Thank you, little girl

This blog goes out to someone who will never read it. This blog goes out to a little girl I came in contact with a few days ago. Here is the story…

It was a fairly typical night closing in the fitting room. There was nothing particular that happened and I found myself in the usual, “Ugh, people are annoying, I want to go home” frame of mind. (Yes, that is something I think quite often.) But then a family came in to try on clothes. The father went on the men’s side while the mother waited outside with 3 little girls. The only one I really paid attention to was the oldest of the three. If I had to guess I would say she was 7 or 8 years old. She looked at my name tag and asked how to say my name. When I told her she smiled and said, “That’s a pretty name!” I thanked her and continued hanging shirts.

She then wandered into the women’s side and came back out a minute or so with various small pieces of paper. “I picked up all the garbage,” she said. I thanked her and she continued to tell me how she always kept her bedroom clean and how she hated messy places. I told her that was a good habit to keep. She then found some hangers on the floor, hung them on my bar, and then organized them by size for me. She was eager to help me out.

I do not remember everything she said to me but I was very impressed with how polite she was. I’m sorry to say it but I do not come in contact with polite children very often. I am not saying the children I see are impolite altogether but parents usually do not teach their children to behave in stores (or anywhere in public).

I wanted to write this blog to thank that little girl for her kind behavior to me. I actually felt better after talking with her. I admire her kindness, curiosity, and happy demeanor overall. So to this I say thank you, little girl. Thank you for brightening my day. I am just sorry I never learned your name.

Obama is God--apparently

I know this is old, old news but for the life of me I cannot understand why Obama decided an Ipod was a good gift to give the Queen of England! Seriously, what was going through his head? It's not the fact that an Ipod is a bad gift to give somebody but the Queen is not just a "somebody". She's a Queen for crying out loud! And don't give me the "But she already HAS everything else," spiel. As the leader of our country he should have given her a gift that represents us. He could have given her something that commemorates a part of U.S. history or something. His gift should have shown her his respect and admiration for her. I mean, why do I even has to EXPLAIN this? She's the Queen of England!!! Almost ANYTHING would have been better than a freakin' Ipod!!!


But the thing that's bothering me the most is how the news media isn't even talking about it. Well, unless you count this idiot
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6359512.html

I nearly vomited when I read this article!!!


I can GUARANTEE that if Bush had given her a gift like that the news would be all over it--calling him a redneck, a moron, or whatever. But Obama does it and no one says boo. Not to mention the fact that Michelle Obama broke protocol by HUGGING the Queen. You're not supposed to touch the Queen at all--even little kids know that!

(EDIT: Ok, so I've now read that the Queen herself initiated the hug-- if that's true then it was okay for her to do that.)

Michelle probably meant well but it's just the fact that they seemed ill-informed or that they just chose to ignore the rules altogether. The British people love and admire their royalty. Pretty much everything they do is "For the Queen". To me it just shows utter ignorance and lack of respect on the part of the Obamas.

So Obama is God apparently. He can do whatever he wants and all the millions of people who love him will just fall down and worship him. He dons all the magazine covers and even has collector cards in his honor(it's true, we sell them at Target). Every freakin' day those dumb news entertainment shows talk about "What did Michelle wear today" and stuff. I know that in the past a president and his family have always been considered newsworthy but this time it has risen to epic and frightening proportions. They're treated as super, duper, mega-tron celebrities!!! It's madness!

I really don't like where this is going. Doesn't anyone else see how this is a bad thing?

Question #2 (aka Negativity)

I know my past few posts have been depressing, unhappy, and just plain negative. It was never my plan for this to happen but that's just how I have been feeling lately. I wish I could post a blog that said, "Hey, something great happened today..." and hopefully I will be post one like that one day. But the truth is that things just aren't great lately. That doesn't mean that every day is bad--actually most days are okay. 80% of the time I actually do feel okay. To me okay is in the middle---not bad but also not good. But I guess I just don't type blogs about my okay days because okay is boring.

So here's my question---why do people think that "okay" means "bad"? I had a manager who recently got transferred to another store who told me I was just like her husband. "Whenever I ask him how work was he says 'fine' or 'okay'," she told me. "That's just the same thing you do Steph." When I asked her if that was a bad thing she said, "No, but it just gives the illusion that you are never good." Is she right? Well, I know I already answered that by saying that I am okay most of the time. But okay does not mean bad. Okay means okay!

I know that body language plays a bigger part in your appearance than words ever can. When people ask how I'm doing I try to say "fine/okay/good (yes, I've been saying good lately so people will think I am good)" in an upbeat way and I try my best to give out good vibes as well. So here's another question--why do I have to try so hard? It doesn't seem like other people are putting forth this much of an effort--why do I have to? And, most of all, why does it matter if I am just okay? Okay is better than bad. Heck, even I were really, really bad does that even matter in the long run? Or even if I'm really good? Does that really affect people?

It's just kind of annoying that I'm obsessing about this stupid thing so much.

Let It Be

Have you ever sat down and listened to the lyrics of The Beatles' song Let It Be?

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be. Yeah
There will be an answer, let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

You know, that's something to think about. Someone recently told me, "There are three ways to handle a (difficult) situation; Do it, don’t do it, or just do nothing at all. It is never good to just do nothing because then you don’t have control over the results.”

Sorry, but I do not agree with that. Sometimes you've got to just let it be.

Just think about it.

EDIT: Go into my comments to read a fun fact brought to you in part by Theresa.

(No seriously, do it. I totally didn't know that!)

STOP!!!

STOP!
Please, life; just stop for
one brief moment.
I need to breathe. I need to take this in.
I'm stuck.
I'm sinking in a pit of quick sand.
Not really, but still...

STOP!
Please stop doubting me.
I know what I am doing
For once.
Things can't change over night. Rome wasn't
built in a day
you know?

STOP!
Please stop thinking that I am not listening.
I am.
I hear you loud and clear. This is why I came to you
and why I continue to come.

STOP!
Please stop thinking that.
I know you blame me
but it is NOT my fault!
Don't shoot the messenger.
Don't shoot me.
I am just trying to help.

STOP!
Please stop everything
and LISTEN TO ME!
But you won't listen, will you?
You don't want to hear the truth. Well, okay then,
I get it!
But when you get hurt then don't come crying to me.
Because I tried to help.

STOP!
Please Steph, stop doing this
to yourself.
Stop making yourself cry.
Stop getting worked up over things
that you can't help.
Stop being afraid.
Stop being sad.
Stop thinking that it's hopeless
it's not.
You know better than that!

Most of all, Steph
DON'T stop trying!
Don't you dare! You are stronger
than all of this.
Don't you forget it!

I know...


but it's still hard.