Exhibit A
I submit the house across the street as evidence:
Our [fake] tree is up, the mantle gets more and more cards on it every day, and this weekend, we even made Christmas cookies! Photos (and the winning icing recipe) tomorrow!
Happy Hanukkah!
Now I just need me some latkes… and a little heat into this frigid apartment would be nice too.
Today’s musical gem combines two of my “favorite things”- romantic musicals and people singing in public. I sincerely wish that it was more socially acceptable to burst into song at random moments in the day, though I am still figuring out how to make that a reality. If you’ve got a hint, let me know!
I was blown away by this video my friend Jessica sent to me. She titled it “best dad ever” and I have to agree – this is pretty incredible. (Though I’d still rather have my dad, thankyouverymuch!) I just love that these kids and their dads took the initiative to try something crazy, think it all the way through, and see it work! What an inspiring lesson, and a beautiful view from outer space.
Sure beats the dioramas we used to make for science class, eh?
You know that phrase, “You never know until you try?” I could have used a reminder of that over the last week and a half.
Since I hurt my ankle in the race two weekends ago, I have been laying low. I walked around NYC a bit with my sis, strolled around the square, walked in the park with my bf. But I didn’t lift a finger to actually exercise because I was trying to give myself time to heal from than injury (and then from tripping and falling really hard in the middle of the road during the bookfest. It would have been much cooler if I had been reading at the time.)
This morning, I finally returned to the gym, good old Planet Fitness. And after a good workout, I looked around and said, “Why did I wait so long?” Only then did I remember that my foot was supposed to be hurting me.
If I had just taken the time to try something other than walking – in tevas no less – I think I would have realized my ability a lot sooner and would feel a lot better about my body this week. Next time, I am going to stay off the couch rather than letting something – even an injury – keep me from moving.
Lesson learned!
Variety is the spice of life, right? It’s what keeps things interesting. Some of my friends grew up eating lots of Italian food, some of them grew up on the West Coast, some of them were raised Jewish, and some of them are taller than me (few are shorter).
And some of them like people of the same sex.
I love that we live in a diverse country, a melting pot where people of different backgrounds, interests, and ideas can all meet under the same roof. But I cannot stand to see how this one group in our society is being treated like second class citizens and told they’re not good enough just because they love people of the same sex.
Worst of all, the arguments that the haters use to defend themselves are EXACTLY like those that were previously used to dismiss the possibility of interracial marriage. That it’s unnatural, it’s not what God intended, it will lead to a corrupt society and confused children. Yet, somehow, the world didn’t collapse when we give interracial couples the freedom to marry. In fact, it got a lot more interesting, in a good way. So what are we so worried about, what exactly will we lose if we give more people the opportunity to be happy?
Many celebrities have spoken out about the recent rash of suicides among young gay people who were bulled by their peers. Ellen Degeneres and Chris Colfer (from Glee) both released videos about the need to stop the bullying and create a culture of acceptance in society. But a video from Sarah Silverman spoke to me even more.
While the other celebrities focus on the need to stop the bullying, Sarah gets to the core of why it is happening. It’s because, as she says, that we’re raising kids in a society where we tell them that gay people are second class citizens. These kids aren’t deciding this by themselves – they hear it from their politicians and voters around the country who say that gay people don’t deserve to be married. They don’t deserve to adopt kids. They should be forced to lie about who they are, especially if they are in the military and fighting for the principles that this country is based on.
It makes me sick that in 2010, we should still be arguing about this. Haven’t we evolved enough to realize that equality is the best practice, and inclusion, rather than segregation, will make us a better nation if not a better world?
Please, when you vote next month, vote for people who promise not to harbor hate and fear, but instead vow to celebrate our differences.
PS: For resources to inspire you to keep living, check out Hopeline – PostSecret always talks about what a great resource it is for people going through hard times. As Chris Colfer says, it always gets better.
Sally and the City 