Monthly Archives: August 2012

Can’t We All Get Along?

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Sprinkled Notes isn’t about one topic. It is notes and thoughts that meander through my mind on  a day to day basis. Today my thoughts are wondering why we can’t agree to disagree without bashing the other side.

My school district is in the midst of trying to build a new school. The vote is soon. We have the Vote Yes side and the Vote No side. From what I see the Vote Yes side is acting professional, respecting others opinions and keeping it positive. On the other hand I have observed that some people on the vote no side seems to bully and bash people in their comments, on Facebook and in the community. I respect the fact that they have their opinion and feel that a new school is not needed. I don’t agree with the way they are directing their comments. When I make my decisions I usually listen to both sides if the facts are presented appropriately. People bashing and ranting is not the way to get a point across seriously. People tend to stop listening.

I can’t fault anyone for their methods when the people we are supposed to look up to and respect in our country are doing the same thing. There is a saying Children Learn What They Live. What do we learn from those in higher authority?

The politicians run their campaigns on a bully and bash technique. The dirtier the story the louder that shout it. We either turn them off or we buy into what they are selling. We don’t use rational  thought to make our decisions. We are not given factual information in the ads and we don’t look any further for the facts. Of course many times it is hard to uncover the facts under all the mish mash we are hearing.

I see the bashing of each others parties on Facebook. Some friends have a different view than I do. That is ok. What you don’t realize that for me when you are ridiculing, making fun of and ripping one parties beliefs you are also ripping, making fun of and disrespecting your friends beliefs. The way you are promoting your party doesn’t make me want to switch my opinion. What would maybe make me switch my opinion would be the facts presented respectfully not with bashing cartoons. Give me a factual reason presented to me without bashing and making fun of my beliefs.

I don’t usually comment on political things. I don’t usually comment on political postings on Facebook unless they are presented in a respectful way. I love my friends. I respect their opinions. I wish they would express them without bashing my beliefs.

Why can’t we all get along? Why do we always have to be right? Are we accomplishing anything by not taking the time to view the facts, respect the other sides opinions and perhaps get along enough that we can come to a middle ground.

Then again why should we expect anything else. We live what we see and we don’t see too much respect for each others opinions in the media. So I guess we can expect it to get worse for our grandkids. They won’t know any different.

The Eyes Have It – Something About Nothing

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The eyes have it. The eyes have it might refer to a 1945 animated Disney movie starring Donald Duck and Pluto. The eyes have it might refer to the first of the Lord Darcy series by Randall Garrett. The eyes have it might refer to a short story by Ruskin Bond. The eyes have it might refer to a short story by Phillip K. Dick.  The eyes have it might refer to an episode of the television series Charmed. The eyes have it might refer to an episode of Lois and Clark from the Superman Series. The eyes have it might refer to a science fiction novel by Rose Estes. At least those are the things the Wikipedia lists for the eyes have it.

Actually, the idiom is: The ayes have it.

When I say the eyes have it I am referring to the statement women’s eyes make depending on the makeup that they are wearing on their eyes. I am obsessed right now with women’s eyes. I know they say that the eyes are the window to the soul.  By gazing into someone’s eyes we can usually tell if they are happy, sad, confused, mad or afraid.  What does the makeup that we women wear on our eyes say about us?

If you gaze at the makeup or no makeup on my eyes on any given day they will tell you they are confused. My eyes are confused about the makeup they should be wearing.

I have old droopy eyes. I have never been in favor of plastic surgery but I discovered that if I hold my lids up on my eyes I can see better. Maybe that is why some people nip and tuck. I don’t think my droopy eyes could be misconstrued as bedroom eyes.

I remember as a teenager first wearing makeup. I wasn’t confused, I was excited. At that age we were over confident that makeup looked great no matter how over made up we were. We had makeup to choose from but our choices were more limited than today. There were three colors of mascara and eyeliner, black, black/brown and brown. It wasn’t too difficult to decide what color liner and mascara to use.

Without eye makeup I have no eyes. I have always had blonde hair and blonde eye lashes. Recently someone was talking about the new style of lining inside the eyes with black eyeliner. A friend that is my age and I remarked that it was our style back in our day when we first started wearing makeup. It felt normal to go back to that style although I suppose no 62 year old lady should have cat’s eyes.

