"F" Bombs Kill Your Appetite

Last night I was out to dinner.  It wasn’t a fancy place, but certainly, not a dump.  The Olive Garden, where everyone’s family (or something like that.)  

As soon as we sat down to eat dinner I noticed a table of gentlemen all in their early forties sitting together.  I knew right away that they were visiting from out of town for work.  As I eavesdropped I heard them talking about their jobs- sales.  I knew I was in the presence of salesman.  Certainly nothing wrong with their profession, believe me, but their behavior was grotesque.

Every other bite of food I took was shoved down my throat with some expletive I really didn’t care to hear.  And, certainly the three year old at the nearby table didn’t either. 

I’m not a saint, nor a prude, but I found it repulsive.  Just ugly.

And, here’s the hypocrisy, I’m the biggest culprit sometimes.  I drop ugly word bombs when I’m having a bad day.  Heck (not hell), I curse when I am telling a story, when I’m excited, and even when I’m sad.  A lot of people do.  Maybe I’ve been conditioned this way over time.  And, even though my mother yells at me, it often goes in one and out the other.

But, last night I realized after the fortieth “F BOMB” that came flying out of “Mr. 3^rd in the Nation”, (yup overheard the ego maniac bragging to his counterparts) it just became vulgar and super unattractive, especially in a public place. 

To top off all the potty talk, one man decided to hand the waiter his arse (not a typo) because he forgot his salad.  Yeah, he mentioned that after he already finished his main course.  “Make sure you take that salad off the bill that I never received.” 

Um, do you just want to look like you matter in front of your nervous high school server?

Or, did you just want to berate him in front of your wanna-be- superhuman-friends?

And, can you say cheap?  You know that dinner was being expensed.  And, I would think if you’re third in the nation for your sales performance, a salad isn’t going to strap you financially.

For God’s sake I BLEEPING hope not.

Now, back to the point…

Last night I realized how ugly cursing can be.  I’ve always known it’s not ladylike, but it’s not gentlemanly either.  Same rules apply for boys and girls and grown ups.

I’d like to think I’m not loud and obnoxious when I choose to use filthy words.  I also don’t make a practice of it in public places.  After last night, I’m swearing off some not so pretty nouns and verbs.  I promise to do my best because if I sound half as trashy as the men in white suits I’m highly sickened with myself.  I will be more than happy to put soap in my own mouth.

You get passes here and there.  Everyone knows a funny joke needs a good curse time to time, with emphasis on the curse!  But, when we are cursing loudly at The Olive Garden and have no regard for other’s preference, or tolerance…that’s just rock bottom behavior.

If you’re going to use foul language, at least use it like most people…VERY, VERY QUIETLY, OR STICK A BREAD STICK IN YOUR MOUTH SO I DON’T HAVE 

TO!

Note to reader: No breadsticks were harmed or wasted last night on the sales team from Alabama. 

American Waste

A week before Christmas I was shopping in a very popular chain store and as I was standing in line waiting for another woman to make her return I heard an employee tell her co-worker, “Put those in the trash bin, I think she wore them.”


She was talking about the woman ahead of me and her returned pair of rain boots. Yup, boots. We can go to the bowling alley and wear shoes that have been on a thousand pairs of feet. It’s become trendy to shop for vintage clothing in thrift stores, and after having my first yard sale this fall I noticed it’s quite popular for many to buy old tattered clothes from complete strangers. So, why are department stores and big name chains throwing out goods that get returned instead of donating them to charities?

And, it’s not just material things.

FOOD!

You’ve seen the ads on TV- 1 in every 8 Americans are starving.

Grocery stores and restaurants throw away so much food at the end of the night instead of donating to food banks. Dumpster diving is a hot new American trend and the people doing it have even named themselves “Freegans.” They’re not all poor or homeless. Some people just can’t stand to see good food go to waste.

I’m not suggesting you need to run out and join the groups that are diving into big metal boxes in alley ways. But, something should be done to end hunger in a country with a great amount of surplus.

Businesses, big and small have no liability, which means no excuses. All thanks to the Good Samaritan Act.

Are we heartless and self absorbed? No, maybe just too lazy to do the right thing.

Charities like Purple Heart pick up donations at your door. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

When people are hungry they aren’t going to be choosey and when they need clothes on their backs, irregular garments with one sleeve slightly longer than the other will not matter. Fashion sense is replaced with common sense on a needy person’s list of priorities.

I’m not a bit needy, and I would have taken the boots that got thrown away in front of me in the popular store that I shop at frequently.

