My Best Friend

I recently went on a retreat and gave a talk titled "Who Am I?" My friend, my best friend wrote me a poem inspired by my talk, and by everything I've been going through recently in my life.

My friend is not a writer, nor finds inspiration to write. Yet, this poem that she wrote me is beautiful. It may be beautiful because she wrote it, it may be beautiful because it came from the heart, and it may be beautiful because this is how she sees me through her eyes--nevertheless, in my eyes, it's a beautiful piece of art.

Who Am I?

My Best Friend

My Sister

My Twin

One of he strongest girls I know.

The most driven.

Beautiful. Inside and out.

Full of Care. Courage, and Poise.

She forgets how amazing she is.

I want to remind her.

My Rock.

My Support.

My Best Friend.

Unable to let people down.

No matter what she thinks.

She is not defined by what she is.

But, by who she is.

Back to Jerusalem

"A close friend is better than a distant brother."

My life seems to revolve around this wise saying, and although it may or may not be true, it certainly is something to reflect on.

My friends, my best friends, are closer to me than most of my family. In a sense, they are my family. And it is now, when I always seem to Return to Jerusalem, that I am reminded of this.

By the way, read the Road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13-35. The journey may just change your life.

That No-No Food in the Office

Is there proper office etiquette saying that there are just certain foods that you don't eat in your cubicle? If there isn't, there definitely needs to be.

Indian food, with curry, should be on that list. Enough said.

Come on people, use your nose to determine common courtesy. No one cares what you eat unless it affects everyone's sense of smell. Then, everyone cares.

So do the polite thing, eat out of the office if your choice involves smelling like a hot camel.

A Good Friend

I must admit--I love having conversations with total and complete strangers. I don't know what it is, but there is great pleasure in confiding and have serious conversations with someone you may never see ever again. It's refreshing, insightful, and sometimes, more helpful than real conversations with people you know.

I'm going to re-tell an interesting conversation a good friend of mine had with a complete and total stranger that gave much insight into the word "a good friend."

This stranger was a man filled with wisdom and old age, a man who had gained and lost many friends over the years. He told her that a good friend is one that stays with you, because if they aren't there until the end, then they were never a good friend to begin with. He went on to saying that therefore, only good friends are true friends, and the rest are just acquaintances. If you can't feel comfortable saying anything to a good friend, then they're not a real friend, they are simply an acquaintance.

He explained that good friends are what make life worth living. And these people, the one that make an impression on your life, and a footprint on your heart, are the only friends worth having.

These wise words are truly insightful, beautifully said, and worth remembering.

So here's to good friends...may yours be the best you could ever ask for.

Bathroom Manners

Now I'm no expert on etiquette, but I wouldn't say I'm ignorant to it either. There are manners and social standards that society has placed upon us concerning our public behavior, and I would say that most of the time we follow them because, well, we should. Well ladies and gentlemen, do I have a story for you....

Since when is it okay to talk on your cell phone in the bathroom in a public restroom, while you are USING the bathroom? I'm sorry, but this is just wrong.

I don't care how important that phone call is, it can wait the five minutes it takes you to enter the bathroom, do your "business," wash your hands, and then leave. There is no absolute reason that you should have to be sitting on the toilet with a cell phone in your hand in a public restroom, hearing flushing in the background, and having a full on conversation.

The only reason, and trust me the only reason I even brought this up was because I had the unfortunate opportunity to witness this happening at work today. A woman walked into the bathroom on the phone, went in the stall on the phone, continued to talk when other people were flushing the toilet, came out of the stall on the phone, washed her hands, and left....still on the phone!

The funniest part of it was that when she walked out of the stall, she gave me a look saying "Excuse me, I'm having a private conversation." Well lady, next time you're having a private conversation, you may not want to be in a place where people are doing their "private business."

And how about the only thing I kept thinking was that there was some poor sucker on the other line that had to listen to all of that....