Friday, August 31, 2007

Words will never hurt me...

Today was an interesting day where I of course encountered many unexpected things. I went to the meeting at New Start 2 this morning and really enjoyed it. Last week, all the people were told as homework to do something nice for someone else and not tell them about it. The basic idea is that a giver will get over addiction whereas a taker will not. This morning, everyone discussed what they had done and it was really nice and touching to hear some of the things. I had chills after a few of them.
After the meeting, I went to the new property and then returned back to the office. At the end of the day, I headed off to the car to go home. I encountered a man on a bike who was clearly not quite with it and was yelling at me. I will not quote him because he was rather offensive but it got me thinking a little bit. Had someone else said the same things to me, I might have been a little offended but in this situation, I just walked a little faster and broke out laughing when I got in the car. Insults don't carry the same sting when it tends to be just a part of the everyday interactions of some people. This morning, I was in Friendship Park when someone said "skinny ass white girl." This wasn't so much an insult, and could even be taken as a compliment. It just goes to show what you'll hear/see everyday in an environment that most of us aren't accustomed to. Each day brings something different and unexpected but presents an opportunity for growth. I can only imagine what I'll see/hear in the next year if I've already been exposed to so much in just a few weeks.

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