Original Post Aug 5, 2011
I recently had someone, who I have known most of my, life tell me that it appears to them that I have lost Me. This person stated that I used to love animals and now I am complaining about them being in my yard. That I don’t do the things I used to do and how, because of the car I drive and the fact that I tend to find myself in the Starbucks drive thru on occasion, that I have turned more yuppie girl than country girl. I guess one thing I should mention is this person and I have not spent more than a few minutes together at a time over the past twenty five years and yet the person felt qualified to psychoanalyze me. I guess in reality I should not have given the comments much credence much less devote an entire blog to it but for some reason because of this assessment of the person I have become weighed heavy on my mind. I was trying to find out why it bothered me so much and the only reason I can come up with is that the way this person referred to the “new me” seemed to insinuate that the new me was somehow not as good as the old me. It made me look closely at the person I have become to see if I could see the “flaws” that was so apparent to this person. I dissected each comment just to see if my point of view coincided with that of the person in question and can honestly say I just don’t agree with the point of view expressed. First let me be clear that I don’t really see the word yuppie as being derogatory, it is just that the context in which this person used it seemed to be a less than admirable quality of my character and I guess I take offence at the questioning of my character.
I was told that there was a time when I absolutely loved animals and now all I do is complain about them. Let me be clear that I love animals. I would have a house full of them IF it wasn’t for the fact that I would have to take care of them and clean up after them. Is it wrong to want to have a clean house that does not reek of animal odor? I can’t go to the mall without visiting the pet shop and looking at all of the adorable puppies, kittens and bunnies. I always find at least one or two I would love to bring home with me and, at times, it takes great willpower in order to leave their sad little faces behind.
I love bunnies. I even love seeing bunnies in my yard but I don’t love it when the bunnies decapitate the flowers that I also love looking at in my yard. I love watching the squirrels chase each other around the trees and perform acrobatic actions scaling the fencing which lines our yard. What I don’t like is when the same squirrels eat all of the food from the bird feeders and eat the corn that I myself was hoping to enjoy. I also like woodpeckers. I smile when I see them on my birdfeeder and also think it is pretty cool to hear them drumming their beaks into a tree. Does it make me such a bad person to admit that I do not like when the same birds drill holes into my house?
As for the car I drive, I recently purchased a Jetta. While it may seem like a luxury in this economy to purchase a new vehicle, was it so wrong that I traded in my six year old Durango which got 14 miles to a gallon of gas for a car which now gets double the gas millage? I loved my Durango and actually mourned its loss however I do not miss how expensive it was to operate. As for buying a foreign car, I assure you I test drove multiple vehicles from nearly every lot in town before I decided on the one that I felt was right for me. It just so happened that the car I fell in love with was a Jetta.
While I am on a role I must also address the issue of Starbucks. I happen to enjoy my occasional cup of flavored goodness. Am I happy that I have to spend a small fortune in doing so? Not in the least but until I find something that I enjoy as much for a lesser price then I will continue to patronize the store and enjoy the product that I have come to love. I would gladly make my own if I had the knowledge to do so but I don’t. Enough said.
I could go on and on about the products I use or the things that I enjoy that may seem overly indulgent to some but then again, why should I have to justify my life to others? I feel I have been very fortunate that I have been able to visit and even live in a multitude of different places and experience things in life that many have not. Some people have not had the luxury or necessity of expanding their horizons. I consider myself lucky to have lived the life I have been blessed with. I also feel that at times I have paid a high cost in order to do so. Still, I can honestly say I am content with the person I have become because of the situations our lifestyle has put me in. The bottom line is if you don’t like me or the person I have become then don’t call, write or come see me. Feel free to delete me as a friend on Facebook or remove me from your e-mail account. I would much prefer any of these actions to the alternative of you lumping my perceived flaws into a single derogatory category. You may not like the person you think I have become but, I assure you, I am quite happy with whom I am and the things I do and honestly, at the end of the day, in my opinion, that is all that really matters.
