But this morning, something happened to restore my faith in human beings! After dropping my son off at preschool, the other two and I decided to go to Sams Club (well more like I decided… they just came along for the ride). We arrived at 9:15. It is winter so getting kids in and out of the vehicle can be quite a feat. I strapped Brody into my Bjorn and had Sophie latch on to my hand. We made our way slowly to the entrance of Sams Club. Once there, I expected the doors to open (cuz they usually just do)… though much to my chagrin they remained closed. Then I saw the “Open Hours” sign and saw that for regular folk (such as myself) the doors don’t open until 10:00. However, premium business gold members get to go in at 7. Makes sense right? You pay $60 more a year then you should be able to shop for three hours in peace before the “every man” enters the doors.

Still, I was a little frustrated from the standpoint of actually having to trudge back to the car and get the kids buckled in and all the while plotting our next destination. Every parent knows what a job it is to get the kids in and out of the car *anytime* but it can be especially frustrating during the winter when it is cold outside and the weather is less than kind.

Then, I heard my name being called. Well not exactly my name per say…. but “ma’am” counts since I was basically the only one standing out front. There was a Sams club employee shoveling the walk and got my attention because of a lady who saw us from inside of the store and came out to help.

She motioned for me to follow her inside. I got the kids in the cart and when it came time to show off my card to the Sams Club door police, the SC door-police woman asked if I was a gold member. Before I could say anything the lady said…. “she is with me.” and just like that I was in like flynn.

Wow. She was like a guardian angel. After I thanked her, I didn’t see her again in the store. I wanted to buy flowers for her. Or something.

I can be a bit obtuse sometimes (for real, I think I live in my own little lalala land at times) so I didn’t exactly “comprehend” what the plan was while outside (as no words passed between the kind stranger and I) but once inside got it instantly and thanked her profusely for her kindness.

This simple act of kindness completely made my day. I immediately wanted to go out and pay it forward somehow.

What simple acts of kindness have you granted to people or what has been done for you?

There was a certain satisfaction in knowing that businesses and such are reaching out to do what they can during a situation that involves a lost or kidnapped child. So many scary things out there that could in deed happen to our children. It’s nice to know that in some way people are looking out for other people.

Leo – November 24, 2008

Today’s planetary energies are encouraging you to open up more to your world, your culture, and new ways of thinking, dear Leo. You don’t have to go off alone in the desert to reinvent everything. For you, this would be the easy way out because it allows you to hide! Develop your curiosity about what exists in our society. Your opinion will carry weight later on.

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Interesting… I feel that I have been opening up more to my world. New ways of thinking have me excited and determined! I am definitely not alone in my quest for a good life and it’s exciting to have people along for the ride! It’s like we’re all on this big roller coaster together waiting for the belly-flip effect.

I tape interesting Dr. Phil segments regularly. I am a fan and a critic of Dr. Phil. Psychology and learning why people do what they do and how they (myself included) can change their thinking and their internal dialogue is intriguing to say the least.

Today he explored the topic of gay marriage or more specifically Proposal 8 (currently voted on in California). He had a panel that consisted of 3 people on each side of the debate.

The question that came into my mind after listening to both sides was: Aside from the religious aspect, how does gay marriage hurt anyone? Does it really hurt the family dynamic? How is it any different than back in the day when interracial marriages were the subject of scrutiny and public outrage? Should the government even be involved in our personal affairs?

So yeah… I guess that was more than a single question… lol!

Although, some of my friends love Starbucks coffee, I haven’t tried it yet. Or rather developed a fetish for it.

What are your favorite caffeinated drinks?

There are so many fun things going on this weekend! We (my group of friends) and I have some awesome surprises for one of our friends within the group who is getting married! All of the girls and I have worked so hard on this! I can’t wait until it happens! One of the things we did is rent a hotel room for the happy couple. There are some more surprises too, but since she reads this blog every once in awhile, I don’t want to ruin the surprise. She already knows about the hotel room part but only so that she could get a babysitter for the kids.

Then Saturday, more surprises for the bride that includes a fun day and then everyone getting dressed up for her wedding reception!

I have to go out and get some things this morning from the store (groceries, dog supplies, hair stuff, etc.). If I don’t do it now… i’ll never be able to find the time to do it this weekend!

YAY! Friday!

Tired of all the excuses,

Tired of being tired all of the time;

I spend my life broken into a thousand shards of glass

Shards that are swept into different directions,

Never touching,

Never seeing what could be as a whole.

You say you want me to respect you,

But you have no respect for me,

You have no time for me;

So I make sure I have no time for you.

Yet you blame me;

You’re always blaming me.

If loving you for the rest of my life,

Is what I am supposed to do;

Then kill me.

Thrill me.

But love me too.

Everything is my fault,

At least that’s what they say;

But I happen to see it a different way.

If you took a second look at yourself,

The mirror would laugh,

And you would then know that you too are at fault.

But you won’t look.

Your own perfection is too important for you to see,

How you really treat me.