately destroy him.

Looking at the world and the state of affairs, one might conclude we are doomed. Life has little or no value, even children are being sacrificed. From a religious standpoint one could conclude “the end is near”. Man will destroy himself , but it is also said, “No man will know the hour..” The individual and his individual fear that what he is experiencing, fear that it may go on, fear that tomorrow could bring worse. So he puts an end to it all, because he can at least control that, but wait right before he takes the final step, releases the trigger, swallows the last pill, or steps off the stool rope snug about his neck…. what if he’s wrong?

So if YOU are trying to prepare, to give yourself a”leg up”, here is yet another why and how for you. One cannot  really prepare for the unknown; the unknown is everywhere and preparation only exists, as far as the doubt in ones mind allows. Finally, what if we’re wrong?

Morning Glory And Jasmine

What was in the air yesterday. I felt a twinge of Autumn. YAY AUTUMN! It is rapidly approaching and I for one could not be happier. Yet it wasn’t as simple as that. Little tiny innuendos, fluttery feelings, and odd expressions.

The call came from out of the blue, the request was innocent, the offer was genuine, and the gesture was pure. What all of these things had in common was they originated from a source that was once connected to a love relationship. Four different love relationships whose only common ground was “Yours Truly” and in the sense I was made aware of each of these occurrences. I will not detail how or when, that is not important what is significant is the connection; the meaning of these two flowers(language of flowers) , what they represent in the legends, and this short piece.

Waiting for sunrise like the Morning Glory waits to bloom, as the scents of Jasmine lingers long after you have walked past them on the street, sometimes the affects of love stays with you. It resides somewhere safely and quietly. It has no ulterior motives or plans, and it will remain unnoticed. Then one day rummaging through papers, or a slight turn on the street, a song on the radio will jar that feeling, that memory. The next thing you know, there is a call or an email or a chance visit with no expectation, no requirements to meet, just an opportunity to briefly reconnect to a place of warm smiles and breathtaking emotions.  I am again reminded that there will always be room in my life for a romantic story and that there is no shortage of them. Thank God for that.

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