Random Thoughts.....

Sometimes, right before I fall asleep or while I'm in the shower, a series of random thoughts run through my brain. I'm sure it's because my body is at rest/relaxing, and my mind is free to focus on other things. There have been days where I wished I could turn some of these random thoughts into posts for this blog, but there wasn't enough material to make for an interesting post.

Yesterday, one of my random thoughts was this: why can't I turn all those, seemingly disconnected, thoughts into one post; sort of lump them all together? The answer, of course, is I CAN!

So, without further ado, here are my random thoughts (obviously, in no particular order!)...

1) Why do most people in the Western Hemisphere seem to measure everybody by their financial worth and financial intelligence?

a) If you asked most people if finances were a good yardstick for deciding if someone would
make a good friend or spouse, I'm sure they would say, "Of course not!"
b) If you asked most parents if they loved their children because they had the potential
to earn a good living, they would look at you like you were crazy.
c) If you asked any God-fearing person if he/she thought God would check his/her credit
score before allowing him/her through the Pearly Gates, the answer would be a
resounding "no!".
Unfortunately, our society measures ALL things with that financial yardstick, and because we
are human, we integrate that into our personalities. What I mean to say is, we begin to believe the financial hype (or, lack thereof) about ourselves and others: "I must not be a very good person, if I can't pay my bills/don't make enough money/don't drive a new car", and conversely, "I am better than so-and-so because my mortgage payment is always on time and I invest wisely".
But, you and I, dear Reader, know the Truth, don't we? We don't want a friend whose best character traits are balancing a checkbook, a credit score of 750, and 6 months worth of salary in the bank? NO, we do not! (Shake your head with me!)

2) Why does it take 3 months of careful eating and exercise to lose 14.8 pounds (my weight loss total, to date!), but eating 1 candy bar in one week results in a 2 pound weight gain?

a) I'll get back to you on this one.....

3) If I buy one of my kids 12 pairs of socks on Tuesday, and by Friday he claims he can only find
5 socks (that's 2.5 pairs) that all have holes, where am I going wrong?

a) Should I not be buying this child any socks at all?
b) Should I force him to carry a mesh bag around his neck at all times, so that he can place his
dirty socks in it and then throw the bag into the wash on laundry day?

4) Can a mom of a large-ish family find the time to learn a new language?

a) I'd like to learn French; it's such a pretty language and I never learned Spanish properly
in school, so it would be nice to "have a language".
b) Do I even have time to take a class and complete the homework?
c) More importantly, do I even want homework?
d) Are those Learn in Your Car Cd's at the library capable of really teaching me?
e) Am I ever truly going to go to France? Or, will I just end up sounding really snooty when I
order my lunch at the local Panera ("Oui, I'd like a turkey CWA-SAHN with some Brie")?

5) Is it normal to get fed up so easily with other people's behavior?

a) Yes, it bothers me when people use "supposably" as if it's a real word. Instead of correcting
them (which I feel would be rude) on things such as this, I tolerate it (sometimes for years)
until I have to take a "vacation" from that person for a while.
b) Does this make me cranky? Probably. But, if that bothers people, they are free to take a
"vacation" from me, as well.
c) Apparently, some people have tried giving me the silent treatment in the past, and
after some length of time has passed, ended up telling me that they weren't speaking
to me because I hadn't noticed. (this includes one of my children who sulked in the
bathroom for 2 hours without my noticing it).
d) COME ON, PEOPLE!!!!

6) Am I the only person on the planet who believes that her biggest job as a mother is NOT to make sure her children are happy?

a) Do I want them to be happy? SURE! But, that can't be how I choose to make decisions
regarding their lifestyles.
b) I have friends (or, at least I did before they read Random Thought #5!), I am not
interested in being my children's friends. This does not mean I am not kind to them, or
that I do not enjoy joking around with them. It simply means that I am able to enforce
rules without being afraid that they'll "hate me for it".
c) It costs a lot of money to be my kids' friend. It's a lot cheaper to be their mom (and that's
still pretty expensive!).

7) Why does the lady at the dry cleaners always say that I must be rich because I have "so many kids"?

a) Um, HELLO, my lack of wealth is precisely because I do have "so many kids".
b) My husband and I didn't say, "Let's win the Lottery, THEN have lots of kids!"
c) Shoot! I forgot to buy a Lottery ticket!

So, these are some of the thoughts that pop into my head during my "quiet time". Most of the time, they don't really lead anywhere. Some of the time, they make me more upset than I needed to be. And, the rest of the time I actually solve a problem.