Tonight is Christmas Eve and I started my evening out in a very cheery mood. Melynda and Gabe were coming over for a small Christmas dinner, and everything was in order. The table was set all fancy, and the dinner was all prepped and ready to go. I was planning on having a great evening.
After Thanksgiving dinner, Melynda and I had talked about filling a plate and driving around to find a homeless person to give it too. We got carried away with the evening and the many guests and forgot. We were determined to feed a less-fortunate person tonight. As soon as we finished eating, we loaded up a large Ziplock container with duck, mashed potatoes, candies yams, green beans almondine, cranberry sauce, stuffing, dinner rolls, pecan pie, and Christmas cookies. We bagged all the food up with a bottle of water, a coke, plastic utensils, wet wipes, and even a Coors Light that was left in my fridge from last nights beer can chicken (it's Christmas, what the heck).
Melynda and I were so excited to head out and give all of this yumminess to some appreciative hungry person. There are a lot of homeless people in Hawaii. I guess it makes sense because I couldn't personally think of a better place to live outside. Anyway, there is one guy in particular that Melynda and I are fond of. He is always wearing an Army shirt, and is always very grateful even if all I have to offer him is a granola bar, a pack of tinker bell fruit snacks and half a bottle of water. We named him Tom, but have decided to ask him his name one of these days. When we left the house tonight, we really wanted to find Tom. We found someone else in the spot where Tom can usually be found. This someone did not deserve to be named by us! On his way to our window he waved off someone trying to hand him a dollar, then changed his mind and went back to take it anyway. As he walked from that car to my car, I could hear him mutter, "Cheap somabitch". What?!?!? "Okay", I thought, "calm down. Even mean people need to eat". I reached for the goodies and tried to hand it the man. He turned his nose up and walked away yelling, "I'm Diabetic". He acted mad, like it was rude of me to be unaware of his condition and offer him a good meal. I think it was pretty clear he was only expecting cash. Both Melynda and I were completely shocked and didn't quite know how to react.
We set off down the road, passing Crazy Mary, the woman who lives at the bus stop across the parking lot from where Brad works. Crazy Mary has earned her name by yelling at strangers, trying to direct traffic, and numerous other psycho things that made us a little hesitant to stop for her. We drove by her and decided that we would stop on our way back if we couldn't find anyone else. We really wanted to find Tom, because we knew he would appreciate us.
We were cruising down the Nimitz Highway, and it started to rain. Melynda and I thought that the rain would lower our chances of finding someone outside and became a bit pessimistic. We continued to voice our disbelief about the "diabetic" guy. Our spirits were dropping lower with each empty corner we passed. We realized that what we were doing, trying to share our dinner with a hungry person, was almost as much for us as it was for the person in need. We wanted to feel good about our good deed, and we were pissed that we couldn't find someone to allows us to experience that. We were not being selfless people. We were just as needy as a starving homeless person. We needed to feed someone to be fulfilled ourselves. We were determined, though it might not have been for the right reasons.
We finally found a lady at a bus stop. We rolled down the window and politely asked her if she was hungry. She replied, "No, I'm not hungry. But, thank you for asking." We smiled and started to drive off (because the light was green), and as we were rolling away we think she was starting to tell us where we could find someone who was hungry...but it was too late. We were cruising again.
At least that lady was nice about it. But, seriously? How can our food be rejected by two homeless people. We had set out to do something good, and we were completely failing! I was distracted and accidentally got on the highway when we finally decided that we would try Crazy Mary. We had to drive by the first guy again to get to her. He came up to our window with a sign that read, "75 cents, please help the homeless". We thought about handing him three quarters, but just left the windows rolled up. I was mad at him.
We made it to Crazy Mary's bus stop and asked her if she was hungry. It turns out she is a vegetarian. I started to sympathize with her...I'd go crazy too, if I didn't eat meat for 10 years. Anyway, our cookies, water, stuffing, green beans, yams, etc weren't vegetarian enough for her I guess, because she passed too! What we thought was a kind gesture had now been REJECTED by three homeless people. What the heck?
Gabe and Brad were wondering why we had been gone so long, and Brad was calling me telling me that Sam was getting hungry. We had been driving around for 45 minutes at this point, so we decided to visit the guys that were working the gate on Christmas Eve. The two guards that were on shift, checking IDs to get on base, were very appreciative for the food, pie, cookies, etc. I told them not to drink the beer until they got home. :)
Melynda and I were finally fulfilled. I know that shouldn't be what it is all about, but we couldn't home un-empty handed. we tried so hard to feed a needy person, but they didn't need us. The guys at the gate needed us to brighten their evening, and we needed them to appreciate our gesture. I guess it worked out after all. The thing I just cannot get is how people who do not know the contents of our offering could refuse it so hastily.
