Confrontation with my Worst Fear

It is a great day to be alive, even if it is less than we had hoped for.

Growing up, we get to learn a lot about our parents.

That includes what our parents fear.

My parents, while I lived with them, had a strong fear of the internet.  It wasn't so much the internet really, but the fact that someone out there could possibly see and hear us in the privacy of our own home - without our knowledge (and we didn't even own a webcam yet)!

Many years later, my Dad has broken through the fear and regularly sends video mail to my kids.  My Mom shows up on camera from time to time as well.

It is no surprise that I never did like video chat rooms (except for those brief years of rebellion where I would spend nights in those delightfully immature yet entertaining yahoo chat sessions - especially the prank phone calls room).

Alas, my parents' worst nightmare came true in my own life.  Being caught on a webcam without any control - or even necessarily knowledge - of what was going on.  A job interview is always stressful, and that is where it had to happen!

Sitting there, shaking and full of anxiety because I could not figure out how to make the video program work, I conversed with my potential boss, trying to prove that I knew how to work a computer.

I had several Google+ tabs open in my browser, and it resulted in the program crashing.  I could not see her, and I could barely use the chat window, but...I could hear her...and then she told me what I had feared...SHE could SEE and HEAR me!!!

I cringed...and tried to hide my obvious distaste for the occasion.  I had no idea if the camera was positioned correctly, or how I looked.  I had lost control over my computer!  Finally, my husband rescued me and told me to restart the browser.

Success!

 I could see my boss, myself, and all went well!  Now I can laugh.  And you can laugh at me too.

What fearful situations have you gotten into lately?

Friends

Friends and family are important!  Not only do they love us, but they continually remind us to love them.  Friendship is Giving and Getting.  If the balance is off, so will be the relationship.

Having friends from many different classes within our society, and from different societies across the world, I have learnt a lot about friends.

It is a challenging lifestyle for any one who does not trust friends and lives in isolation.  They think the isolation is protecting themselves, when it is really putting them in danger!  If there is no giving and getting going on, one gets stuck, often in crazy poverty-like situations - and they don't know how to get help (often even rejecting available help).

Do you know of anyone who tries to isolate themselves?  Take the first steps at becoming their friend.  It may take longer than average (even years), and it may take a LOT of giving on your side, but eventually it will balance out and you will have another great, loyal lifelong friend!

Stressful Day

It was a coldish day.  Only going on 5 hours of sleep.  Just found out my son has allergies to soap - and he managed to continually have problems with it all day.  House is a mess.  Stressful Day!

It is a GREAT Day to be ALIVE!  So thankful to have a loving family and wonderful friends, and to get to encourage people all day long (that's my job)!

I've learnt that happiness does not come from having a "good day," but being happy makes every day good!

However, I am very much looking forward to tomorrow!  The plan? Clean House.  Kids to Preschool.  Work. Kids home.  Work.  Clean House.  Dinner with the family (all four of us).  Church (to pray for other people).

What is your favourite part of today?