I pick strange battles

Can you be apathetically anal?? There are many, many things about which I'm very relaxed, some may say lazy (some may get punched)...I am a terrible housekeeper. I mean, our house doesn't look like Hoarders or anything, but I will leave my shoes anywhere...under the couch, in a pile by my dresser, in Smitty's side of the bed...the list could go on until Christmas. However, if you leave a dish in the sink without rinsing it, and those little chunks of food are glued on when I notice it hasn't been washed, it takes a great amount of restraint for me not to make you lick off the little chunks...(I'm looking at you, Smitty) The fact that Smitty doesn't do that is pretty funny because he is absolutely compulsive about everything else, that one little thing is the thing that irritates me most. Actually, maybe I just answered my own question.

In keeping with that, I am absolutely a psycho when it comes to being right and doing things correctly. This applies to every job I've ever had, even the ones I hated. I physically cannot go to a job and do a half-ass job or do something I know is wrong. It's just impossible. Soo, when I took a test last week for another job at my company and miserably failed the test, it was quite a little shock to the ego. I was furious with myself and am still not crazy about it. I gave myself a little talking-to last week, in fact. I've thought about it since then, and realize that I'm being stupid and actually realize that I need to stop taking personal setbacks like this so seriously and use them as a learning experience. Yes, I failed the test and felt like I should ride the short bus home that day. But, now I know what to expect from a test like that should I ever apply for a similar job. Also, and some of you may find this shocking, if it were God's will for me to have that job, I would have. He has something better in store for me, and really, I'm just along for the ride.

Speaking of God, I would like to first say, I am a Christian. I was raised in the Presbyterian Church, was confirmed at 12, and I do and am trying to lead a life that He approves. I think going to church is a fine idea, but I do not believe that going to church regularly makes you any more of an acceptable Christian than I am. We have found a church that we like, but our schedules/stress levels/dying parents have kept us from being in regular attendance. I do hope that we get back to attending soon, and I know that we will. However, I did not appreciate the letter I got from someone in our Sunday School class noting that we had been absent from class. That in and of itself was fine. The letter actually would've been very nice, except that it ended, "Christ is indeed worthy of our praise." Maybe had the word indeed not been added, it wouldn't tick me off so much, but you, whose handwriting I could barely decipher, and so actually don't know who you are, are the exact reason why a lot of people my age feel like church is judgmental.

I like to think that I am a Christian who will witness to others, not say to a gay person, "You're going to burn in hell, and we will never think otherwise. Please come to our church." Why would they subject themselves to that? Wouldn't it be far more effective to say, "Hey, we just want to see you worship with us. Please join us for fellowship." We are not here to judge; that is so not even remotely our job. When I think of an example to follow, I really do think about my father-in-law. I know he believes certain things, but he would never pass judgment to someone whose life might not fall in line with God's Word. He would witness to them, show them Christ's love, and demonstrate that's how a Christian acts. That is what might convert someone or make them think, "Hey,  maybe these Christians aren't so bad. I'd like to see what that's about."

Further, I do not care for Facebook posts or statuses that are very similar to what I said above, i.e., quoting scripture that implies if you don't adhere to God's Word, that's it for you...that any deviation from the very letter of the Bible is a sin and you should be ashamed. Or, my other favorite, just preachy, holier-than-thou posts about why you should do this and why you should think this, etc...That's akin to me making frequent posts about why you should like Obama and why I am the smartest for supporting Obama. It's not the forum, and it's not your place to lecture using scripture, which anyone can cherry pick, to support your viewpoints.

Speaking of politics, that's another strange battle I've picked. Yes, I worked for John Kerry. I didn't particularly support him wholeheartedly, but I would've worked for Justin Bieber against another term of George Bush. I supported and do support Obama, and yes, I do get a little irritated when people seem to expect him to be some type of Iron Man/Superman combo when he was handed the worst economy since the 1920s, is actually keeping his campaign promise of reforming healthcare, and suffered an awful environmental disaster under his administration. And I still wonder, did people expect him to swim down there and plug the leak with his body? Remember that truly stellar response from the White House to Hurricane Katrina? Yeah, me, too. So, if I were a smug Republican, I might rethink faulting him for an oil spill for which he not only wasn't responsible, but some of the criticism was based on him not going there enough. Oh...silly amnesiac GOPs, how many times did Dubya go to the Mississippi Gulf Coast or New Orleans and how quickly? And by the way, as a delegate of Mississippi, yeah, Mississippi's coast was destroyed, too. Whole towns were destroyed, in fact. I'm guessing because Mississippi isn't as cool or happening or culturally rich as New Orleans, that disqualifies the coast for any attention? Yahhh...okay

Anyone know where I can find a giant, inflatable gorilla? I need to know.