Perspective

It's always fun to get another persons perspective and more fun when it makes you rethink the way you look at things.

My sister's husband is half Phillippino and one of his cousins from the Philippines was recently visiting them. My sister said this cousin (woman) thought it was so funny that everyone in America wants to be darker with all the sunless tanning lotions, sun bathing on the beach and tanning salons. Where she comes from everyone wants to be darker. They think white skin is beautiful. She said all the beauty products there claim to have a lightening agent in them. She said after trying several different kinds she discovered that it doesn't really work but everyone keeps using them. So it proves we always want what we can't have. Even though my brother-in-law grew up in America he thinks white skin, like my sister's, is beautiful and he doesn't understand why she uses the sunless tan lotion.

Next example was a conversation I had with a neighbor on my way home with my two little girls in the stroller. He was telling me that they reminded him of his grandkids. He said his youngest daughter just got married so they were officially empty nesters. I told him it felt like a long time until I would be doing that. I thought he would say something like I should appreciate my little ones while I have them at home but instead he said it did take a long time. He seemed releived to me. That made me laugh.

This morning Em was sitting on the floor asking me if I was serious. I asked her, "Serious about what?" She said if I was serious about making cup-o-noodle for lunch. Up to that moment I had not considered how strongly I felt about cup-o-noodle.