"Fake Santa"

So... I'm standing in line with my seven year old cousin (Dezi), waiting to see Santa. The closer we get to the front of the line, the more antsy and nervous he seemed to get. Finally, he turned to me, and the following conversation took place...

Dezi: Is this the real Santa?

Me: Um, yes. Of course it is! Who else would it be?

Dezi: (clearly distraught by my answer) AW MAAAN!

Me: Aw man, what? Did you not want the real one?

Dezi: If it's the real one, he's going to know I was bad this year!

Well, well, well... What do we have here? A seven year old who would rather embrace a "fake" Santa who doesn't really know if he has been naughty or nice, rather than the "real" Santa who actually knew he had been naughty. Hmmm...let's take a minute to digest that.

The Woman in the Big Black Truck

In conversations about the homeless, this question always comes up:

"So, should I give money to them or not? How do I know they're not going to buy alcohol with it?"

My response is always this:

"If you are going to give, use your own discernment and do it from your heart without judgement. It is not up to you to judge."

That response can be applied in many different scenarios. For example- I think that most of us would be much more willing to give a few dollars to someone who appears to be in need, rather than someone who appears to be doing fairly well. But honestly...who are we to judge who is doing well, and who is not?

Earbuds

I have a secret to share.

Sometimes, when I'm working out, walking the dog, or studying at the coffee house...I wear earbuds. Yes, earbuds- the little pod shaped earphones that are supposed to fit comfortably inside the ear. I wear those. Mine are not very fancy. They're not covered in rhinestones or engineered to create some kind of supernatural musical experience. I just have the plain white set that came with my iPhone. I know a lot of other people wear earbuds because it's the new thing now, but I've never actually opened up and said it, so I figured I should. So there...the secret's out.

30 in a 65

Three middle fingers.
Five tail-riders.
Two obnoxious hoooooooonks.
Countless awkward stairs from passer-byers.