DIVERSITY MAKES FOR A RICH TAPESTRY

I needed this alone time, just being with me. No daughters asking me which dress to wear, if hair looked better straight or curly, or which job offer was intriguing – Alaska or Timbuktu. No nephews or nieces telling me that their moms and dads suck, that the guy in the next seat in class today was cute, or that they don’t want careers but would rather bum through life. And pardon me this time, no buddies heaping their woes on my small weary shoulders. Lol So here I am now at my favorite regular coffee bar with my favorite hot cup of cappuccino. Thor, waiter and friend, was doting on me like a mother hen asked if I wanted a refill on my cup. Teasingly I told him that I was only half through my first one. He smiled and said that it was getting cold so a hot replacement would be just fine. Well, who’s to argue that?! Still wonder why I like this place? :-)

So my coffee was getting cold, unimaginable. That usually doesn’t happen. I looked through the glass wall out to the street – saw the day outside moving on quite normally as any other day. Boring to a certain point. So I shifted my gaze back to the people traffic inside the mall, at least that part fronting the coffee bar. I wonder what goes on behind those bland expressionless faces. Often what’s seen on the outside doesn’t necessarily reflect what’s within. Who was it that said -- a person is a behavior triangle– one is how people see him; another is how he wants people to see him; and the other is, how he sees himself – if I remember that correctly. Here at the mall, the battle ensues within the person as any one of this grapple for center stage. I guess we can say that it’s the same thing in any other arena of life a person finds himself. One or any side comes out to the fore in response to the encounter, environment, or circumstance presented. Oh well!

So much for that now, I withdrew into memory lane the mood shifting wistful. Whoa! Memories came tumbling out like a tipped-over bucket of KFC fried chicken – crisp, spicy, delicious! Lol, nope that doesn’t refer to the memories. :-) Each memory held a precious moment or milestone or meaning which stirred up overwhelmingly varied responses. I’ll say I ran the whole gamut of emotions on a wide assortment of events and experiences. At different points of life have-- made my mark, had mistakes, experienced failure, was betrayed, disillusioned, lost loved ones, loved someone, married, raised children, made friends, worked. Oh yes, these were the diverse threads of my life under the page of yesteryears. There’re more threads to be put in, of course, as this long journey continues.

We each have our different stories to tell, yet we’re all still the same– laugh, cry, grieve, love, hate, fight, hope, trust, believe. Our similarities and differences all make up the colorful threads of our lives, separately or collectively. Author, Maya Angelou said this --- We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.

“Maybe you would like a sandwich now?” butted in Thor’s pleasant voice cutting through my reverie. I looked at him and smiled “I’ve never asked you about your name. Where’d you get that?” He laughed. “Mom gave it to me”. “She reads mythology?” “No. Well, yes, when she met my father. She was doing her literature assignment at the school library….” Warmed by the thought, I replied “And she was on the page of Thor when love sparks flew.” He grinned sheepishly. Ah! -- Their own tapestry of life. “Thanks, Thor; I think that sandwich sounds good.” Time alone like this --is time well spent. :-)


posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 10:12 AM