A NEW NORMAL

An earthquake and a hurricane in the same week.

Wow.

 

That might not be a big deal to some people, depending on where they live. What's amazing is how beautiful and calm it is today. 

No wind gusts, no transformers blown, no rain stinging the windows, just sunshine and city sounds that let me know clean up is underway. 

Pieces of branches and limbs were being removed. Grass was being mowed. Kids were on their way to school. Streets were dry and traffic was flowing.
Things are back to normal, but now there's a new normal that includes what could and did happen...: )

TO HELP OR NOT TO HELP

When you get to the point where you hate to see some people coming and want to take off running in the opposite direction, it's safe to say there's been a last-straw-type situation. You want to be a good neighbor, a caring, compassionate individual--not a patsy.
It's funny how one necessary, fed up "No" can erase the hundreds of times you gave a reluctant, but hopeful, "Yes". Some people don't want help. They want you to finance their incidentals, do their work, assume their responsibility. They have no idea how thoroughly they have exhausted those who WOULD lend a hand. They really thought they'd found a sucker and hit the jackpot, and the sucker was you. They asked. You gave. Maybe you gave one time too many. It didn't teach them to be grateful and giving, themselves. It taught them to be inconsiderate, selfish, and manipulative.

Desperation often causes people to have no shame in how they obtain what they need. While lying so boldly and creatively, perhaps one forgets just how easily and quickly information can be verified these days.
Some people have an extreme sense of entitlement. Based on what they ASSUME you have, they think it should be freely shared with them--regularly. What they don't want is for you to ask any questions. They don't want anyone in their business, but they're forever looking for a hook up. Out of whatever abundance you have, they think there's a portion for them, and will develop a gigantic attitude if you can't or won't honor their request(s).
A person with a legitimate need MIGHT care what you think about them, if you talk about them, or call them names AFTER you give them what they want. A con artist could care less. They're laughing all the way to where they TRULY intend to spend your money, or use your resources--and they're already thinking up a good sob story for the next time.
Some people have concluded that your Christianity makes you a pushover. They've searched and dogeared the Bible, not for themselves and their own lives, but for specific scriptures that indicate how they think YOU should respond to their schemes. They know what chapter and verse to use when they realize you are not as unhip and clueless as they thought. Their favorite line is, "You're SUPPOSED to be a Christian!" Your response should be, "I am one. Instead of berating me for not falling for your newest sob story/scam/con applaud the wisdom and discernment that allowed me to see through it, and stop trying to get over on people. Stop looking for something for nothing--and don't teach that deceptive behavior to your child(ren)".

EARTHQUAKE!!!

I was sooooooooooooo not ready for that! 

I was preparing to go out, so thank goodness I was dressed! 

When the Yellow Cab driver finally called, I told him I wouldn't be needing a taxi after all. 

My friend Dianna called, and had experienced the quake while on Alabama Avenue. She decided to just come and pick me up. 

In the meantime, my neighbor, who was a bit emotional, needed support. Dianna and I decided that my neighbor would be going with us, too. 

I'd packed a bag for the Art class I was scheduled to teach, but suddenly realized I should be packing to be away for a while. 

I laughed at myself when I got home and saw the bottle of alcohol in my purse. Had it been in my hand when I finally left the bathroom after the quake?

The noise of the late night flights headed to DCA are nothing compared to the 45 or so seconds I spent in my bathroom, wondering why the floor was not being its usual still, cooperative self. 

My first thought was that there had been an explosion. 

Earthquake never crossed my mind until I saw the wooden sculpture that had been on the bookshelf, lying at the foot of my bed. 

I'm still a little rattled. I'm not excited about the idea of aftershocks. I'm wondering how I did today. Did I panic? Was I ready? Does one even know what to do? How long did I just stand in the middle of the floor wondering, "What WAS that?" Was it a stop, drop and roll situation, or a stand in a doorway deal? 

Look. The earth has been pretty still for all of my 50 or so years. Clearly, there's something that's in no way new, but it's no longer relegated to the west coast. Today proved that it can and does happen. DC is as good a "divers place" as anywhere else, I suppose.

Spending time with the senior artists at Congress Heights Wellness Center was such a welcomed thing. Teaching delightful people who really wanted to learn didn't erase the memory of the quake, but it was a nice diversion. Knowing that neighbors care, was a nice thought, too.

I'm tired. I've snacked. I even did a few tee shirt designs to pass the time. Today could sooooooooo represent my one and only earthquake experience. I'm good. I don't ever have to go through that again. 

I need no convincing. It's not fun. Period.

MOVIE TIME

I've watched the best Sidney Poitier movies that I'd never seen before courtesy of Antenna TV. "Brother John" was one of the features and it was fantastic! I wondered why I'd never heard of it before--or maybe I had and it just slipped my mind. My "Blacks in The Arts" class freshman year at Howard was pretty thorough. I'm sure the movie and the character John Kane was somewhere in the syllabus among all of Poitier's other gems.
I LOVE old movies. Some reveal just how politically incorrect, but brutally honest our society used to be. Others reveal that there was dignity and grace in the roles portrayed by African American actors and actresses. Some of the roles went uncredited, and many were bit parts, but they were still significant. Seeing unknown faces in movies that were made when I was a child always makes me curious. Even if they're just extras I wonder, "Who ARE these people? Where are they now? What were their stories and what can they teach us today?
The Internet Movie database is a great resource, but after watching "Toys in The Attic" last night, the storyline concerning the character Henry Simpson led me to a site I'd never heard of. Blackpast.org included a biography of actor Frank Silvera. I read about him with interest the same way I did about Hadda Brooks after watching the 1950 drama "In A Lonely Place", and Edric Connor after watching "Fire Down Below".
Just because one has never heard of a person or thing, doesn't mean that he, she or it wasn't and is not presently relevant.
I've imagined a reality show called "Extras" where a camera zooms in on a face in a staged crowd, or some uncredited actor or actress, and then sets out to tell their story.

FRIDAY THOUGHTS: SUMMER PRODUCE

I had some tomatoes from Harris Teeter that reminded me of my grandmother's front yard tomato vine in Plaquemine. 

We'd sit on the grass with the water hose-- and a salt shaker.

Before I left last night, Daddy said, "Take some fruit." 

I thought I'd be polite and take only one peach.

I'm kinda sorry today. I could use one right now. 

I know. It's random, but this summer's produce has been excellent...: )