I recently had someone, who I have known most of my, life tell me that it appears to them that I have lost Me. This person stated that I used to love animals and now I am complaining about them being in my yard. That I don’t do the things I used to do and how, because of the car I drive and the fact that I tend to find myself in the Starbucks drive thru on occasion, that I have turned more yuppie girl than country girl. I guess one thing I should mention is this person and I have not spent more than a few minutes together at a time over the past twenty five years and yet the person felt qualified to psychoanalyze me. I guess in reality I should not have given the comments much credence much less devote an entire blog to it but for some reason because of this assessment of the person I have become weighed heavy on my mind. I was trying to find out why it bothered me so much and the only reason I can come up with is that the way this person referred to the “new me” seemed to insinuate that the new me was somehow not as good as the old me. It made me look closely at the person I have become to see if I could see the “flaws” that was so apparent to this person. I dissected each comment just to see if my point of view coincided with that of the person in question and can honestly say I just don’t agree with the point of view expressed. First let me be clear that I don’t really see the word yuppie as being derogatory, it is just that the context in which this person used it seemed to be a less than admirable quality of my character and I guess I take offence at the questioning of my character.
I was told that there was a time when I absolutely loved animals and now all I do is complain about them. Let me be clear that I love animals. I would have a house full of them IF it wasn’t for the fact that I would have to take care of them and clean up after them. Is it wrong to want to have a clean house that does not reek of animal odor? I can’t go to the mall without visiting the pet shop and looking at all of the adorable puppies, kittens and bunnies. I always find at least one or two I would love to bring home with me and, at times, it takes great willpower in order to leave their sad little faces behind.
I love bunnies. I even love seeing bunnies in my yard but I don’t love it when the bunnies decapitate the flowers that I also love looking at in my yard. I love watching the squirrels chase each other around the trees and perform acrobatic actions scaling the fencing which lines our yard. What I don’t like is when the same squirrels eat all of the food from the bird feeders and eat the corn that I myself was hoping to enjoy. I also like woodpeckers. I smile when I see them on my birdfeeder and also think it is pretty cool to hear them drumming their beaks into a tree. Does it make me such a bad person to admit that I do not like when the same birds drill holes into my house?
As for the car I drive, I recently purchased a Jetta. While it may seem like a luxury in this economy to purchase a new vehicle, was it so wrong that I traded in my six year old Durango which got 14 miles to a gallon of gas for a car which now gets double the gas millage? I loved my Durango and actually mourned its loss however I do not miss how expensive it was to operate. As for buying a foreign car, I assure you I test drove multiple vehicles from nearly every lot in town before I decided on the one that I felt was right for me. It just so happened that the car I fell in love with was a Jetta.
While I am on a role I must also address the issue of Starbucks. I happen to enjoy my occasional cup of flavored goodness. Am I happy that I have to spend a small fortune in doing so? Not in the least but until I find something that I enjoy as much for a lesser price then I will continue to patronize the store and enjoy the product that I have come to love. I would gladly make my own if I had the knowledge to do so but I don’t. Enough said.
I could go on and on about the products I use or the things that I enjoy that may seem overly indulgent to some but then again, why should I have to justify my life to others? I feel I have been very fortunate that I have been able to visit and even live in a multitude of different places and experience things in life that many have not. Some people have not had the luxury or necessity of expanding their horizons. I consider myself lucky to have lived the life I have been blessed with. I also feel that at times I have paid a high cost in order to do so. Still, I can honestly say I am content with the person I have become because of the situations our lifestyle has put me in. The bottom line is if you don’t like me or the person I have become then don’t call, write or come see me. Feel free to delete me as a friend on Facebook or remove me from your e-mail account. I would much prefer any of these actions to the alternative of you lumping my perceived flaws into a single derogatory category. You may not like the person you think I have become but, I assure you, I am quite happy with whom I am and the things I do and honestly, at the end of the day, in my opinion, that is all that really matters.
RSS Feed