I hate to preach to my own choir or anyone who happens to drop by today, but it’s time to genuinely explain myself. As the tropical weather stabilizes in the Sunshine State, I rejoice in the thought of being outdoors and regularly visiting the many beautiful beaches available to me. I expect to run into my fair share of tourists because my neighborhood hotspots along the shoreline are rated among the “Top Florida Beaches.”
However, please let me know if my “niceness” is so overbearing while visiting my backyard that you must criticize me. I’m thick-skinned. But I need to remind everyone who accidentally stumbles onto my yellow brick road you don’t have to hate me just because “I’m “Merry.”
I’m also “Friendly,” “Silly,” “Gullible,” “Flinchy,” and “Chatty.” The last of my “Seven Personalities,” who shall be nameless, has been banished to a safe and secure location for public safety issues, where she can only be released by someone who intimately knows her and deliberately pressed the button to let her out. She is the “Jersey Girl” inside of me who can be dangerous if not handled properly.
Only a small group of people outside of blood relatives have been around long enough and lived to tell the tales. Still, once in a while, although the accused always denies having anything to do with the unleashing, she does manage to escape.
Nowadays, it only takes a quick, “Suri, please rewind to right before the BEAST was released.”
I’m sorry the footage never lies. With that said: my mission in life revolves around the notion that good is always better than bad. Doing right always feels better than doing wrong, and sharing literally means caring!
So what’s wrong with being kind, even to a stranger, if given the opportunity? My unconditionally loving mother taught me that we are all special; the more, the merrier, and where there is a will, there is a way.
My point? If my seven-year-old grandson Jeremy approaches you on the beach and asks if you want to play with him. Or, my husband, Joey, strikes up a conversation with you because you’re wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers cap? Or, by chance, I offer your child an individually wrapped treat because he or she happened to be present when Jeremy has snack time. Please don’t be offended. None of us are trying to make you uncomfortable or bring negativity to the party. We are just being our usual cheerful selves.
We enjoy saying hello to passersby who take the time to make eye contact with us. We will always take advantage of the opportunity to compliment others and never turn down the opportunity to create a new friend.
However, rest assured, I’m not trying to pick up your man simply because I talked to him. Which I recently had to explain to a young woman. Sadly, I was easily old enough to be her and her guy’s mother, yet she honestly believed I was hitting on her boyfriend. Not only am I not a cougar attracted to 20-something-year-old boys, but I was there with my grandson.
Even Jeremy quickly informed her, “My grandmother has a husband at home and isn’t looking for a boyfriend.”
Before I added, “Yeah, and I’ve been training him for nearly 30 years. Trust me, when I’m done with him, I’m going to the shelter and adopting a big sloppy mutt,” I said with a smile.
Then Jeremy and I giggled before he went into inquisitive mode. Question after question, he needed to know. “Grandma, did that girl think you really wanted to steal her boyfriend?”
“Maybe,” I answered.
“Was she going to beat you up?” he asked.
“I hope not,” I answered.
“She could have easily taken you,” Jeremy added as he started jumping around doing karate chops and kicks.
Then, for a moment, I stood still and silent as it actually dawned on me how dangerous it could have been if this very jealous Generation X person did not believe me when I said, “I am happily married!”
I only spoke to her man to comment on the 1986 tattoo I noticed across the back of his neck. I knew he wasn’t old enough to have graduated with me. So I thought it had to be his birth year. He was wearing a New York Yankee’s cap. I assumed he was friendly. Hindsight, I should have kept my observation to myself.
After that, I’m sure he got a verbal beat down discouraging him from ever talking to another female – regardless of her age or title. I, however, managed to get off scot-free. But, it was more because she felt bad about taking action in front of my grandson than she cared about attacking me in public.
Either way, I was safe for another day. But did I learn not to talk to strangers? Nope. Will I stop greeting others when our paths cross? Probably not. Finally, will I stop trying to spread cheer to those I feel might welcome me? Never! Why? Because I believe I am on this crazy planet to serve and to do that, I must take my chances and regularly intermingle with society just to survive. Those who choose not to play nicely are welcome to simply avoid me.
However, Mother Earth, Mother Nature, and Sista Karma are the only forces I care not to reckon with because I know that staying on their good side is essential. I’ve already been given my golden ticket to paradise, so why would I not enjoy the splendor?
Laugh on. Peace out!
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