A Little of This and That
Written by MJ Reporter Willow LaMunyon
Now and then, I wonder how much my way of thinking is in alignment with others. I enjoy reading those Facebook questions that people answer according to their opinion and comparing them with how I respond. With that in mind, here are a few of my thoughts on trivial things. How do you compare?
I watched a TV program that showed a closeup of a woman's face in the shower. She was fully made up with false eyelashes, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick, foundation, and who knows what else. Despite the water pouring over her face, the makeup remained perfect. Not a single smudge. That took my mind away from the story for a few minutes. Glaring and not-so-glaring mistakes like that are distracting to me. I wonder if other people share this problem.
I care about what others think of me because I enjoy their company and hope they enjoy mine. Since my hearing is limited[SS1] , I often do not join in the conversation, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be with them. Occasionally people speak to me, and I don't respond because I didn't hear them. I am often with my daughter-in-law, Karla, who will answer for me. I am very much bothered that I am probably ignoring someone when I am alone, and they will assume that I am rude. Yes, people I don't know speak to me often because my hair color is not one finds in nature, and they make complimentary remarks about it. I could stop coloring my hair and solve my dilemma, but I don't. I literally blindside myself and hope I am not alone in foolish behavior.
I love my family fiercely, and that includes dear friends who are also family to me despite not sharing blood. I am a blunt speaker with a mouth that can open before my brain engages. Thank goodness for family members who understand that unfortunate quirk in my personality. In exchange, I understand their quirks, and I am a loyal friend despite those bits of strangeness that are part of all of us.
Road rage isn't a problem with me. There are so many ways people can screw up on the road that it makes sense to realize they aren't intentional. I am good at giving the other driver the benefit of the doubt, with one exception. Tailgaters. They are the trigger to my only road rage behavior. If I can slow down and keep them behind me, I will wait until one of us turns or they back off. Hey, nobody is perfect. From reading those opinion answers on Facebook, I know I am far from the only one who feels the same way.
I love to go camping. Swimming, boating, sitting around a campfire, and sleeping in my tent are delightful to me. This is one of those things people either love or hate.
Exercise is another of those love or hate things. I feel better about myself when I exercise and recently joined the YMCA for that purpose. The hate part is getting around and going there. Once I arrive, I am content. The treadmills have all kinds of entertainment built into them. I can play games, watch movies, listen to music, and more. However, there is nothing like getting involved in a good book to get me to work out longer. There is an app for kindle that my daughter-in-law put on my phone, so I set it in front of all the entertainment offered and exercise my mind and body simultaneously.
I have become one of those ladies who hasn't kept up with the world. It would be so lovely to have gadgets that didn't need instruction books to use them. There are even some clothes that should have instructions on how to put them on. It is so nice to have a daughter-in-law who understands the magic of this computerized world. With her help, I can do just enough to make it look like I am keeping up. I enjoy small businesses where the owner is behind the counter and has the ability to keep open when the computers go down. I am absolutely passionate about fruit stands. It is a dream come true that a few drive-in movies are starting up.
I believe that people should vote and know enough about the candidate or issue to be clear on why they make their choices, even though it takes time to learn all about them. It is strange to me to see a warning on my screen that something is a long read when it takes ten minutes to finish an article. I know it is a busy world out there but gaining information should be important enough to skip filling out those opinion questions on Facebook. Oops, you might want to skip that last sentence