My Daily Trip to Wendy's

Like clock work, I stop to the Wendy's on Ventura near Fallbrook in San Fernando Valley almost every morning while I am driving my bus route on the way to the Thousand Oaks area. No it is not the food that I stop for it is the facilities. I am have been doing this since about June of this year. With my job we change our routes every six months and the first thing a driver does is find out where on the route there are clean and easily accessible restrooms. Wendy's has been one of those places for me. In this Wendy's there are 2-4 retired people always sitting at the same table and like me they are there every morning. After about the second week of my coming in, they would say good morning and make idle chat as I rush in and rush out. One particular morning they saw me pull the bus up in front and proceed to the door of Wendy's and one of the gentleman had squatted down on the inside while holding the inside handle of the door so that I was not able to just snatch it open. Once I saw him there through the class of the door I just started to laugh and then he let me in. The other guy was standing in front of the ladies restroom door with his arms stretched open so that I couldn't pass. Again I just laughed and they got a big kick out of teasing me this way. It was just so funny until I couldn't say a word. It was just all in good fun.
Every since that day they tease me as I run in and out of the Wendy's and I also tease them about having nothing better to do than get up in the morning to harass the bus driver. They are really very nice people. They tell me that they look forward to seeing me in the mornings as I look forward to seeing them, and when I don't come in they miss my doing so. In the brief seconds of my going in and out we are able to exchange information about our kids, home towns, vacations, etc, this exchange has been quite interesting and uplifting.

This morning one of the gentleman who is always leaving about the time I stop in front of the store, was at the counter purchasing something to take out with him and he walked out with me as I was rushing out and told me about one of the other gentlemen that is sometimes there in the mornings; that he was a little rattled by our brief chat the day before. He is also retired with longer grey hair that he pulls back in a ponytail. He is actually the quieter of the four and I will call him the fourth one because he is not always there in the morning. The day before I was teasing, the fourth one, about being really quiet and that maybe he needed another cup of coffee or need to get his coffee else where, because the Wendy's coffee is just not working. He sort of smiled and kept his eyes on his coffee.
So this morning when I was leaving, the gentleman that walked out with me started to tell me that I almost got into it with the guy with the pony tail, yesterday. He told me that he never talks to him because he doesn't like him, and then he told me that this guy really hates me because I am black. Well I was really surprised to hear that, but of course not shocked. I told my friend that this guy obviously has a problem, and it is just that, his problem. We laughed and I told him that whenever I see the fourth one, I am going to make sure to speak to him specifically, but being careful with my teasing, and just be over the top with personality and attention, and let that anger eat him up or it may just ease him up.
There was a time that this sort of thing would have angered me, but not anymore because I am blessed with what God has given me and those who harbor hatred usually are not even aware of why they are angry. They have been taught to do so, and losing that anger would mean losing a part of themselves. I find it a very sad situation. I know how hard it is to harbor resentment toward someone that has actually done something wrong to me. Having to remember my anger whenever their name is mentioned and or when I am faced with them. That is just way too much energy for me, so I can only imagine what it takes to hate an entire race of people. They must be exhausted.



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The Gift that keeps on Giving

There is this wonderful and very excitable Vietnamese couple that I see every morning taking an early morning walk together. I usually see them at Topanga and Sherman Way in San Fernando Valley as I begin my route at 5:00 in the morning. The lady is a little shy, but has started talking to me more and more. Her husband is one that is full of energy and I believe that he is the one that really started all of this. I see them pretty much every morning and we have all gotten to the point where we look for each other because it is a warm exchange and a great start to the day when you come across people that are nice and engaging. It is actually a disappointment when I don't see them in the morning. Well after Nancy warmed up to me she asked me what size bra did I wear. Of course I thought this was a strange question coming from someone that I hardly know, but she went on to explain that she makes bras and works for an American lingerie company, and we just all laughed. After she asked the question, her husband just sort of looked at me and walked away with this big smile on his face, as if to say, I don't really want to know this information. So when I told her the size she looked closer at my chest area as though she didn't believe me, and I told her that these puppies were well contained, but that was the correct size. She says to me, "but you are skinny", and that is when I hugged and thanked her for calling me skinny; something every woman wants to hear even when it is not true, and in my case it is not true. I am in a size twelve which is fine for my height but I am almost fifty years old and there are quite a few things poking out under there.