I cannot speak for Melynda, but my heart took a little bit of a beating tonight. When we left the house on our mission, we were completely different than when we returned. Before we left, we talked about making a resolution to make food and hunt for homeless people on a regular basis, instead of just on holidays. I'm not sure that we will stick with that one now. :(
We had some wine and played some Apples to Apples, and were still able to enjoy our Christmas eve, but I don't think I will be able to get over the things that happened tonight. I'm thankful for the things I have, and wish I could share with others...but it's kind of hard to find people who want me to share with them, and that is discouraging.
Happy Christmas to all of the diabetics, vegetarians and non-hungry people out there. May they all find some other way to be fulfilled, if not by my yummy dinner.
Seriously though, Happy Christmas to everyone!
24 December 2009
18 December 2009
Kylie, Kylie, Kylie
Just because I am writing this blog in response to my sister Kylie's plea for attention doesn't make it any less sincere. :)
Kylie is my closest and most favorite sister (they are all my favorite in their own way, but Kylie is my MOST favorite). We can relate to each other in many ways, some of which might be embarrassing or incriminating, in which we are not able to relate to our other sisters...or to anyone for that matter.
Kylie and I are 15 months and 5 days apart. I never realized how close this made us until I had two babies 20 months apart. We share a bond that can only be shared by siblings who are part of the same generation. Aren't all siblings part of the same generation, you ask? Yes, if you consider generations to be the separation of grandparents, parents, and children. However, I am talking about the pop culture type of generations that separate Vanilla Ice, Salt-n-Pepa, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Miley Cirus. Our older sisters and our younger brother are just on either side of the lines that define the times of OUR youth. Though our relationship didn't exactly thrive during our teen years, we can still understand things about each other now just for having experienced those teen years together.
Kylie is smart. She might not have a Ph.D., but she could probably write a more grammatically correct thesis than many people who get to be called doctor. She not only possess the skills to use the English language properly, but she is just really good at portraying herself as an intelligent human being. Some people have serious problems doing that these days, but not Kylie. Even if she doesn't know what she is talking about, she can make you believe that she does. :)
Kylie is beautiful. She is very skilled with make up and make up tools, but she doesn't really need all that stuff. She has great skin, a great smile, and looks great with a naked face. BUT, the girl can sell some make up! Just looking at her flawless makeup job would make anyone want to purchase a bunch of cosmetics from her. She is definitely in the right line of work! In fact, at the swap meet on Wednesday, I happened to notice some awful hibiscus print "Hammer" pants. The woman selling them was wearing a pair. I made a mental note that people who are trying to sell a product should not wear that product unless it actually looks good on them. I've seen women at make up counters and wondered how they get to keep their jobs with the way that their make up looks. Kylie is NOT one of these people. She wears her product perfectly!
Kylie is witty. Sometimes I say something that I think is hilarious and she is the only one who gets me. We have very similar senses of humor, which I'm very thankful for. I sometimes wonder if I'd be as satirical as I am without her influence. I love that we can quote things that nobody else can catch on to. It sometimes feels like we are on the inside of one big inside joke and that nobody else knows what we are talking about, and it is great!
Kylie is the only person that never really judges me. Though this means that our relationship lacks a certain amount of accountability, that is okay with me. I have enough other people to call me out when I do things that might be considered inappropriate or wrong. I like that I don't have to worry about that with her. She just lets me be me and leaves it at that.
Sometimes I make Kylie mad, and I don't understand why. It's really hard for me when things like that happen, because I have convinced myself that I know her well enough to avoid things like that. I should be able to tell when something I say might piss her off. Well, nobody is perfect.
Kylie is not perfect. She has her faults and has made her mistakes (none of which I will be listing here), but she also has so many of the qualities that I appreciate in a person that it makes it easy to overlook the discrepancies. Kylie may not be perfect, but she is beautiful, smart, witty, non-judgmental, and the person who knows me the best in this world. I'm so thankful for her.
I can feel that "Things I'm Thankful For" blog trying to come out! When I actually write that blog, it will be because Kylie did one and I wanted to copy her. It will happen soon enough.
Kylie is my closest and most favorite sister (they are all my favorite in their own way, but Kylie is my MOST favorite). We can relate to each other in many ways, some of which might be embarrassing or incriminating, in which we are not able to relate to our other sisters...or to anyone for that matter.
Kylie and I are 15 months and 5 days apart. I never realized how close this made us until I had two babies 20 months apart. We share a bond that can only be shared by siblings who are part of the same generation. Aren't all siblings part of the same generation, you ask? Yes, if you consider generations to be the separation of grandparents, parents, and children. However, I am talking about the pop culture type of generations that separate Vanilla Ice, Salt-n-Pepa, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and Miley Cirus. Our older sisters and our younger brother are just on either side of the lines that define the times of OUR youth. Though our relationship didn't exactly thrive during our teen years, we can still understand things about each other now just for having experienced those teen years together.
