Forwarded Mail, Scroogey Hubby
Del.icio.usA week ago I got a forwarded e-mail from a friend titled, “She really works!!! If you need money ...”
Well, I thought, who doesn’t need money? So I proceeded to read on. The headline said, “Money coming your way ... Tag, you’re it!”
Under that, there was a picture of an angel sitting on a cloud dropping glittering stars from the heavens. Apparently, this little lady is the “money angel.”
If you forward the e-mail on to six of your good friends and family members, rumor has it that you’ll be rich in four days. Even better, if you send it to 12 friends you’ll get rich even quicker - only two days until ultimate wealth.
I laughed to myself at how silly the concept sounded and was just about to press “delete” when I read the last line of the e-mail: “If you delete it, you will never know.”
For some reason those last words made me hesitate. Some part of my brain - the part that deals with the “what ifs” - took over.
So, I could type in six to 12 names of people I knew, forward the message and increase my chances of miracle riches with barely any time spent on my part.
Of course, my friends would probably hate me for wasting their time on such matters, so I decided I’d opt for sending the message to only six friends who I thought could overlook my lapse in judgment.
I looked at the original message and all its recipients first. Each person who had received the message had forwarded it to at least 12 people or more. Well, I decided if it was true, I could wait the extra two days for financial freedom.
Now, logically, I knew this idea was extremely improbable. Ridiculous, even, that I’d entertain the thought. And yet, some part of me felt if, by some quirk of fate, the improbable could happen, I’d be missing out on an opportunity.
I get messages like this every day from friends and family members all over the country. Some of these messages are touching stories worth retelling while others are hoaxes and schemes to use up your precious time and resources.
I don’t usually play around with omens of bad luck or bad fortune. I’d prefer to increase my own chances of good luck whenever I can. I have to say, however, that it’s been more than four days ... and I’m still waiting for the big payout.
Choosing just one celebration.
The other day my friend Sam told me that he makes his wife choose whether they will celebrate Girl’s Day or Mother’s Day.
His wife thought she should get to celebrate both. After all, her father still celebrates both for her mother - and her mother is 60!
“Why can’t I be both a girl and a mother?” Sam’s wife, Shirley asked.
Sam was standing firm. “Nope, you just have to pick one.”
His wife thought this was unfair. Girl’s Day is a day to bless girls and it held a nostalgic place in her mind because of how her family celebrated March 3 during the years she was growing up. Now Shirley was a mother too, but she still wanted to be celebrated as a female separately than how she was celebrated as a mother.
What do you think? Can you be both girl and mother or boy and father for all your life? And is it too much to ask to celebrate both?
Scary salad
These days I’m almost afraid to eat anything that isn’t cooked. It seems as though just about everything I like has been getting contaminated. I love spinach but haven’t eaten any for more than a year now. I also love tomatoes - I could eat them whole with just a sprinkle of salt - but now that’s off the list too, at least the ones that are shipped in from the Mainland.
While locally grown produce is still safe, I hardly get a chance to go to the farmer’s market. I do, however, try to “buy local” any chance I get.
Contaminated foods, especially fresh produce, is a sad reality for all of us who gravitate to salads, especially during the summertime. My fear of severe illness or even death, however, keeps me from wanting to purchase too many of the Mainland-grown items in the produce section.
So instead of lettuce this summer, I’m opting for beans when I can’t immediately get my hands on locally grown veggies. Chickpeas are a great source of fat-free protein and they taste great. A hard-boiled egg (minus the yolk) is also good for a little boost. Or try a fruit salad instead. I’ve also started growing my own cherry tomatoes to take care of my tomato cravings.
While the beans don’t exactly take the place of a nice leafy green salad, they do offer enough refreshment (especially if served cold) to carry me over until I feel safer about the salad bar.
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