Night Thoughts

August, 2006

Plan A: A Better Life; Plan B: No Life

The Vietnamese gardener Mr. Le (the one who was berated by Miss Solara the other day) is quite interesting. We rode together to the plant nursery yesterday, and ended up stuck in traffic (of course!), so I got to hear his life story. He is 48, but when he was 19 he left Vietnam in a boat from Da Nang with 29 other people headed for Hong Kong. It was a small boat, and the trip was longer and more dangerous than they expected. (I can only imagine—I was on a SHIP in the same sea and couldn’t go to dinner one night because it was so choppy.) Soon, they ran out of water and food. Two people died and they had to throw them over. One was his brother.

When they arrived in Hong Kong, a United Nations team met them, and housed and fed them. Mr. Le said they were offered a choice to talk with officials from the United States, Australia or the U.K. for immigration. He had the name and address of his father’s friend—who Mr. Le said was “lucky” because he got to go with the Americans during the war pullout—in San Francisco. The Americans contacted the friend, who sent Mr. Le money and a plane ticket.
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August 24, 2006 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
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All or Nothing at All?

            My best girlfriend called today to tell me she’s quitting her job so she can stay home with her two-year-old daughter.

            We’re the same age, my friend and I (both closer to 40 than to 39!), so we’re considered “mid-career” in HR talk. I think if we’d been asked 18 years ago where we’d be at mid-career, we would have projected we’d “have it all” by now: husband, kids and an upwardly mobile career.

            But here we are, nearly 40, and neither of our lives looks like that.
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August 22, 2006 | 3 Comments | View or add comments
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A Kinder, Gentler Christy

            I come from a long line of hot tempers (my peeps are Scottish and American Indian—no further explanation required).

            Recognizing this, and knowing a Jesus follower shouldn’t be ranting and raving, I’ve been trying hard to give balanced reactions. So instead of yelling at a bad driver, I think to myself how sad it must be to be that dumb (hey, baby steps!). If someone at the grocery store doesn’t have her check and coupons ready, I reason that perhaps her mind is otherwise occupied with important matters. Or if I call a business and the person on the other end is less than gracious, I hypothesize that he just received some bad news.
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August 21, 2006 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
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Post-Noon Functioner

Some people are early morning types. I despise them with their bright smiles and flapping mouths. I mean, can't they see I am in pain? Are my hanging head and watery eyes not enough to let them know I am a Post-Noon Functioner (PNF)? Just give me a cup of coffee and a newspaper-and leave me alone.

Yeah, so I made up the PNF part, but the rest is true: I don't "do" morning. I revel in the night, much like a vampire (without the teeth, and the blood feast!). When I begin my workday, most people are curled up watching their favorite TV shows and eating bowls of ice cream. When I turn off my computer for the night, those same people are way into REM sleep. By the time I hit REM, they are brewing coffee and taking showers.
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August 2, 2006 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
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