Kylie is smart. She might not have a Ph.D., but she could probably write a more grammatically correct thesis than many people who get to be called doctor. She not only possess the skills to use the English language properly, but she is just really good at portraying herself as an intelligent human being. Some people have serious problems doing that these days, but not Kylie. Even if she doesn't know what she is talking about, she can make you believe that she does. :)
Kylie is beautiful. She is very skilled with make up and make up tools, but she doesn't really need all that stuff. She has great skin, a great smile, and looks great with a naked face. BUT, the girl can sell some make up! Just looking at her flawless makeup job would make anyone want to purchase a bunch of cosmetics from her. She is definitely in the right line of work! In fact, at the swap meet on Wednesday, I happened to notice some awful hibiscus print "Hammer" pants. The woman selling them was wearing a pair. I made a mental note that people who are trying to sell a product should not wear that product unless it actually looks good on them. I've seen women at make up counters and wondered how they get to keep their jobs with the way that their make up looks. Kylie is NOT one of these people. She wears her product perfectly!
Kylie is witty. Sometimes I say something that I think is hilarious and she is the only one who gets me. We have very similar senses of humor, which I'm very thankful for. I sometimes wonder if I'd be as satirical as I am without her influence. I love that we can quote things that nobody else can catch on to. It sometimes feels like we are on the inside of one big inside joke and that nobody else knows what we are talking about, and it is great!
Kylie is the only person that never really judges me. Though this means that our relationship lacks a certain amount of accountability, that is okay with me. I have enough other people to call me out when I do things that might be considered inappropriate or wrong. I like that I don't have to worry about that with her. She just lets me be me and leaves it at that.
Sometimes I make Kylie mad, and I don't understand why. It's really hard for me when things like that happen, because I have convinced myself that I know her well enough to avoid things like that. I should be able to tell when something I say might piss her off. Well, nobody is perfect.
Kylie is not perfect. She has her faults and has made her mistakes (none of which I will be listing here), but she also has so many of the qualities that I appreciate in a person that it makes it easy to overlook the discrepancies. Kylie may not be perfect, but she is beautiful, smart, witty, non-judgmental, and the person who knows me the best in this world. I'm so thankful for her.
I can feel that "Things I'm Thankful For" blog trying to come out! When I actually write that blog, it will be because Kylie did one and I wanted to copy her. It will happen soon enough.
17 December 2009
Christmas Cheer
It's 12:28 am on Thursday, December 17th. I just finished wrapping and boxing up Christmas presents. By 'finished' I mean finished for tonight. I still have lots to do. I had a plan to have all of the Christmas shopping done and everything shipped off before I went back home for Burt's wedding. That didn't even come close to happening. I really thought today was going to be the day. Nope. I don't think it's going to happen tomorrow either. I cringe when I glance over at the stack of boxes waiting to be mailed. I'm estimating about $150 for shipping, and that's not even including the heaviest box, which I have yet to pack. Perhaps, next year, I will send gift cards in envelopes that only require stamps. I hate going into the post office, giving them a bunch of stuff and a bunch of money, then leaving empty handed. I know that I am paying for a valuable service, but 200 bucks is a lot to spend and have nothing tangible to show for it. The thing that is horrible about Hawaii (which I thought I was done with once I left Japan) is that packages have to be mailed priority. There is no 'ground' or 'parcel post' shipping that costs 1/3 of the price. Nope. Even if the package doesn't have to reach a destination for a month or two, priority shipping is a must. Boo.
Anyway, despite my hatred for the post office, and my sleepiness as I'm writing this, I am still full of Christmas spirit! The house is decorated, there are wrapped presents beneath the tree (which smell happens to smell wonderful) and, as I typed up the Team Hayes Christmas letter last night, I was reminded of how much I have been blessed this year. I love this time of year, even though it comes with so much stress. It is so worth all the trouble of parking, getting the kids in and out of the car, waiting in lines while shopping, trips to the post office and trying to stay organized. It makes me so happy to walk outside after dark and see all of the lights. Christmas is expensive, but I can't think of many things on which I'd rather spend my money.
I feel the beginnings of a Things-I'm-Thankful-For blog stirring in my head. However, my head is ready for sleep right now. I am headed to bed with a heart full of joy and hopefully I will be blessed with some serious Christmas energy in the morning!
Anyway, despite my hatred for the post office, and my sleepiness as I'm writing this, I am still full of Christmas spirit! The house is decorated, there are wrapped presents beneath the tree (which smell happens to smell wonderful) and, as I typed up the Team Hayes Christmas letter last night, I was reminded of how much I have been blessed this year. I love this time of year, even though it comes with so much stress. It is so worth all the trouble of parking, getting the kids in and out of the car, waiting in lines while shopping, trips to the post office and trying to stay organized. It makes me so happy to walk outside after dark and see all of the lights. Christmas is expensive, but I can't think of many things on which I'd rather spend my money.
I feel the beginnings of a Things-I'm-Thankful-For blog stirring in my head. However, my head is ready for sleep right now. I am headed to bed with a heart full of joy and hopefully I will be blessed with some serious Christmas energy in the morning!
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