Leigh's Views

Are rules really meant to be broken?   I’m a strict rule-follower for the most part.   You tell me that these are the rules and I’ll do what I’m told.   Doesn’t matter if you’re a policeman, doctor, store employee, whatever – I’ll obey what I’m told 9 times out of 10.   And the 1 time I don’t, it’s because I simply don’t understand the use for sticking to the rule.   Like having only 10 items or less at the grocery store – if I have 11 items and there’s no one there, I’ll use that lane.   Okay, sure, it’s probably because of how I was raised.   My parents didn’t put a lot of rules on us kids – they gave us a lot of independence.   However, those rules we did have were to be followed at all costs.   There wasn’t much wiggle room there.   Okay, so I know someone who was raised in another country.   Not only did his parents have very strict rules, there wasn’t much freedom to be had because the country was communist.   So, here he is in America and feels that he can do pretty much anyth

I love it when I get to share an inside joke with someone.   You know, when someone can say one little word or simple phrase and both of you are chuckling in a heartbeat.   A while back, someone told me a rather inappropriate story at a party.   Until a few days ago, I never shared this tale with anyone.   However, it seemed to fit into the conversation I was having with a friend.   Well, afterwards one bit of this was so funny to my friend that he couldn’t let it go.   Thus, now, every so often, he says ‘paper towel’ and raises his eyebrows.   I instantly know what he’s referring to and break out laughing.    A second later, he’s chuckling too.   No one else has any clue what we think is so funny, which is part of what makes it so great.   Sometimes we need to have things that are just for us, things that don’t need to be shared with the rest of the world.   Being an open book is fine to a point, but sometimes we need to learn when to keep our mouths shut.   So, don’t ever ask me wh

I think I need to give up trying to do good deeds.   In the last few weeks, every time I’ve tried to do something nice I’ve been slapped in the face.   Both figuratively and literally.   Take the other day for example.   I found a wallet right next to my house.   For a man I’ve never met.   While this made me very uncomfortable given what I’ve been going through lately, I still was going to do my level best to return it.   So, I looked in it for identification.   Out of state license.   No help there even with a quick google search.   A debt card to an out of state bank.   Fine, I call the bank.   Explain the situation.   The woman asks for the debit card number and then my social.   Now hold up here, I’m not giving that info out just to try to get you to call your customer.   When I refuse, she hangs up on me.   Way to protect your customer from someone who has called to say they have their debit card and ain’t them.   Next, a business card to a mental health group.   Well, they can

Yesterday I wasn’t feeling well.   So, I headed off to my local coffeeshop since they have my favorite tea and sometimes soup.   I was in luck – the soup of the day sounded really good, chicken, rice something.   Thus, I sat down for a minute with my tea to wait for my take-out soup.   This young woman approached me.   “May I take a moment of your time to do a survey for my collage class?”   Uhm, who am I to say no to some poor college student going up to random strangers asking that?   “Okay.”   I reply.   “First question:   Are you transgender or …”   For the life of me I thought the second word she said was ‘cyborg’.   Sat for a moment, not sure where this survey was headed if this was the first question.   “I’m female?”   Was my reply.   “Oh, so you don’t know what that word is.   I’ll repeat it slowly.   Cisgender. “   Then she spelled if for me to make sure I got it right.   I felt like a two year old being taught ‘cat’ for the first time.   She then proceeded with the rest of

I have some friends who posted a plea for funds so their child in college could go on a European trip.   Ah, but don’t worry, the plea stated, it was for collage credit.   I sat for a moment after I saw this.   My first thought was, why were they wanting others to help pay for their kid’s college expenses?   My son worked his way through college.   No free loading there.   Yet, this is a family who is always posting photos on Facebook of the latest trip they’ve taken – New York, Disney, the beach.   Heck, they could’ve not taken one of those trips and paid for this trip the college kid wants.   And then it struck me – why isn’t the college kid paying her own way?   Doesn’t she have a job?   Has she ever had a job?   Now I know so many kids never work anymore but really, if you want something this badly, wouldn’t you want to work for it?   But in the end, why did these people think it was just fine to beg for money from other people this way?   Somehow, I think priorities have gotten

