I sat down to pick up a conversation on Skype and typed in the words . . . Hel . . . when Skype kindly informed me that 'Hell' was not in my contact list. I can't tell you how enormously relieved I was to be told that and how kind of Skype to let me know!
I started thinking about how appropriate that message was this morning. I have worked so hard at being good lately – not yelling at the kids, not loosing faith, serving others in need although suffering myself, watching my 11 month old niece even while I had a million other things to do, holding tight to my dreams, focusing on my kids when they talk to me and Listening, yes, listening, and ignoring rude people.
The very latter has been tough this weekend . . . let me start explaining by asking you if I told you we had a garage sale? We sold all sorts of things – valuable, once valuable to us, and oddly valuable to others. In anticipation of our trek to Southern California for Law school, we sold things we loved that we knew from experience would be difficult to move. In my bedroom, which is very large with high ceilings and a wall of windows, my oasis, my office, my haven, I have a very fancy entertainment center too big to move with us into a home, without the same kind of space, which undoubtedly we won't get in California. I brought people inside from the drive who expressed interest in buying furniture which is only 2 years old and in lovely condition. Some of the people I brought into my room actually made comments – yes, in front of me – about how I had decorated the room. It was as they were in RC Willey or some fancy furniture store and felt compelled to criticize. They said things while pointing to my bedroom furniture and window seats piled full of pillows – which were not on sale – like, "I wouldn't pay $2 for that!" "I don't like the color . . . .(of my bedspread? Who asked you?) "This rug doesn't go with the room!" "I couldn't sleep with all those windows!" "I wouldn't put that in MY house" "This is to fancy for me!" One lady who came into my home grunted in distaste as I showed her what we were offering in our front room. When she wanted to know what else I had, so I mentioned the entertainment center in my room, with obvious reluctance to show her into my room. She bowled her way in, practically shouted that she couldn't use that, "didn't I know she only had 8 foot ceilings in her basement?!" and then stomped her feet like a child before fleeing the premise as if I had let loose poison gas (no, I hadn't) and that was one of the nicer experiences I had!
Okay, lest you think I am a slob . . . (I am not, well at least NOT when I know people will be coming into my room!!!) . . . you need to know that my room is perfectly lovely to me and the fact that I am not a designer doesn't in any way excuse the thoughtless comments of people coming in to look at one piece of furniture for sale in my room. I mean isn't it bad enough that people offered .0001 cents on the dollar for my lovely things spread out on the drive? I did expect that but to come into my home and see furniture that I had obviously chosen and cared for and critique it in front of me like they were at a home show and I was a real estate agent and they were going to show how much they didn't like it before they made an offer?
By the end of Day 1 of our 2-day garage sale, I was thinking awfully unkind things about my fellow man.
Now I must add here that with all this we had some amazingly nice people – people who paid full price knowing they were getting a good deal. People who helped us through the process – like Chad's kind "NEW" parents who brought their camper down, parked in the driveway for few days, and helped us do everything for the sale AND weeded our front drive, made dinner, and fixed our screens so I have a lovely fly-less breeze in our house. There were those kind folks who came in to chat, buy a few books for the cause, and kindly remark that they would miss us if we moved. In spite of the goodness I did receive from those few, I am human, and felt invaded, violated and hurt by the thoughtless remarks of people, people who by the way came in made their comments in my home AND . . . incidentally, did not buy a thing!
A few days have passed, remnants of the garage sale packed into the garage for the next one (I know what could we be thinking?!), during which I won't be inviting people into my home without tying gags to their mouths.
Honestly it has been weirdly difficult! I can't walk into my room without remembering those strangers who critiqued my haven. I feel invaded and somehow less comfortable! So, obviously my thoughts are not kind and most surely not get me into Heaven! So, you can see why I would be relieved to know that 'hell' is not in my contact list. So, today, since Skype has chosen to forgive me, and give me a second chance, perhaps I should follow suite, and forgive and forget! I forgive you rude garage sales attendees who critiqued my haven and didn't buy a thing! I forgive you but please don't come back! There, done, gone forgotten! I wonder how Skype executives would feel about the new service they have provided?
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