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I Have to Laugh or I'll Cry
Parenting - Humor

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Heather Ijames
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HeatherIjames - > I Have to Laugh or I'll Cry -> American Miss-Manners
American Miss-Manners

We were out camping and something odd happened one night.  We were at the RV park's pool (I know...not camping) when two gentleman came into the pool area, smiled and said hello. 

I gave a half smirk back because I was too busy trying to figure out what their angle was in approaching me and being so pleasant.  Were they going to kill me, rape me, take my young?  They were just too friendly and it put me off because, quite frankly, not many people are these days.  Naturally, I figured they were up to something. 

However, a few minutes later their wives joined them and they also gave me a warm greeting.  When they actually spoke to me in a full sentence, I was finally able to pick up the foreign accent.  Coupled with the few words of German I picked up in their speech, I realized they were German tourists RVing through America. 

They played in the pool with my son and husband and were wholeheartedly kind and gracious.  Needless to say, I was quite ashamed that my first reaction to their kindness was to prepare myself for the commission of a crime.  But, it made me think what this poor country  has come to.  It isn't the state of our guardedness that bothers me, because we need to be guarded these days.  Thus, what bothers me is the necessity to be guarded.  How many of us would truly feel comfortable with two middle aged men in speedos playing with their four year old son in a pool if those were American men? 

Because as far as this mommy is concerned, if it wasn't for the European accent, the situation would have been completely anomalous to the American norm and I would have been right in assuming something could be afoot. 

Maybe I watch too many crime dramas on TV, maybe God has put me on high alert to prevent something horrible from happening in the future, and maybe it's a combination of the two. 

 

 

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posted by HeatherIjames on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 09:55 AM
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posted by morrisonj on May 17, 2008 at 12:32 PM

Society has really changed out views on life.  But if more people were like those 2 German men, what a fantastic world we would live in.  One where we are less afraid to say hello to a stranger.  That would be awesome.

posted by bushelandapeck on May 18, 2008 at 03:59 PM

Thank you for being so open and honest.  This is a thought provoking post.

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