Been going back and forth between watching the coverage of the bridge collapse and trying not to watch coverage of the bridge collapse. I am unfortunately one of those people who feels the pain of these families so strongly that it's hard to get through my own day to day issues. I know everyone in this country is feeling this tragedy and I don't mean to imply that I feel it more. But it's just how I am - I hate to see anyone in pain, a child crying for a toy can send me over the edge. I always try to be the stronger person when in front of people but behind the scenes I fall apart. For some reason emotional pain cuts me like a knife. So for my own selfish needs I keep trying to not watch the coverage. But then I'm drawn to it - wishing there was more that could be done for the families. Waiting for maybe that one miracle that so far hasn't come...
Back to Florida and the pressing issues in my own day to day existence. AGOL has been plagued by a flat tire this morning and is trying to make it into work via the tire repair shop. My hubby is dealing with system issues that kept him up testing things most of the night. And I am working though random issues as they arise.
I was thinking earlier this morning about the crazy quilt of people I call friends. People of various ethnic backgrounds, beliefs, and sexual orientation. Very different than if I had remained in Iowa all of my life. My graduating class had one person who was not WASPY...he was born in Korea, he and his sister were adopted by a couple in the middle of small town America. Whenever he was asked what nationality he was - he would reply Dutch, as that was the background of his adopted parents. He loved watching people react to that. He's now the police spokesman (spokesmodel?) for the Des Moines police department. My parents keep me up to date on how he's doing when they see him on the news.
Anyway, I was thinking of all the diversity in my life and how different it was from small town Iowa. I have friends of all different backgrounds - Asian, African American, Hispanic, Redneck, Liberal, Republican (barely), Gay, Straight, and some that the jury is still out on...you know who you are. My parents raised me to believe that people are the same no matter what...no one person is any better than any other. I firmly believe that - I don't appreciate discrimination in any form, and HATE it when I see it creep into my own thoughts. But one thing I have to admit I do is try to mess with people's heads when I see bigotry...I can't help but call them on it - mostly they don't even realize it because they don't think of themselves as being bigoted.
The one group I can honestly say I have problems with is stupid people...and I'm not talking about their IQ's. Being Stupid just for the sake of stupidity really pisses me off. Acting a certain way just because their friends or their parents or someone else acts that way just sets me off. THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!
Okay, enough random soapbox issues for now...back to my mundane life.
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