Who AM I?!

I went to Michael's, the art store, to buy things for a couple projects. I had started these projects with good intentions.

I needed to get supplies to kick off the toy drive I help organize at my office for the kids at Peace4Kids, the group I volunteer with on Saturdays. And I was buying cake-decorating supplies for my friend's birthday cake. See? Good intentions.

The store was a zoo. By the time I was in line, I'd been there for nearly an hour. The man in front of me told the clerk he'd had a helluva time finding the pieces he needed to complete his holiday wreath. To which she replied, "A wreath? What's a wreath?"

My head went into text-speak. "SMH," I thought, while trying not to actually physically shake my head. A Michael's craft store employee who doesn't know what a wreath is. No wonder I couldn't find anything I needed. I tweeted this sentiment above while in line.

When I got to the register, I asked the young girl, probably about 20, how she was doing. With a very cheery, sincere smile she told me she was just glad to be here, working. I asked if she was being facetious, and she said, "Nope, I'm glad to have extra hours and to earn money. I'm saving up to buy a car."

Immediately I regretted this tweet. This wasn't a lazy employee who didn't care to learn about the items in a craft store. She wasn't some ignorant, clueless girl who didn't know what a wreath was.

She was a hardworking woman, just happy to have a job. She's working and earning money to buy her own car. She also was aware enough to ask what a wreath was, which takes courage and shows a desire to learn.

What kind of snob am I that I would fault some minimum-wage-earning 20-year-old for not knowing what a wreath was? She's working at Michael's. Depending on her background, income and upbringing, she may never have had a wreath. Wreaths are decorative items people buy when they're not busy worrying about food, bills and school.

Who am I to be so judgmental? Who am I to be so elitist? Who am I?

I'm someone who has been fortunate enough to get an education and keep a job. I'm someone who understands that some people are less fortunate, and generally, I care about them. I am also a professional editor who pronounced "misled" as "myzld" for years into adulthood. It doesn't mean I'm not good at what I do, just that I always have room to learn. Just like the Michael's craft store employee who didn't know what a wreath was -- she has room to learn. We all do, right?

Obama and a Hug From the Universe

I prepped all the taco toppings Monday night and marinated the chicken. The plan was to come home after work the next day to a fully prepared meal so that we could flip on the TV and get straight to watching the election results trickle in. 

Tuesday night, after anxiously checking the news during my final hours of the workday, I finally got home. I checked the simmering seasoned chicken in the Crock Pot then flipped on the TV. 

And something disconcerting happened. The TV did not turn on. On election Tuesday. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to you. But me? Well, I panicked. My friend K, who came over to eat dinner and watch the results with me, walked in. I told her the news. In a tizzy, I called my landlord. Of all days, today the roofers had come to redo the roof, he reminded me. And they’d knocked down my satellite dish in the process. Freaking marvelous.

There was a brief moment I worried this would ruin my night. My natural inclination was to let it. But then I decided my presidential candidate was going to win, and I would do all I could to enjoy it. We quickly shoveled in our tacos while calling nearby bars to see who was broadcasting the news. We grabbed our jackets, poured the remaining margaritas into to-go cups, and headed out.

We ran into my very fun neighbor guys on the walk, and they told us the election had been called; Obama won. I let out a little whoop. My night was made. It didn’t matter that I was now surrounded by Republicans. We walked to the bar together and watched the speeches and talked and joked and enjoyed fun inter-party banter.

There was no way I would’ve had as much fun just the two of us sitting in my apartment, though we can be a lot of fun. We embraced the misfortune of a toppled satellite dish. We broke party barriers and broke L.A. misconceptions about neighbors not being friendly. We said yes, and it was worth it.

It kinda felt like a trust game I played with the universe. The Universe caught me when I thought the night was plummeting down. And we still got to enjoy these delicious, completely homemade chicken tacos.