Intriguing

NOTE: this will be more of a double post than just a single thought so keep that in mind.

Yesterday I got one of those little forward text messages that said if you could use only one word to describe me, what would it be? I thought this would be an interesting experiment to see what others think of me, so naturally I forwarded this one with absolutely no expectations as to what the replies would contain. The responses I received were varied and intriguing. There were two which struck me as particularly intriguing. Tracy responded with “seeker.” Something I didn’t expect but I can see the reasoning. Tracy seems to be an avid reader of my writings and while sometimes does not leave comments I like to believe that my thoughts stir her thought process. It also invoked a mental overview of my past posts and various writings. They all contain a common underlying thread. I am seeking something in my life. Be it truth, knowledge, true love, inner strength, or simply peace, I am seeking something and perhaps everything all at once. My curiosity is often peaked but not quite to the extent of Giles Gregory Skiboy Kitty with the ever present thought “What’s this button do I wonder?” as the button is promptly pressed and often havoc ensues. A few other responses I received were “amazing, complex, silly, funny…etc” the typical gambit. However another one particularly intrigued me. So much so I had to look it up in the dictionary! A gentleman I am getting to know responded with ebullient. For those of you who are like me and steadily watching your vocabulary decrease as the number under the age section increases, (the laymen translation I got from it) boiling with energy. While I like to think of myself that way I often times don’t see it myself but I assume that I am perceived in such a manner. I take this as quite the grand compliment. I like to think of myself as having a caring nature and a nurturing disposition to help those around me and attempt to make them smile when they are down in the dumps. I suppose this is one of the contributing factors which has lead me to chose the profession I am shortly going to enter into. What I found most curious about the responses I got was the wide and varied range. Some of which with mischievous and others with caring. I suppose the phrase my roommate (Sir Skiboy of Alvin, Head Kitteh Herder) used was perhaps the most accurate. “Dear you are far too complex to summarize in just one word.” There will always be yen and yang to my personality. There will always be a certain air of constantly opposing forces which balance (and sometimes imbalance) me into the individual which is me. So here is what I ask you dear reader. From my writings, who do you think I am? Leave a comment, an email (ptatum@gmail.com), or an IM (AIM: socialites1, Yahoo: sinn95) and let me know :).

On to the next topic:

The plight of Midwestern America is steadily growing worse even though the economy seems to have slowed its rapid downward spiral. Today I was forwarded a note from the wife of another victim of the economy’s ailments. A factory in one of the towns here in Northwestern Ohio will be closing it’s doors permanently within the next month or so resulting in the loss of 200+ jobs in the area. One of which was the man referenced above. After reading this email, I was deeply moved. What moved me even more was the story of how his 30 employees were lined up at his car waiting to say goodbye to a good supervisor and to tell him how much they will miss working with him. Even those who he had run ins with in the past for one reason or another were there to thank him and wish him well. All in all an amazing story of the caring and heart of those of the American Midwest. Another item that touched me was the view his wife had of the situation. She looks at this as not a woe is me moment, but as an opportunity for her husband to start a new phase in his life. Another chapter if you will. She states they have their faith, their family, and their health making them rich beyond measure. This is a testament to the strength and fortitude of those who have built their lives here in the farming communities, steel mills, factories, and industries occupying so much of middle America.

With Detroit’s auto industry continuing to crumble and starting to rust into shambles, a once large city is slowly dying because of these difficult times. Every company out there is looking to shave overhead, cut costs, increase efficiency, and any other tactic one can imagine to stay alive. For too long our nation has taken advantage of the prosperous times we have been afforded. We have forgotten what it is to live through hard times. We must always remember our history for if we forget, we are bound to repeat the same mistakes of our forefathers. I’m sure hardly any, if anyone at all, remembers times where if you wanted to eat you had to grow your own vegetables or go hunting to put meat on the table. If you were unsuccessful, you were left hungry. We have forgotten what life was like before there was central heat and air. Before supermarkets. Before the task of driving to the store was so arduous that it would be postponed until absolutely necessary. To be left cold and shivering within the confines of one’s own home if trees were not fell to burn for heat and cooking. No matter how hard the times remember, they were once much more difficult than we can currently imagine. Be thankful for all that we have, remember to cherish the ones you love, and keep the spirit of the American Midwest alive. We will overcome, we will survive, we will prosper, and we will be stronger because of it.