I pray that we always have food to fuel our bodies and clothing to keep us covered.

“Slightly used” appears new to someone doing without. And, “Slightly Outdated” tastes delicious when you’re starving.

Waste is a terrible thing to do. It’s also a terrible insult to the world around us.

January Baby

I was born on January 12th. It was a cold winter Wednesday sometime after 3PM. I love winter. Something about the cold weather makes me feel alive.


The air is crisp and clean and I can breathe! The sudden onset of extreme allergies that hit me in my very early thirties makes for an extremely miserable me. Therefore, frost is my new best friend.

It’s been really cold here in the Philadelphia suburbs the past two days. Most people are counting down till spring already. It’s January 4th. You do know in this lovely area we get four seasons. It’s not just the name of a fancy hotel…its reality. Lately, one could argue we only get two- winter and summer. But, either way we have changes in the seasons and in our moods.

I am a January baby! I’ve thought about this quite a bit. I was brought into this world and if that were not shocking enough for my mother and my newborn self- it was freezing out when we left the hospital for home.

This explains my love for the season so many dread. I love winter clothes. Coats and boots are my best friends and my favorite fashion statements. I love sitting by the fire and falling asleep with the warmth on my face. I love soft blankets tickling my nose. I love indulging in fattening food (we all know you need that to stay warm). I love to wake up cold and put on my fuzzy worn out robe. I love to snuggle. I love the entire season for too many reasons to name!

The power of winter amazes me. She gets things started, shakes it up a bit, and her mood swings are fierce yet you admire her fury.

You feel hopeful in winter. It’s the start of something new. Out with the old and maybe this time you’ll keep that promise to yourself.

We celebrate the birth of Christ, our Happy New Year, and the official day for lovers too! My favorite holidays belong to winter.

I love how the world slows down when it snows. We get the chance to sit in and do NOTHING. It’s nature’s way of forcing us to take it easy and give the dreaded rat race a break.

The only winter blues I ever feel are those annoying reminders on my calendar marking the beginning of spring. Let the sneezing, itchy eyes, and migraines begin!

Spring used to put a hop in my step but now it just puts pressure in my head. All of the new blooms are beautiful but with beauty comes pain. Ain’t that the truth?

Then summer rolls around with her sultry, hot attitude. She makes my life hell…my temperature and my mood. I hate the extreme heat pounding off my face and the blinding rays of the sun. Yeah, that’s real good for you. I for one can never beat the summer heat. I’m just not into the lazy energy draining dog days of summer.

And, God forbid we get an Indian summer! I used to love fall but now it doubles as spring. I wish it would get its own identity back and stick with it. Pumpkin patches, apple picking, and football need not be nagged by Ragweed, pollen, and mold! Get with the program Mama Nature!

While the rest of you complain it’s too cold, this January Baby will be making the most of her beloved allergy free, energy igniting, and fresh start season.

The more you wish away the weather, the more you wish away precious time. There’s no need to rush because we all know too well that January through December pass by in a blink with red itchy eyes, and a sneezing good time!

"LET GO"

There’s something so hard about letting go of people, places, and things. But, even harder is holding on to things that you need to dispose of before they contaminate your mind, body, and soul even further.

I’m guilty of holding onto to the past a lot. One would say I am “Sentimental” and that “One” would be me. Indeed I am! But, sentimental and obsessive thinking are two different creatures for sure. I’m learning the difference. FINALLY.

It’s a great feeling to kick bad habits to the curb and an even greater feeling knowing that you aren’t being self-destructive anymore too. Here are some emotional habits that can hold you back in life and personally keep you locked up from yourself if you let them.


Socializing with poisonous friends

Holding on to past love

Thinking about yesterday while losing sight of tomorrow

Holding onto grudges

Refusing to see the error of your ways

Being negative

Not chasing your dreams

Procrastination

Listening to others mindless opinions

Not following your own heart

And, most importantly, not being YOU.

If any of this pertains to you…UNLOAD IT! Now is the time! Don’t waste one more minute worrying what people say or think about you. Don’t live in the past it’s gone for a reason. Forge ahead.

If something is bringing you down and making you feel like you are heavy and miserable…let go.

Once you do, you truly find an inner peace that only you can provide yourself.


As, a very good friend of mine constantly reminds me (because I’ve needed it) “What others do to you has very little to do with you, it’s all about the way they feel about themselves.”

Believe it.


So, let go. You won’t fall. You’ll rise to the potential you were born with.


Let go…and you will begin to live.