Two Shellfish

Why couldn't the lobster and the shrimp get along? Because they were two shellfish.

I've done it. I've officially started a blog that is not on MySpace or Facebook. Because you know what I hate about both of those very time-consuming sites? If you aren't a member, you don't get to read them! This saddens me deeply so after much deliberation, I have decided to join the ranks of my friends outside of MySpace and provide an opportunity for everyone to experience the Adventures of Autumn.

And that brings me to my very first blog. What should I write about? Unlike many of my friends I can't write about my baby's latest tricks or my husband's travel adventures. Note: I do not have a baby or a husband, so that wouldn't make sense, would it? But there are important things in the life of a single girl that I can touch on and maybe one or three of them will touch you too.

So I could write about difficult things such as asking my downstairs neighbor to turn the bass down so my floor would cease vibrating last night (which he did!). I could write about the tree in the picture you see here. Or I could write about the Loud Talker at lunch today. Now that I think about it, I believe I'll write about all three.

Last night my downstairs neighbor was cooking out and having a good time with his friends. They were seated on his patio, while the music was blaring from inside his condo. I know this because I could hear them talking from my porch, and I could feel the vibrations of the bass through the floor in my kitchen, dining room and living room. In the past, I have had to deal with this and have done so by calling the police. But this time, I decided to be bold. So I took a deep breath, rehearsed what I was going to say and opened my porch door. I leaned over the balcony and said, "Hi. It's me, up here. I was just wondering, could you maybe turn down your bass some? It's really loud." He saw me, looked up and said, "Oh. You can hear that?!" very jovially. I said, "Yes, I can feel my floor vibrating." And believe it or not, he turned it down! Just like that! I was so relieved that I could watch my movie without the club remix happening below me.

Today is Monday and my Monday lunch spot is often La Madeleine. I love this place. It is so atmospheric that when I enter through the glass-paned wooden doors I feel as if I'm stepping into Europe. I always arrive during the lunch rush, which means it is a hive of activity. Standing in line today I noticed a single guy, reading his book while dipping his bread into his cup of Tomato Basil soup. I noticed two women in front of me in line who were chatting on and on about various topics. I noticed two, Indian women eating and laughing at a table nearby. I always look forward to hearing a plethora of languages around me in this place. It is refreshing and reminds me that I'm not the only one on this planet.

After ordering my ciabatta turkey melt, I situated myself at a round table near the window (better light for reading). I took one sip of my sweet, iced tea when I heard him. The Loud Talker. He was facing me, and his dining companion's back was to me. They were businessmen. His voice was so loud. His friend barely uttered a word, and when he did, I couldn't hear him because he was a Quiet Listener. A patient soul. When they finally left, Loud Talker was on his cell phone.

But we all know there's another side to every story. My neighbor wasn't doing anything inherently wrong, and he had no idea the music was causing disruption in my life. Loud Talker just needed to vent, or maybe he was lonely. Quiet Listener provided him a gracious ear.

It occurs to me that deep down, we are all selfish. It is the original sin, really. It's saying that my needs and my desires are the most important thing in the universe, above the needs or desires of others. I've heard it said that the biggest problem with sin is the "I" in the middle of the word. True. When Adam and Eve chose to eat the apple, they were in essence saying, "God, we heard what you said but we think our way is better. And we want to taste that apple right now. So thanks anyway." And that was that. No good came from it either.

In America we are bombarded by maintaining our "rights." The smoker says he has a right to smoke, even if it infringes on the rights of others in a crowded area. An angry, rush-hour driver thinks it's her right to fly past everyone else, with or without signaling. It's supposed to be our right to do what we want to do, believe what we want to believe. After all, this is America. Selfish, spoiled America.

Which brings me to my photo, which was not taken in America. It was taken in Glencoe, Scotland, known to be the place of the McDonald Clan massacre centuries ago. I took this photo last month, because it was a beautiful view. It wasn't until I got home and developed the pictures that I realized what an amazing perspective it offered. Not only do I get the tree branches dangling in front of me in the foreground, but I get the green, mountainous landscape in the background. It's a peaceful view. Part of me would like to still be standing there.

Sometimes I tend to rush to conclusions about others without maintaining the proper amount of perspective. It's very easy to do. But if I just step back---as with my photo---and see what the bigger picture is all about, I might gain some patience and grace in return. Just like Quiet Listener. Who would have thought a man in a restaurant would teach me a lesson?

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. ~Oscar Wilde