Don't You Think It's About Time?

It's time for people to just be nice...myself included. Can't we all just try to be a little nicer? Don't you think it's possible to live life, go throughout our days and still be nice?? What happened to giving people the benefit of the doubt? What happened to common courtesy?

I pass 3 sets of crossing guards in the morning when I take the kids to school. Let it be said that I fully appreciate their duty and the role they play in the lives and safety of the children. There is one particularly serious guard...SHE IS A BEAST.

I saw her screaming at a Mom in a big blue dodge truck last week. The lady in the truck was obviously defending herself and was yelling back through the glass. The guard callously and intentionally turned her back and crassly walked out. The whole thing was real classy and such a great example for the kids. Ugh.

When I got to the next light, I saw the lady in the blue truck sobbing. It was way sad and likely ruined her day. The worst part is that it was all so totally unnecessary. I don't know exactly what happened or why these women were upset but it didn't have to be that way and made me sad. Seriously, chick was doing the girl thing trying to breath and wipe away her tears.

Since that point in time I have quietly been observing people (one of my favorite past times) and spending some time reflecting on my own thoughts and behavior. I cannot tell you the countless examples of careless and just plain rude exchanges I have witnessed. It's appalling really and makes me want to be a better person.

Being nice has nothing to do with who you are, what you do, who you are interacting with or who is present. It has everything to do with respecting others...and yourself enough to be kind, patient and courteous. Stop and think about it. Is it time to moderate yourself? There's always room for improvement and this girl is hopping on that train!

On the B Side: I will definitely be trying harder to be a little bit kinder, softer, gentler and a whole lot more patient in general. Self awareness plays a big role in all of this. Being a door mat is one thing (and certainly not the goal) but treating others like one is just plain wrong and the last thing I want to be is the reason someone else feels like that on the inside.

Remember the time...

Remember the time when I was 17 and driving to work and I was crying so hard that I didn't see that guy on a bike? Yeah, I was scared but don't worry, I pried his bike out from under my car just fine. His name was Freddy but all his friends called him 'Spazz'.

Remember the time when Ellie was 3 weeks old and I left her for the first time and my car broke down in the middle of the intersection of State and 3900 S? I was crying that time too AND I started to lactate. That was awesome, I was sad and my car was big time out of gas.

Remember the time that I was undecided about the H1N1 vaccine and whether or not I should give it to my children? Ultimately I climbed down off of my fence and frankly, it just feels good to make a decision. The children were brave and now are vaccinated and this Mom feels at peace.

Remember the time that I stopped blogging because I was all over the map on the inside? There's only so much a girl can do to conceal that garbage and putting any type of coherent thought on the internet during that time is not one of them. It's been a while and I've just accepted that I'm a work in progress.

On the B Side: Life is good. This girl right here has tons to be thankful for and today this girl...she *feels* it.

Is there really anything wrong with this?

Less Than Fabulous Friday

While is it not techinically Friday due to the late hour, I was sadly disappointed throughout the day. There are a handful of insigificant let downs but here are the highlights;

• One of my friends and his wife lost their 6 month old baby very unexpectedly. The viewing is down town Sunday. No idea what to do or say.
• My pal Michelle's MS is back in full force and no doubt she is feeling weak, overwhelmed and angry. It's been aggressive and pushed the limits of her physical body many times.
• I spent the evening in the ER with poor Shell. Her kidneys have been testing her mortality since April and there doesn't appear to be any sign of letting up.
• The doc called and Ellie's bloodwork surprisingly came back to indicate that she has Celiac's disease, which runs in my family. She has a less than exciting GI appt in her near future.
• My work trip to Cali in Sept was pushed back to October, which had best not screw up my plans, kids schedules, etc.

To counter my craptastic list I am forcing myself to write an equal list of positive things.

• The kids transistioned very nicely back to their Dad and Mommy Amy. The new schedule appears to be a success.
• Dayton's VIP presentation today was fabulous and flawless. He is so grown up and damn cute!
• Ellie didn't have any issues at school today and that always makes the world a better place.
• The garbage man came...our can was full of 2 weeks worth of overflowing stinky crud.
• The cat has not messed in the house and it's been a month. Go Mighty Mittens! (her alter ego is Kiki just in case you were confused)

On the B Side: There is always plenty to be thankful for and you never have to look very far in order to see just how blessed you are. Some times I just don't want to look. Some times I just want to rest my mind and feel whatever I'm feeling and not feel guilty. I'm not going to lie though, after my work day was done, I went for some non-english speaking loving and got a pedi!!!