#79 - Not a Very Good Catholic

I seem to write thematically on this blog, meaning I group my peeves in themes. So, after yesterday's post on attitudes of Catholic school parents, it stands to reason I should go off on another Catholic topic - the new Roman Missal & the new translation of the mass.  I must be a dud Catholic (dud as in I don't give a rat's ass) because I don't really get what the uproar is about with the new translation of the mass that will be coming out in another week - the 1st Sunday of Advent - and I have done a pretty fair amount of reading and researching in order to do adult classes for our parents at church on the subject.  Please don't misunderstand me.  I am not saying I agree with the translation but the reasons behind the new missal make sense.  And for me, it is all just words.  My relationship with God is not going to change because I will now say the word "consubstantial" instead of "one in being".  So, listening to people on both sides either complain about or rave about the changes is a bit humorous to me.  One of the funniest things I heard the other day was in favor of it.  I was commenting on the fact that I couldn't believe next week was Thanksgiving already and that it was the 1st Sunday of Advent, and the response I got was "yes, and we start using the new Roman Missal that weekend.  I have been waiting for 30 years for this!" REALLY??? 30 YEARS????? This person is in his late 40s, which would have made him in his late teens 30 years ago, and you're telling me he was actually looking forward to the day when we would have a new translation of the mass!!!??? Man, all I was looking forward to in my late teens was the weekend!!! Guess I wasn't a very good Catholic!

                                                                 

#78 - I'm Better Than You

It really bothers me to witness one person's superiority over another. Why do people act superior?  For a number of reasons too numerous to list, but here are just a few.

1. Because they think they are better.

2. Because they think they are smarter.

3. Because they have more money.

4. Because of the color of their skin.

5. Because they attend a Catholic school.

This last possible reason is the catalyst for this post.  I remember as a child attending Catholic school in NY and having early dismissal on Wednesday (1:00pm) so those "public school" kids could come and have their "CCD" class.  And what was the attitude of all the wonderfully Christian Catholic children in my class - put away anything you didn't want the "public school" kids to take, because we just knew they were all Bonnie & Clyde in disguise, just waiting for their oppportunity to steal our pencil cases. I would like to think this attitude has changed since I was in grammar school, but unfortunately it has not totally gone away.  To make matters worse, it is not really coming from the actual kids in Catholic school, but from the parents.  The my-kids-are-in-catholic-school-and-there-is-nothing-more-they-can-learn-from-you-in-the-parish-concerning-sacramental-prep-attitude, is alive and well in some parents (not all, thankfully).  And it is re-enforced by some clergy who have "the Catholic school is the only way to go" mentality, and that kids in public school are not on the same level as their counterparts in Catholic school.  Shame on everyone for teaching kids at an early age how to look down upon others! And we wonder why kids grow up to be arrogant, superior, holier-than-thou types of adults???!!! Perhaps those same parents and clergy need to ask themselves WWJD.

                                                                        

#77 - Attic Hoarding

I have a colleague (no names will be mentioned to protect the innocent!) who loves the show "Hoarders" (at least I think that's the name). She has a sick fascination (she acknowledges this, it is not an editorial comment by me) with people who are hoarders, even though it is an addictive, psychological, emotional issue that results in people not being able to function in their own homes (i.e. so much stuff is accumulated, there is not even a space on their bed to sleep).  So, because of our conversations on this topic, I have come to the realization that I am an attic hoarder.  Attics, garages & storage sheds seem to be the catch-all places for crap.  And my attic is no different, with the exception of something that may not be present in most homes - all of my two children's school work.  Oh no, I'm not talking about 12 years of report cards or that special science project award or the best book report award. No, I am referring to 12 years of EVERY bit of schoolwork my children ever did.  Large black garbage bags filled with these papers.  And for what?  Do we take then out every June around graduation time and nostalgically (yes, Brad, that is a word!) sit around, reminiscing about the hours spent on a particular homework assignment? No, they have stayed, accumulating in the black bags in the attic for the past 26 years that we have lived in our house.  The bags have started to disintegrate, but not those papers!!! And do my grown children who have children of their own, want these cherished tidbits of memorabilia. Oh, hell no! All they want me to find are the transformers and She-ra & He-Man artifacts!  So, it is on my list of to-do projects this winter (cannot go up in the attic in the summer - it's like an oven up there!) to venture into the land of attic hoarders and finally get rid of these bags of papers.  The problem is that I will most likely need to take a week off from work to do it, because although my children may not want these pieces of the past, I still find them fascinating, as only a mother hoarder would!

