Feeling my Equal Rights for All Oats This Weekend

If I saw  COLOR  before I saw the person and decided they were not for me....

I would never have gotten to go to Stonewall Inn and  Maries’s Crises all  in one night.

 I would never have front row seats at shows, after fabulous dinners  

I would never have been  a Lady of Honor in a  wedding at the Waldorf.

I would be missing out on  friends who always know when to comment on how the color of my eyes match the color of my outfit.

I would   never learn  that a true friend is one who crosses  town in a blizzard because making it to a favorite aunts wake is really important.

I would never know the  person who took better care of my parents than I did, and who will always be  a sister to me.

I would have had to go the  hospital alone  the day my mother died if a  dear friend with an African name  hadn’t insisted on driving me, and when the doctor asked if she was family she said YES and that was that.

I would have been alone at the hospital the day  my father was dying if his first client hadn’t come to sit with me, because “Mr Reardon always took care of me and I’m gonna take care of you”.

I would still  be stranded downtown after the Megabus got in from Chicago at 1:00  am because no one was willing to come pick me up at that hour.

I would always be worried about my cat when I go out of town. Instead, I worry that he will get so much love he will be sorry I am back.

I would have been wandering the Cape for hours by myself in search of a yarn store.

Who would I discuss   The Golden Girls and Will and Grace with?

You  realize  I am using  the word “color” to mean the literal  color of a person’s skin as well as the figurative  color of the flag that represents them, right? If iit's a clunky analogy it is because its so obvious  in my head I may not be putting it into words well.

If I saw COLOR  before I saw  people I would be missing  out on a bunch of them..wonderful people who I would be lost without. People I have joyful times with, and people  who haven’t  been too tired, too busy,  too whatever.. .when I have needed them  most.

So when it comes  to equal rights for all   this straight white girl does have a horse in the  race because if it effects people I cherish it effects  me.  

You don’t want to mess with me when I have a cause.

To Flee or Not to Flee or The Vicious Circle

Due to job related  circumstances beyond my control (  decent money/close to home/  even  a  tad of satisfaction  thrown in every so often ) two night a weeks I am forced to eat  "dinner" at 4:45 pm. Now this would be fine if I was named Lillian  and lived in Boca, but I am more of a Dinner at 8 girl. Every day I struggle with the question.. Should I bring leftovers  from home and  partake in  our  aqua and orange circa 1982 staff room?

 Or, should I hit the open road and travel to Whole Foods, which is 5-7 minutes away, depending on traffic?  Then I think..all the studies say its good to get out in the course of a work day...and it is not going to rain  today ..and I  imagine the impending  "conversations" (I use the term loosely since its mostly just talking, but that is a whole other post)  in the above mentioned aqua/orange room..and I realize I need

cat food (see above) and the decision is made.
 Of course I will end up spending $50 on a handful of things none of which are necessary, except for the cat food of course.


And that is why I  can't take the hypothetical dream job at some fledgling  but amazing arts organization that will only pay $20,000 a year but will be amazingly fulfilling and creative...
The circle is complete. 

I distinctly remember  the first time I said  the words " you could burst into flames and she wouldn't notice". It was sometime in the 90s, and it was  after work at the Roxy (yeah, really) and a co-worker was talking about someone who was always talking at  her, about herself. Of course the person talking to me was doing the same thing to me, so it was a total down the rabbit hole situation.