the world i know

More and more I find myself wondering what happened to courtesy in society? Is there no such thing as civil kindness? Nowadays I watch as men and women go out of their way to be rude. This world has become so jaded as a whole it's not difficult to find someone taking out their suppressed anger on complete strangers. It's immorality at its finest. It doesn't bother me so much that chivalry is dead - there are few gentlemen out there randomly offering a doting "after you" while holding the door. What gets under my skin is the lack of general decency. In the words of Depeche Mode, People are People. Our exteriors come in many shapes and colors but our interiors operate the same. The world as we know it today is a selfish one and one filled with anger. I've come to expect indecency yet am surprised by respectful behavior. When someone is inappropriate it instigates negativity. The negativity lingers and is passed on to another eventually. On the flipside, the same is true with kindness. It's infectious. It feels good. There is real value to the cliché "eye for an eye" which is one of the basic laws of life. Inherit it! Look, I am far from godly but I have strong will to change not only my attitude but my actions. So many people fret through life which is a tragedy. There are those without souls and then those that are consumed with so much hate they treat others poorly in an effort to share the pain. We are all human and all have our moments, lord knows I have my share, but I am proactive about becoming not only a better person but a better citizen. Thank you's and you're welcome's are no longer a necessity even when expected. There is practically no such thing as good customer service. No one wants to help without receiving in return. In grocery stores you'll find people cutting, pushing, grabbing. I once was told by a gentleman in a super big hurry and whose front bumper sticker informed me he was a "Christian" that I "looked like a girl that knew something about dick" after I kindly suggested he stop acting like one. Why? This man, sporting a bad case of little man syndrome, jumped out of his car in anger and began shouting obscenities at me for backing out of a parking spot at a safe and regular pace. Not even a shortage of time could come between this nutjob and his insane rant. I was painfully embarrassed but moreover I wondered what was eating at this man so terribly that it didn't bother him a bit to release his rage on a little woman at the grocery store at noon on a Thursday afternoon.

Stepping down from my podium I hear you ask what's new? Not much. In a shellnut, True Blood is one of my weekend highlights, yesterday I finished a book I've been lugging around for 5 months, I scored a 222 on iBowl last week, I am a big fan of the Healthy Choice basil chicken pasta bowl eating at least one per day if not two, I am thrilled with America's choice in our new leader, I have grossly neglected working out my bod, and I'm self-learning the craft of knitting so that Christmas '08 won't be tough on the pocketbook. I added a couple of pictures to the left of my blog. The first photo documents Matthew and I posing as Dolly and Kenny on the 31st last month. Let it be known that I am holding a mic not a flashlight and Matthew is dressed as Kenny Rogers not Taylor Hicks. In the photo directly below D&K you'll find my pesky roommate Jerry Seinfeld posing as a character true to life -The Devil. Funny story, Jerry was recently banned from the dog park due to heinous acts I can't legally blog about. I can report that he and I will be making the rounds throughout the neighborhood this weekend alerting other pets of his offensive sexual behavior. The guy is nuts but he sure plays some mean pinball. Last week for his first (seventh) birthday he asked for a pint of jagermeister and a pack of black and milds. He got a ball, a bone and the too-small-for-his-body devils costume as seen in the photo, 1/2 price at Petsmart's post Halloween sale.

In closing, as John Lennon so delicately put it, if there will be an answer let it be.

~ your friend J