Strawberry Days Banter

I wish I could type as fast as I can think. Wouldn't that be awesome?! I think so much; my brain is like on overload all the time. (Maybe someday that invention will exist- and then I will say "I thought of it first"- just like the mouse that scrolls up and down AND left to right... genius... and it was my idea, I swear.) Late at night I lay awake and think of blog posts, really I do. They never get posted, but they sound so nice and eloquent in my head... I get so excited and then I wake up and can't even remember what I wanted to blog about, or I do remember and then I sit down to update and I just sound like a dummy. I am no writer,- that's for sure. If I can think of the most torturous day of my life, it would likely include writing (and would for sure include being along)- so alone and writing= torture! But regardless of my inability to successfully translate my thoughts to paper I am going to blog right now. (I have exactly 17 minutes to blog.)

Some people. Today at the parade we were sitting in an okay spot that Jay staked out at 8AM this morning. The spot would do but we only had 2 chairs and the kids couldn't see much. Jay noticed a HUGE spot (about 15' x30') just to the right of us- with NO ONE sitting in it. (Keep in mind this is in the yard of a church.) So, I got up and asked an older lady sitting behind the roped off section if we could sit there- being there was no one there. The lady told me the people sitting in front off the roped off section were the ones to ask and that they'd already rudely kicked her off the sidewalk, (she had a child in a wheelchair mind you) but she informed me that if I asked them they would cheer for me really loud. So, I approached the lady and tried to handle it the nice way; explaining that they are only five of us and our kids can't see, and no one in their party has even shown up, etc. Her response? "Well, that's what you get when you don't plan ahead?!"

Seriously!!! I bantered something back about there being no way they possibly needed ALL that space, and her mom turned around and said "If you're nice, we might let you sit here." Seriously?!!!! Are we five? In the yard of a church! My response: "Since you own the place." Anyway, this went on for a minute or two... no yelling, but them repeatedly telling me I should have planned ahead (apparently there is some high competition for a 'spot' to watch the Strawberry days parade these days- 8:00 am the day of no longer cuts it.) and me telling them I really doubted their family would even fill up 1/3 of the section they had roped off- unless they had a family of about 200 people. I was so bugged.

Defeated, I took my original 8:00 am seat, but the nice old lady who was now my cheerleader loudly told me "we won't stoop to their level; but we can talk about it really loud." She was funny and I like her.

About 10 minutes later (after the parade has started), the first dumb lady stands up and announces to everyone that we can now sit in "their" spot, but NOT in the shade. Seriously?!!! I felt so stupid even moving over there, under their 'conditions' but I did regardless, so that my kids would at least enjoy the parade.

Guess what happened next? NOTHING!!!!! NO ONE EVEN SHOWED UP! NOT A SINGLE PERSON CAME TO CLAIM THEIR HIGH REAL ESTATE PARADE WATCHING SPOT!

I eventually scooted my family over to the shady section and spread my blankets out as big as they could go, of course others followed. The sad thing is they never took down the ropes so other people just kept sitting outside the ropes, and it took an inside rope citizen to let them know it was "okay" to sit inside the ropes. The nice old lady kept just telling me how those people must just feel so embarrassed after all that, and not have a sole showed up! Good! I hope they felt so stupid.

So, I am not a confrontational person, and am surprised I even asked to sit there when I knew the answer was "no", Maybe I just had an innate desire argue today? Regardless, I just keep replaying the whole thing and wonder why these people were so dang rude and how I would have handled it if I'd been in their position. Maybe some thing like: "We think we will only have about 20 people coming, and should only need this section here; so feel free to sit wherever else." (even though no one even showed up!) or maybe even: "Ya' know they must be running really late, can you wait just 10 more minutes?" They just handled the entire thing with no class or dignity. Sometimes I just wonder about people. Do you really think there are people in the world that somehow feel happier or better about themselves if they treat someone so horribly? Maybe it is just the fact that those two ladies had control of where about 100 people were (or were not) sitting.

So, crazy mean parade ladies out there, I really hope you somehow stumble upon my blog and realize that mean people suck and being a crabby patty is only going to make your life sad. The end.

I love Strawberry Days! (even with that crabby patty)