Okay, I’ll admit I’ve had a very bad week, well a bit more than that.   I knew it wasn’t going to be easy given the things I had to do but it’s turned out to be a lot more difficult then I’d ever imagined.   So today I decided to dedicate the whole day to regrouping – getting myself back in order.   However, fate had another idea in mind.   You see, I forgot that I had ordered something online.   And that today was the day it was going to be delivered.   And that, as luck would have, the young delivery driver, did not, in fact, know how to drive.   He beeped his horn and I rushed to the door, where I stood in horror upon opening it.   You see, he had missed the driveway.   Instead, he had backed up beside the drive and crushed every one of the solar pathway lights lining it.   I hadn’t even had my morning coffee yet, this was the last thing I needed.   So, there I stood, just inside the door sobbing.   I know, I know, its just 15 bucks worth of lights.   But here I was acting like he

Ever heard the expression “Find a penny, pick it up.   All the day you’ll have good luck.”?   I don’t know where I first heard it, my parents I guess.   But every time I see a penny anywhere, I happily pick it up as I recite this to myself.   Not just pennies - nickels, dimes and sometimes a quarter or two.   Since I walk a lot, I’ve turned this into a treasure hunt of sorts.   A friend of mine thinks I’m a little nuts for always picking up loose change.   Even after I told him the saying, he still couldn’t figure out why I do it.   Okay, he’s not from America – I guess there’s no equivalent to that saying in Cuba or Spain which is where he’s lived before.   So, I make sure anytime I’m with him I look extra hard for loose change just to rub it in his face.   Yeah, he’s never happy with me when I wave a new found coin at him.   But hey, some months I find as much as $20 and have lots of fun taking it to the bank.   You should see the tellers rolling their eyes when I walk in with a

I have a friend whose home was broken into.   No, not by a random stranger who was wanting to rob her blind.   Rather by someone she loved and trusted.   He had a key but, in anger, chose to break down the door instead of using said key.   Now she’s living in fear.   She’s barricaded the doors with chairs and everything else she can shove against them.   She jumps at every little sound.   She’s afraid to open the windows even a crack to get some fresh air.   She’s even afraid to leave her house to get the mail.   I guess she’ll have to leave the house when she runs out of food.   Okay, maybe not – in this day and age you can order just about anything online.   Our home is supposed to be our castle.   Our safe harbor from all the storms in life.   The place where we feel the most comfortable.   The place we can be our true selves.   The place we can retreat to and then be ready to face the world again another day.   But how does one move on when the one’s safe space in life has been v

I have a friend who often accuses me of lying.   Not because he has any evidence that I am.   Nor because I've ever given him any reason to think that I might be.   No, it’s for the simple fact he doesn’t like the answer.   I often answer back, “Just because you don’t like the answer doesn’t make it false.”   He usual response is a grunt.   Well, the other day, he decided to take this up a notch.   His reply was, “Well, can’t you change the answer?”   Hum, let’s see.   If I change the answer than I wouldn’t be telling the truth.   Thus, I would be lying to him.   Which he clearly doesn’t want me to do.   So, no I can’t simply change the answer.   Okay then, maybe I shouldn’t answer when I know it’s something that he’s not going to like my response to.   However, how long can I ignore his questions?   Nope, this is just something he’s going to have to get over.   Learn to accept the fact some things in life aren’t what we want.   Honesty isn’t something we can avoid to make someon

So, I was at my favorite coffee shop the other day.   Yeah, I know not exactly news.   Anyway, in walks this woman who announces that she just walked over an hour to get there.   Okay, well, what does she want, a gold star?   There didn’t seem to an obvious reason for her to be walking that far, she wasn’t overweight, she was modestly dressed.   Sure, I walk almost everywhere but I don’t walk that far just for the sake of walking.   Not when my favorite place to get a quick cup of something and a bite is less than 10 minutes from my house.   No, I need a legitimate reason to go so far from home and even then, I would need to think twice about it.   And why let the whole place know how far you walked?   What’s missing in her life to lead her to need such validation?   Fine, I get it.   Some people need to celebrate every little win.   But this seemed a bit over the top.   Where exactly is the line between being proud of your achievements and tooting your horn?   You know, I think this