The very next morning they were approaching the stop at Topanga as I was also approaching. While I was changing the head sign on the bus in preparation to begin my route they were standing right outside the door. When I opened the door and said good morning I was being handed a small white bag, from no other than her husband. Inside there were two brand new bras in my size. I just laughed about who was actually handing me the package, and I thanked her very much.
What is so wonderful about this is that it reminds me that there are still really good and generous people in this world. I believe that there are more of them than not, but unfortunately the minority of people that set out to do harm to others makes one really weary of all people and keeps you on the defensive. These are the things that I love about my job. I have always really enjoyed people and getting to know them and their lives and discover and understand as well as embrace the differences in our backgrounds, our culture, our ethnicity, etc. None of these things were a factor in this beautiful exchange between an African-American woman and an Asian-American couple. The thing that we have in common is the enjoyment of meeting good people where there is a warm, intelligent, and enlightening exchange that leaves you with restored faith and a smile. This is the beauty that God wants us to see within each other, knowing that we have more in common than not. That people are people, regardless of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, or background; our basic needs are the same.

This is one of the reasons that I absolutely love my job as a metro bus driver. I am fortunate enough to meet all sorts of people from all walks of life, and they greatly outweigh those that are unpleasant to meet. I learn so much from these people and about these people and it further encourages me. The other thing I love about my job is that I have learned a great deal about this city through driving the bus and the various routes. I have learned my way around the city and learned the culture of various neighborhoods, by its inhabitants and the type of businesses that are there.

We are in very difficult times in this country and it is always warming to the heart when you connect with one another. We need that, and it makes whatever it is that you are going through just a little bit easier. It is really easy to smile and say good morning to those that you don't know. To listen when they talk to you, because you don't ever know if your kindness is what makes the difference in their lives, the difference in their day, or change the course of their thoughts and so often there is some sort of impact.


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WOW! An endorsement by the most respected Republican in all the Land

Sunday, Colin L. Powell endorsed Barack H. Obama for the next President of the United States. He believes that either candidate would make a good president, but Obama is what America needs today. He criticizes McCain on his campaign tactics as well as his choice for a running mate. He also criticizes his party on their swing further to the right in which Palin has become instrumental. Powell admits that he was for the war with the information that he was provided but it just has not worked and it needs to be corrected. Some want to call him a traitor for crossing party lines and others want to say that he crossed these lines merely on race. This is such an insult to such a highly respected man, and is ridiculous for anyone to think that a man with his background would let race alone play any part in his decision to endorse a presidential candidate. I have always had a great deal of respect for Colin Powell, the man and the leader. I greatly respect his opinions and the eloquent way in which he expresses them.
The beauty he saw in a photo essay he came across on the Muslim-America, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, a fallen soldier of the Iraqi War, now buried in Arlington Cemetery at the tender age of 20, further exemplifies, the wisdom and the insite of this great man.. It didn't matter if Khan was Muslim or not when he went to fight for this country against terrorism that destroys the fiber of freedom everywhere. The story he told of this young man once again reiterates the fact that the differences among us is not the issue, and that we are more alike than we are different.

Powell expressed his admiration for both presidential candidates but believe Obama to be what America needs at this time. Powell recognizes Obama's ability to inspire people, reach across racial, ethnic, religious, generational, and social line. He highlights Obama's rhetorical abilities, and the substance as a leader and as a man.
This is what Powell endorses. He has only known Obama for the past couple of years and he mentions that he has watched Obama educate and ready himself for the most important job in America, that as President. For these reasons and these reasons alone is why Powell believes Obama to be the right man for the job. Powell describes Obama as a transformational figure, and transformation is what we need, we need his freshness.
McCain describes Bill Ayers, the man that he is trying so hard to link Obama with, as a "washed up terriorist" and I describe McCain as a "washed up POW" and this experience does not give him what is needed to run this country, other than further into the ground.
No Obama will not be able to make the necessary changes with lightening speed, but he will put in place a team that will work their hardest to make the changes needed to get America back on top where she belongs. Why, because smart people knows how to surround themselves with a strong team that has the level of experience and expertise that he can draw from, and that is evident in his choice of a running mate.






