People are Shitty

You know how when you are in high school, your english teacher assigns you that essay, "What do you want people to say about you after you are gone" or what is the message you want to leave the world with... I have never been able to answer that question. However, I do have a lesson I try to impart on all the people I love, especially those younger than me that are going out into the big bad world for the first time. The wisdom I share with these innocents is "People are Shitty!"

I know some of you are outraged, you believe in the innate goodness of mankind. You feel it is wrong for me to push my cynical view on these innocents. To you I say you must be a 2%. One of the 2% of people that had an ideal upbringing. No disfunction, no drug abuse, no emotional, verbal, mental, physical or sexual abuse to deal with in your formative years. Because if you had like the rest of us, you would know that people are shitty.



I am not saying that all people are bad, but as a precaution I withhold my trust until I have reason not to. I watch people, I take notice of their actions, not their words, and I wait and see. Sometimes I have wonderful pleasant suprises and I cherish knowing those people and my relationships with them. But most of the time I'm not suprised, and I'm okay because I didn't expect them to be any different. And I didn't risk too much in our exchanges.



We are all shitty sometimes, if you think back I am sure you can put yourself into the people are shitty catagory at one point or another in your life. I know I can. But I keep trying not to be, that's what makes the difference, and I tell my loved ones to do the same. Just try not to be shitty, and maybe people won't be shitty to you. But meanwhile keep your eyes open and your back to the wall.

Holden Caulfield can bite my butt!

I HATED "Catcher in the Rye"! I had to read this book in my Senior English class back in 1993, and I still haven't recovered. It doesn't suprise me in the least that this book is favorite book of most seriel killers, you have to be crazy to love it.



Yes, I know some of you are crazy, my apologies if you are offended. Don't worry it's just my opinion, and I am crazy too.

My life would be a Tearjerker Comedy or Dramedy as someone else put it.

My life would be like one of those funny drama's that make you cry like Forrest Gump. I remember seeing that movie the first time and crying from the moment that the first snotty kid said, "Ya can't sit heeere!" till the end...

That's what my life is like; it is full of tragic, funny, unexpected moments shared with the same few people that cycle through my life over and over again. I guess it's like that for all of us.

What a beautiful smile you have...

Two nights ago we went to see the midnight showing of Transformers, my daughter brought along a new boy she has been hanging out with; which was crazy on her part since she had about 13 embarrassing relatives along... including me. I was sitting at the table putting my credit card away when I turned to boy and said, "Do you wanna see a picture of Celia when she was a braceface?" He replied yes with a smile, a shiny braceface smile:) I just laughed and said, "Oh, I didn't notice you had braces." :)



Did I recover? You tell me:)

My top three lessons for my child(ren)

This is such a weighty question I almost didn't want to answer it. It is the kind of question that will never have a complete answer... but here is a start... at least for where I am today.

Respect Yourself
I have only one child. A beautiful teenage girl, and I can't think of a lesson that I try to teach her more than this one. I look at all the young girls around me, her friends, her cousins, and I see this one lesson violated repeatedly, without any real sense of the damage they do to themselves. I later see these same girls devasted by how they have been treated and used.



The truth is people will treat you exactly as you expect to be treated. So when you treat yourself like a cheap toy, the world will embrace that message and use you like one. I could go on and on on this subject but I won't. I just wanted to say one more time that if we expect to be treated with respect, and treat ourselves with respect, the world will as well. The other side of this lesson of course is that a person that respects themselves also treats others with respect. So it's a 2 for 1:)

Never compromise your core self
It is important for all us to know what is most important to us. We all have that one thing that defines who we want to be, and who we don't want to be. Never compromise that one thing. Life is full of compromises; some small, and some large. But that one thing, whatever it is for you. Never compromise that. Because you will give up, you will lose the battle and you will lose yourself. This is kind of an extention of lesson one.

God's plan for you, is better than any plan you could have made for yourself.
This is the biggest, most important lesson I wish that I could pass on to my daughter. It is also the hardest, and the one that I know to be right... but I can't seem to surrender to it.



We all have our struggles and surrendering my will to God, and embracing his plan for me is the hardest. It is something I struggle with everyday, and I have no doubt that my daughter will struggle with it too. I wish I could show her by example what a life surrendered to God looks like, but I am still wrestling with that, I hope that one day I get there, and I hope she does too. There is a verse I love that says..."I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for Peace and not distaster plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jer 29:11"

Ipod with a Plugin Charger will go in my time capsule

A time capsule should contain some information on the larger world ... so I would try to include some information that effected the whole world as well as some that represents my views specifically...

Ipod with a Plugin Charger
First, I would record a voice file that explained each item in the time capsule. Then I would load it up with video and audio files that reflect on state of the world today. They would include opposing viewpoints on major issues. Video footage of the events that were signifgant to this generation like September 11th and Barak O'bama becoming president (in my opinion not a good thing) I would show them the peoples response to these events incase history records it wrong, or with only one viewpoint. I would load this up with all the music that is currently poplular in almost every genre. I would include audio versions of all the books that are on the New York Times Best Sellers list; so that they could see what we were entertained by. I would include some sermons on End Times Prophecy and some commentarys on how they might look when they come to pass...

Thomas Nelson Study Bible with Bible on CD
Just in case the bible has become outlawed by the time this time capsule is opened. I would include a study bible so that they can examine the Word of God.

Map of the World Today & an example of the currency for each Country
This would be to show exactly what countries existed and what their borders were. To show the diversity of cultures and peoples as they are now. I would include an example of the currency for each country as well as a report on current exchange rates. It would show also how much has changed in the world politically in the last 40 years.

Copy of the Endangered Speicies List
So that they can determine if all of those animals are still here in 40 years.

Scientific Journals for the lastest discoveries
This is to show how far Science has advanced in the last 40 years as well as possible show the result of people trying to play God. By then we are likely to know some of the consequences of genetic engineering.

Picture of me and my family, and some magazines
Just so they could associate this information with real people and see what we all looked like. I would include the magazines to give them a view on what we thought was beautiful and stylish... so they can laugh at us;)

Hello, my name is ... Morning Glory

I have an aunt that calls me Morning Glory. The story behind this name is that when I was a little girl I once told her I wanted my name to be Bonnie Flower. Now you might be imagining that I was a delicate cute little girl with ribbons in my hair, wearing frilly dresses, with lace ankle socks. You would be wrong.



I was a little girl with a perpetually runny nose, and scabs on my hands, knees, and any other visible surface. I was loud and I snorted when I laughed. (Lovely I know) My hair was a mess and probably sticking to my face, and I knew how to fight. I spent most of my childhood at my "mean nana" Esther's house where my playments were my older uncles. This mean I got personal fitness training, and fighting lessons. They never played Barbies with me.



I'm guessing I wanted to be named Bonnie Flower because some part of me just wanted to be a pretty little girl. I knew girls were supposed to be made of sugar and spice and everything nice, and to be cute and sweet and shy. Basically everything I wasn't. I was made of mostly dirt, blood and stubborness. You had to be to survive that house. The only thing I was every shy about was showing my tears. Weakness was just unacceptable.



So in a perfect world I would be named Bonnie Flower, or even Morning Glory. But I never did become sugar and spice and everything nice. I am still made of mostly of dirt, blood, and stubborness.