I am confused and not because I am blonde. I haven’t been big on makeup the last year. I decided maybe a little makeup would make my droopy eyes look better. I didn’t have a problem deciding on eyeliner and eye shadow but when I turned to choose mascara I walked the aisles in confusion. When did they develop so many choices?

Do I want the superextend extreme mascara, the Superextend waterproof mascara, the Supershock mascara or the Supershock extend mascara? Those were the choices my latest Avon book gave me. I checked the websites.  I found 24 hours mascara, resistant mousse mascara, fusion water resistant mascara, volume blasting mascara; eye brightening mascara and the list can go on.

I was curious about L’Oreal’s False Fiber lashes mascara that came up in a Google Search so I clicked on the link.  False fiber lashes is a break though in fiber mascara technology. According to the website it creates a unique blend of short rayon and nylon fibers.  This is the same fiber used in false eyelashes so using this mascara makes lashes to appear fuller, longer, curled and sculpted with a high gloss finish. I love to use high gloss finish on my painting projects. I guess my lashes will shine and be as durable as my painting projects.

The more I looked the more confused I became. I decided to choose my mascara in a very scientific way. I closed my eyes and chanted “I choose, I choose, I choose, it is youse. “ I then turned around three times, pointed over my shoulder and low and behold there it was. I made my choice for mascara.

The next time you see me, look into my eyes. See if you see sadness, happiness, quirkiness. Look into my eye because they are the window to my soul. That is you will see those emotions if you can get past the pink and purple curly double stranded fiber curlicue mascara that now enhances my eyes.  That is the secret to eye makeup. If we wear thick enough, quirky enough color you will never get past the lashes to look into our soul to see the happiness, sadness, madness or whatever emotion we want to hide.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.  Audrey Hepburn

by Julie Seedorf © August2012

Families Feud

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I have been thinking about families today. I have especially been thinking about families that are estranged from one another.

It makes me very sad when I see relationships broken up because of misunderstandings. I once knew a brother and sister in their middle adult years become enemies.  They started feuding because of money and homes being left to one and not to all. I do not know who was right or wrong in this case. Many years passed and the feud continued. Children of these adults were not allowed to have any relationship with their cousins. Family events came and went without these people and families being part of each others lives. Soon the brother was on his deathbed. He asked to see his sister. At that moment it didn’t matter who was right or wrong. It didn’t matter what was left to who. All that mattered was that it was time for healing.

The brother died and those cousins, the man.s great nephews that never knew him were the pall bearers.The sister wept about all those lost years. She couldn’t go back. The relationship was mended at the end but there wasn’t enough time left to create new memories.

Relationships are never easy. Forgiveness is never easy. We are a proud people. We always hurt those we love the most.  Why am I writing this? Another family I know is suffering from estrangement. Soon it may be too late.

Perhaps I am so passionate about this subject because I have no siblings to feud with. Of course I can’t understand the sibling relationship but what I want to say is that a solo life without your siblings is a lonely life.

Who else is there in this world besides your parents  that has shared your life since your birth? Who else shares your genes and your history? Who else resembles your parents so closely?.Who else could share the sibling rivalry?You may not always like your family but there is love possibly deeply buried in the heart.

I have heard the words “I have no regrets if I never make up with my family, with my mother, with my brothers and with my sisters.” I say to you: perhaps you don’t know yourself as well as you think and someday those words will be flung into space in sorrow.

When we cease to exist in this world all that will be left will be those feelings we leave behind. We may think the material things of this world that we leave those we love are all important but they aren’t. They can’t take it with them anymore than we can take our earthly riches with us. What we can take is the love of those we left behind and leave those we left behind our love.

We might not know it but under the non existant feelings we think we don’t have,  that love  is there somewhere hidden in our heart. It is hidden by our pride, our need to be right, and our selfishness. We all have those feelings. It is ok to feel what we are feeling but ask yourself when the end is near will you like the brother and sister in the story regret not forgiving each other sooner?

Time is all we have until we don’t.