January 30,
2006
A Feel Good Day
Today was as perfect as I can expect any day to be. The boys let me catch a 10 minute nap while they watched Dora. I wouldn't have made it to lunch without it. When I woke up I felt capable, which means I felt great!!
We went to the clinic first to pick up the stray beagle that was dropped off at the clinic. When I say dropped off, I mean somebody lobbed him over the fence into our backyard. I wanted to bring him home so that he could get nice and fat before I found him a new home.
Then we went to the park for some outdoor fun. We were there for a few minutes when a man and his son came to play also. The little boy spoke mostly Spanish peppered with Enlish words like "okay" and "doggie" and "hey!". It didn't make much difference to him or Logan that they didn't speak the same language. They had a great time, such a good time that the dad and I had to team up to coral them.
He and I got to talking, English of course. He told me about his wife who refuses to learn English, his three giant dogs that have no manners whatever, and a little bit about the people he works with. He said he works with a lot of other Hispanics who do not speak English. He said it's not that they can't or don't understand it, they just don't want to sound dumb in front of English speaking Americans. He said they don't like their accents, and that they think we will make fun of them.
This troubles me. These people, whether they are citizens or not should feel at home here. I became aware that my perception of Hispanic people is slightly off. Forgive me, but I didn't realize how articulate, intelligent, and (hello) valid they are as residents of our neighborhoods, cities, and country. I mostly think of them as laborers because that is usually the job that they can readily perform upon their arrival in the U.S. But don't you think that they want more for themselves? I guess I hadn't thought about it until today.
I imagine that the most many of these people hope for is that their children will have good education, nice homes, good food, the American dream. I would like to do something to help these people. I have no idea what yet, but I have made some resolutions today. (1)I will not hesitate to speak English to a Hispanic person because odds are, they will at least be able to understand me, even if they can't speak English back to me. (2)I will no longer look at a Hispanic as someone that I can't understand on a personal level because now I know that they are much like me, at least enough that we can agree on the big ideas of life.
After the park, we jetted by Wendy's and got the chicken nugget meal.. The lady at the window was so pleasant, and she noticed the boys in the backseat. She went on and on about how cute they were. She stepped away from the window for a sec (to get our food I assumed), but she came back with some toys for the boys. She gave me a knowing look and a wink, and I just gave her a big smile and a quiet "thank you so much". I wish all fast food employees were this pleasant to do business with. There's another lady at the Sonic on fourth street that I like very much. She always calls me sweety and smiles really big, like she knows me. But she does that with everybody. It just makes my day....
Posted by tessa at 15:31
| Comments (5)
Comments
Re: A Feel Good Day
What a refreshing entry. I just love these blogs about regular, awesome days. It makes me feel like I'm watching an episode of an uplifting version of Seinfield. It's great. Tessa, I'm so glad that you had such a wonderful day. It sounds wonderful to have playdates in the park and get special treatment at Wendy's. I can't wait! :)
Posted by:
Deana
at February 01,2006 16:17
Re: A Feel Good Day
Thanks for sharing. I love to hear about good days. Maybe I should start posting more about good days that I get to have with the boys when you're at work on weekends.
Posted by:
Matt
at February 03,2006 12:32
Re: A Feel Good Day
Thanks for the prayers! I know she will come at God's perfect timing. love Danielle
Posted by:
Danielle
at February 16,2006 22:12
Re: A Feel Good Day
Hey tessa,
It was really great to see you for a little bit on monday. Logan and malachi are really fun. I loved all the car talk. It was really hilarious. Hope you're feeling well and you should feel free to continue eating taco bell. Pregnant people are exempt from all resurant boycotts.
Talk to you later.
andrea
Posted by:
andrea
at March 15,2006 10:17
Re: A Feel Good Day
I hope you are feeling well. Thinking of you. Danielle
Posted by:
Danielle
at March 21,2006 10:16
None
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