Friendly No More

I'm a friendly person. I usually acknowledge a friendly look with a nod, a slight smile and sometimes, even a casual greeting. I've noticed though that when it comes to men from a particular region of the world, an acknowledgement is mistakenly taken as an encouragement because they start to get fresh with the way they give me a look right after or the next time they see me. Sometimes, it even comes with an accompanying, "Hello, baby!" or some other lame come-on. Creepy!

Because of this, I'm less courteous, less friendly. It's safer than feeding the ego of these men who strut about like roosters, puffing up their chests and always trying to gauge how attractive they are from the reaction of any women who might just give them a glance. Grow up, you overgrown boys! There are less juvenile ways to gain and maintain self-esteem. :)

Umpteenth Blog Posting on Virginia Tech

I was reading about the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting and it is so sad to see how many meaningful and purposeful lives were cut off by a single person whose life did not hold much. Their lives, full of promise and hope for the future of a world they dreamed of changing, ended by someone whose life was spent in silent, simmering anger that finally boiled over - the usual scenario of almost any mass shooting.

Tragic.

Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to hear how individuals, who inspired others in life, galvanize everyone who knew them even more in their death. It shows that no matter how short their lives here were, their bright light still illuminates everything that surrounded them, long after it's been extinguished. Their death, no matter how unexpected and ugly, will somehow serve as a catalyst for change.

Snooty Old Lady

A colleague and I were chatting about work in a local Starbucks across our building. As she was talking about the new line of business that we had, an old lady who was reading one chair away from us at the counter, tapped her on the shoulder.

Lady: "Excuse, me, could you keep your voice down....?"
Colleague: "Oh...sorry..." She looks at the lady in surprise and turns to me in puzzlement.
Lady: "...it's a public place!" She adds haughtily.
Me: "Exactly. So if you want a quiet place to read. Go to a library."

There was music blaring and the baristas were taking orders loudly. I didn't understand why she thought my colleague's voice made it any worse. After simmering for a bit, she gathered up her stuff in a huff and took her little bum out of the place.

I know it was not good of me to snap. I just couldn't stand the little attitude and tone that she had when she addressed my colleague, not to mention her very lame reason for asking her to hush up. Grrr...

A Morning Like This

Christendom's reason for existence boils down to this day - the celebration of Jesus' resurrection symbolizing His victory over all our sins - past, present and future. It was a morning like this, centuries ago, that gives me the foundation of who I am and helps me define what I want to be every day of my life.

To me and many others, this day goes beyond the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts. It is a reminder that if not for this day - nothing else holds much meaning, no matter who we supposedly are and how much we have.

Twila Paris singing "The Warrior is a Child/Do I Trust You"