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Fear of Our Own Greatness

We all have things that we have dreamed of doing in our lives and most of these dreams we never pursue. Sometimes it is because others don't believe in our dream and we start to doubt ourselves. Other times life gets in the way, and by the time we have less responsibility in our lives and are able to start on some of those dreams, we are tired and no longer have the desire, and begin to believe that there was a reason why we never pursued our dreams. I am also guilty of this sort of thinking. There has been times where I have pursued things and taken risks but I have never pursue the dreams I have so often had in the artistic realm. I have less responsibility now than I did when I was raising my daughter and it is my time, but I have allowed everything to get in my way, most of all myself. I am trying to free myself from this, and I so often convince myself that I don't have the fight that I use to have ten years ago, but that is not true, I still have that fire. I believe that God puts the passion into your heart and it is up to us to act on it.
Many people have had the same feelings, and they some how worked through that fear, and pushed through to their dream. There are many people that has come before us, and these are average everyday people that have done extraordinary things.
Photojournalism is something that I have a passion for. I have always loved photography and also learning about people's lives, where they have been, where they are going and why. I believe that everyone has a story and most often it can touch some else's life. That is what I am passionate about. What scares me is that there are so many amazing photographers out there and I don't yet know how to make my photography stand out from the rest. I am good with relating to people. I have the kind of personality that people gravitate to and my honesty and sincerity is what people are trusting of. I am hoping that these character traits are what pushes me along in my pursuit of this field. Hopefully this will allow me to get the right photograph that tells a moving story.
The reason for starting these blogs is to overcome my fear of putting myself out there, expressing myself for all to see, even putting some photos out there. Hopefully the day will come when I look back on these meager beginnings and be grateful that I started somewhere. I am also hoping that all that read my blogs will also see my growth, and even be instrumental in that growth by commenting on what they read or see in my photographs.


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The Last Presidential Debate, Still Too Close for Comfort

Tonight, the debate was held at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, New York, which is where I attended college. It was actually hard to watch. The lies that McCain is steadily allowed to tell about Obama is amazing. These statements have been consistently corrected in commentary, but he continues to perpetuate them and attack the man personally. The America people want to hear what the candidates plan to do, especially with this economy. The other major issues being the war in Iraq, the education of our children so they are able to compete in this world, and health care. McCain continues to skim these issues and makes taxes the main issue of his platform other than bashing Obama.

There seems to be a great deal of people that have switched parties, because of the most recent Republican regime. When Bush took office this country had a financial surplus, and now the deficit is out of reach. The economy is headed toward a serious depression, and we are bailing out big business and letting the little man sink. It appears as though it was not until these financial institutions started to suffer from all of the bad mortgages, that the federal government publicly acknowledge that there was a serious problem. This alone is quite a disappointment, and I can't imagine what this country would be like if McCain is the next president, and with the polls being as close as it is, anything is possible here in America.
As much as I want Obama to be our next president, I am quite concerned for his life. He is too young and has too much to offer this country for him to be snuffed out like that. Then there is the obvious, his wife being widowed and their two girls growing up without their father, as so many of the families of our promising leaders have had to do; i.e., John Kennedy, Jack Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Medger Evers, and Malcom X, just to name a few.
I am aware that Obama is not going to be able to turn this country around easily or rapidly, but I believe that he will make enough of a difference for the American people to take note and benefit over the long term.
I don't think that I can handle another republican in office and especially the likes of John McCain. Leaving this country and becoming an expatriate is definitely an option for me and many others that I have spoken with. Where will I go, I am not sure at this time, but somewhere where the cost of living as well as the quality of life is much better. I always hear that there is no other place like America, and I am not able to speak on that, because I have never lived any where else. I am quite interested in finding out, especially if McCain gets into the White House.


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