                                                                          

#76 - Biased Refs

My feelings about referees would be the same as announcers on TV.  They are paid to do a job and they should do it objectively, with no preference for one team or another.  So, when you are at a college football game and the ref makes calls that results in the entire stadium of 52,000 people booing, that tells me they did not do their job well at all.  Why is that?  Here are a few of my takes on this....

1. The ref is getting older and REALLY does need glasses.

2. The ref is getting older and is developing early altzheimers and has forgotten the rules of the game.

3. His mom asked him not to be too hard on the team that was doing poorly.

4. He couldn't get into the university because he wasn't smart enough and so has a chip on his shoulder against the entire school.

5.  His brother is a bookie and he couldn't pass betting on the game.

                                                                       

#75 - Leaves

Autumn is my favorite time of year.  I have already voiced this in a previous entry.  And the colors are phenomenal.  And watching the leaves swirl every which way in the autumn wind and listening to the sound of leaves crunching underfoot is all part of the season.  Therein lies the culprit - LEAVES, LEAVES AND STILL MORE LEAVES!  And with the raining down of leaves comes rakes and leaf blowers and a husband who does all the manual labor involved with the leaf removal.  And the more manual labor that he needs to do because our house is surrounded by trees, the more you will hear grumbling.  I look at it this way - it is what it is, and no amount of complaining about it is going to miraculously remove the leaves.  So, just do the raking and blowing and stop yer whining!  Then again, I can have this rather magnanimous attitude because I am not the one performing the wonderful task!!!!

                                                  

                                                              

#74 - Walking on Eggshells

Life can be difficult at times.  Life can be painful at times.  Life can be sad at times.  On the flip side of these statements is my view of life.  Life is a gift.  Life offers us many opportunities.  Life can be filled with joy and happiness.  All of the above are factual tidbits.  No one would deny any of these statements (at least I don't think so).  I realize that an individual's personality determines their perspective on life and how they deal with occurences in life. However, I find it somewhat irksome that the rest of the world needs to discover what personality is rearing it's head before proceeding through the day.  Being a somewhat direct person, I find it tiresome to walk on eggshells because one is in some kind of mood on a given day.  Again, I am not saying we can't all have a bad day, i.e. not feeling well physically, a family member is sick, etc. But I guess most people are not up front.  As a matter of fact, from what I have experienced in my life, I would hazard a guess and say that more people are passive aggressive.  They get pissed about something, but instead of saying what they are pissed about, they walk around with an attitude, resulting in others having to walk on eggshells. So, here are a few suggestions I have to remedy this situation.

1. Using make-up, paint a clown smiley face on and at least I cannot see the grumpiness on your face.

2. Take a pill.

3. Listen to some Black Sabbath.

4. Take another pill.

5. Put up a sign stating your attitude that will not require any verbal exchange for the day.

6. Take a sick day.

7. Buy me a pair of new slippers to aid in my walking softly on the eggshells.

                                                         

                                                                   

#73 - Needy People

There are needy people in this world and then there are NEEDY people in this world.  I suppose if we were to look at this philosophically, we are all needy in a way.  We need to eat.  We need to drink (at least water). We need shelter of some kind.  We need to sleep.  We need God (even though we may not acknowledge his presence).  We do not need an expensive new car.  We do not need a bigger, newer house.  We do not need the newest i-phone. There are hungry and homeless people who need our help in getting back on their feet; people who just a month ago may have been living in a house and had food on their table and now, do not.  That is one type of neediness. The other type of NEEDY person has a home, has enough to eat, has a vehicle to drive them to work (yes, they even have a good job) and the store and the restaurants, has enough money to pay their bills and even go on vacation.  Their neediness is the emotional kind. It’s human nature that we all want and need attention. It helps us as humans to feel secure and become productive and to feel confident.   When you are emotionally needy, your priorities are always changing. The needy individual deals with feelings of insecurity and is uncomfortable in their everyday life. Tone of voice, body language or words give away the needy feelings of people who are looking to be taken care of, both physically and emotionally. There is almost always a drama or a crisis.   I realize as a Christian, I am called to help out my fellow brothers & sisters in need.  However, taking care of someone's emotional needs can be extremely draining, more so than taking care of the physical ones.  I just wish more people would get a clearer understanding of who they are and what makes them unique, which in my humble opinion, would lessen the amount of needy people in this world!