Cruisers: Sunday Cruisers and the Big House

Not that I am a speeder, but I am going to be the speeder’s advocate today. Why do people who drive 20 mile per hour pull out from a side street, road, alley, or parking lot into high volume traffic?  Should these people be charged, convicted, and hurled to the big house? Maybe this is a bit extreme, but it is something to brood on. Nevertheless, I call them Sunday cruisers. I do not understand why these cruisers make irrational judgments, especially when the lives of others are at stake. I know I am probably speaking of someone’s grandmother and grandfather, mother and father, or aunt and uncle who are considered the Sunday cruiser. After all, my father is the Sunday cruiser and my mother is the speed demon (Go mom!).

I am not sure if the big house is the answer; I am sure it is not, but I had a crazy driving episode recently that forced me to ponder with the idea.

 I consider myself a cautious and defensive driver; after all, I am constantly maneuvering through the rural roads, highways, and interstates of the Carolinas. So using caution is a must because it helps me counteract unwise drivers, oh! I mean Sunday cruisers.

This past Sunday, I was driving 55miles per hour in a 55miles per hour zone through miles of greenery and earth when suddenly out of a diminutive, warped side street a car slowly entered my path. It was a dark gray Lincoln Continental with shiny rims and lightly tinted windows. The thoughtless driver was completely stopped at the narrow side street. When I was at least 20 feet from passing the narrow road, the cruiser pulled out. Swiftly, I slammed on the brake pedal and swirled to the left of the road. Luckily for both cars, the ‘coast was clear.’ I  could tell the driver saw me because the nose of my car was almost in the back seat of his. I was fuming. At first chance, I passed the unhurried dark gray machine.

 This situation could have turned out disastrous if I had not been driving defensively. Even if people make eye contact with one another, never assume that the other sees. Knowing the environment and situation are a plus when driving. Perhaps the big house is not the answer, but entertaining the thought is consoling.

I wanted to share my angry driving story. Care to share: what is your driving story?

Note to self: Never assume that a driver sees you.

Stress: Whys to limit Anxiety

The topic of stress seems to be a daily subject in my professional and personal life. I am constantly listening to individuals complain about some type of stress in their lives. I too seethe about my stress. My conversations of stress addresses marriage, work issues, weigh problems, single life, relationships, and the list become infinite. However, meditation or walking eliminates some of the daily stress that I encounter.  Meditation is my top stress reliever.

To resolve my stress, I start in small increments. I designate certain days of the week to meditate and walk. My first method for relieving stress is meditation; I meditate three times a week. My meditation environment is in my spare room that is housed with index cards of positive words taped to all four walls of the room and inspirational and motivational books housed in a bookshelf. The natural light streaming from the cracks of the window blind connects me with nature. There, I meditate different aphorisms from ancient sages and prophets such as Jesus, Muhammad, or Buddha. Depending on what aspect of my life anxiety pounces on, determines what type of adage I need to focus on. For example, if I become stressed because of work issues, I use three days to meditate. When I am not meditating, I go walking in a local cemetery that facilitates walkers. I know that this sounds morbid, but it keeps me focused. Walking around headstones for an hour is a constant reminder that I could be laying in the graveyard oppose to walking in one if I do nothing about relieving stress. Meditation and walking simply keeps me grounded.

For a good read, search “Stress is Dessert Spelled Backwards” there are many article on this topic.

Share your stress stories.

Best Friends: Who Are They

Over the years, I thought I had best friends, but they all turned out to be people who would come and go. When I was in my adolescence years, I experience unscrupulous ‘best’ friends. One of the many people who I thought was my ‘best’ friend stole a green and white wrap-around skirt set from me. When I found out that she was the culprit, the shattered pieces of my heart  inundated the floor. Okay, not really, but I was sad because I believed that she was my friend.

