Cringe

I really have to say Heather Armstrong got me reminiscing today as she wrote about "Cringe" today. Uggg... Have you ever taken out past written works... and then, just about died?

I know I can think of a particular person who wrote plays to be acted out by anyone interested to be in her "show."

I can think of a particular person who set up her garage to be a printing press for the" State Avenue News" - really interesting newspaper written by kids and their take on neighborhood gossip. For instance, did you know that the Smiths are having marital problems? Read it up.... we got the goods in "State Avenue News."

I don't have any copies of my writings from my youth. I don't have any writings from my half- hearted journals. I'm somewhat relieved and somewhat sad.

My friend Angie has all of her journals from at least 1986 and all through college. She has all the dirt... If we have any questions, we can just ask her. She can look it up for us. I don't think I want to remember.

However, the good news is that we grow. We no longer see those small things as important. Most of us us are not as emphatic as we were in high school and college. We are not as dramatic as we once were. Really, that's very good news.

Apologizing

At some point in our lives, we all can be rude or hurtful. I'm sure we'd all like to stay in our little bubbles and think we're the nicest thing since cheez whiz on cinnamon swirl bread with olives. That would be lying to yourself.

Here's what you do if you need to apologize.

1. Realize you need to apologize. This might actually take an hour. Sometimes when someone has told you that you've hurt their feelings: realize they may be right before you become defensive. My first instinct is to turn it on them and say "Oh yeah... well..." That's not going to get you far. Be quiet. Rephrase what the person just said to you. Tell them you need to think about it if they're standing there looking at you with their mouth open waiting for an apology.

2. Again, repeat what your victim has said. And say "Oh I didn't realize I hurt your feelings. I'm sorry."

3. That's it. Don't give yourself an excuse. Don't give them an excuse. The sorry is enough.

Primaries...

Tomorrow is primary Tuesday. It brings me back to September 2000 when I wheeled my Grandma Shirley down to the community hall so she could vote for Mark Dayton. Weeks a head of time, Grandma made my sister and I promise we would go down and vote at primaries to be sure that Mark Dayton would be the Minnesota Democratic Nominee for United States Senate. Looking back, how could anyone resist a seventy-five year old dynamo with oxygen tubing in a wheelchair?

Grandma told me about Mark Dayton's bus trips to Canada. Grandma was convinced that Mark Dayton was the answer to her and her friends' prayers. He was sincere, honest, and he cared about the cost of medicine. It seemed like everyday the commercials got her excited. Anytime we would call with news of her great-grandchildren, she would bring up Mark Dayton and the hope he offered Minnesota, the United States, and the world.

Grandma died in January 2002 almost seven years ago. Tomorrow, J. Bird and I will be election judges for our township. As I count the votes of my neighbors, I'm going to remember wheeling my grandma down to the community hall casting her vote for her hopes and dreams.