Holiday Madness

It's been a while since my last post.

Lots of things have been happening. Our president and other elected officials continue to steer our country towards socialism. We are told over and over that the economy is in the tank. Pirates have captured a United States vessel and have had their way with the crew.

What? Pirates? My son couldn't get over this. He has been enamoured with pirates since Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released. He had many questions. The most important one to him was, "Do these pirates dress like old-timey pirates and sail in ships?"

While that brings a bit of levity to a very serious situation, the lack of action by our Commander in Chief is mind boggling. I see this as a test by more than just a few pirates. Look for Korea, Iran, and other countries to further test our mettle. Not to be too pessimistic, but I don't expect good results.

Back home in Texas, things are trucking along as they normally do.

Today is Good Friday (a name which I never understood, even when I was a Christian). Yesterday, Kelly and I went to Wal Mart (my least favorite store) and purchased close to $200 worth of candy for the kids. While we still celebrate Easter, it's not for the same reasons as the majority of Americans. It is a fun holiday, though.

Today, we had to mail some things, which meant we needed to go into Pearland proper. Silverlake to be exact. It was absolute madness. People were every where. They were blocking intersections, cutting other drivers off, not paying attention to where they were going, etc.

First off, the economy is supposed to be in the tank. Oddly, many, many people are out shopping. Commercialism is strong.

Why is it, that holidays have to bring out the worst in people?

I am sure that everyone enjoys getting together with their families. I fall into this category. But why is it that we have to treat the people we don't know like crap? People appear to be in their own little world, and they could give a flying rat's ass about the person they just cut off in traffic.

It wasn't just in traffic.

We went to a little place called Bass Pro Shops to look at some 'toys' for dad. The Easter bunny was there, and parents were taking pictures of their little ones sitting on the curiously large rabbit's lap. The line for this event was quite long, and in fact, just about blocked the entrance to the store. I take that back. It did block the entrance.

How dare you ask someone to allow you to enter the store. That would require someone to move a little bit and open a gap in the line. Happy Easter.

At the entrance to the store, the kind folks at Bass Pro will have a plate of their should-be-world-famous fudge. Guests to the store are welcome to a piece when they enter. "A" piece, as in one. When we got there, a woman was loading up on the fudge, taking at least a dozen pieces. Hey, it's free right? Happy Easter.

What does a rabbit have to do with Easter anyway? Well, actually, it has quite a lot to do with "Ishtar", the queen of heaven. I will let you do your own research on that little topic, but feel free to ask questions if you like.

Bottom line, holidays can be quite stressful. When you are out and about, please be mindful of other people. They are trying to get their business taken care of, just like everyone else. We really should be mindful of others, and we should be kinder than we need to be to each other. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle. Some of the battles are quite intense, but the battle is very real to the one figting it.

Treat people with kindness. Even when you don't feel like it. That doesn't mean you have to bend over backwards, but it does mean you can choose to walk away from a stressful situation, or lend a hand to someone that needs it.

Take your time out there.

Happy Easter.