 Another occurrence with a faulty ‘best friend’ was in the early 80s. I had some money, so I decided to go to McDonald’s. On my way, I stopped at my ‘best’ friend’s house to ask if she had money to join me at the restaurant. She did not have any funds, but she had a friend who worked there, so she would get a free meal. At any rate, we arrived at McDonald's and my ‘best’ friend immediately rushed to her friend’s line to place her order, and I followed. She ordered a hamburger, small fries, and a small Pepsi (mind you she did not pay). After she completed her order, I ordered a Quarter Pounder with cheese, large fry, and a large Pepsi then paid for my order. But something awful happen, my ‘best’ friend took my order and I was left with hers. Before I knew it, she bit down into MY juicy Quarter Pounder knowing it was mine. She ate and enjoyed the meal that I paid for and I was left with the measly hamburger. Her actions of selfishness made me realize that she was not my ‘best’ friend.

My ‘best’ friend experience as an adult was shoddier. One year on my birthday, I decided to have a beach weekend. I made reservation to stay at a fancy five start condominium three weeks before my birthday. A week before my birthday get-a-way, my ‘best’ friend called to tell me that she wanted to spent time with me on my birthday, so she was coming down to the Carolinas to join me. I thought it was a fantastic idea to spend time at one of my favorite places with the ‘bestie.’ Friday arrived and I was ready to go. She called to inform me that she was traveling and she would be arriving in North Carolina by that early evening. That early evening never came. I waited and waited and waited. I called her cell phone nervous that something tragic happen, but the call went straight to her voice mail. As a result, I lost my reservation and missed out on a birthday trip that I had planned. She finally called me that Monday morning with some lame excuse as to why she did not make it. I found out months later that she arrived in North Carolina and went to spend the weekend with another friend who lived 30 minutes away from me. I was so distraught that I wanted to move in a cave in somewhere in Madagascar. All right, I wasn’t that distressed; I ended the relationship.  

 

My ‘best’ friend stories my sound asinine, but they are true encounters I had with some of the people in my life.  

Perhaps I am not meant to have ‘best’ friends, but simply friends that come and go. After all, some things are not meant for everyone.  A true best friend is someone who is always in a person’s life no matter what changes life produce. Best friends are always intertwined with the changes in one’s life. I can honestly say, I never had a best friend. Do you have a ‘best’ friend story? Care to share?

         

Nepotism: Live and Well

Nepotism certainly exists in this society, but no one wants to talk about it. I know many of people who were offered a job, promotion, or accepted into an organization on the grounds of nepotism. It makes me cringe knowing that someone received a faulty opportunity because he or she is a family member, best friend, or close associate of the review committee. Once this inept individual receive the position, the person is discombobulated by the job responsibilities. They just walk around clueless and constantly bothering others for help. 

I want to be hired on the grounds of my abilities and experience. People who are faced with these dilemmas must safeguard their integrity, ethics, and morals. Do not hire on the basis of relationship. When one considers the ‘bestie’ for the job and not their qualification, these important attributes become compromised. When people give in to favoritism they deteriorate their character. Does anyone know someone who procured a position on the ground of nepotism? Or, are you in your position because of preferential treatment? Tell the Truth.

ChamberWhite: Just Hear Me

This blog is for individuals to laugh, cry, or scream. After all, one cannot live in this world alone, so get  involved with ChamberWhite. If all the people in your life do not know who you really are, or they do not show interest in what you do, then this is your aperture. I learned that some subjective views must be shared. Here, I share my thoughts, answers, and opinions on any topic there is no holding back.  

Why ChamberWhite is here: My family and some friends in my life have no interest in reading my writing. Whenever I would ask for their undivided attention just to listen and give feedback, it seemed as though they were exasperated by my question. So I simply stop asking. They do not know how much I write and how much I enjoy writing. Nevertheless, I started this blog to share what I have learned about myself, support one's ambitions, encourage others to dream, and how to achieve goals. Feel free to share your wonderful prose with ChamberWhite. I would like to hear from you.  I talk about every issue that exist on this earth. Everything is worth talking about.

Presently, I am working on a piece that I started years ago and short-short stories and poetry. I am having a hard time because my mood is different than it was when I first started the piece, so now I am trying to evoke my idiosyncratic and spontaneous  mind of the past.