Three weeks of Spring Break has come to a close – as of yesterday, my daytime hours have been restored to uninterrupted quiet. Blissful silence.

Don’t get me wrong, I love spending extra daytime time with the hubby and kids, but I can never seem to get anything done. Now that I’m walking a mile in my mom’s shoes, I can totally understand what she meant all those years ago.

Isn’t it funny as you’re growing up you think to yourself “Yeah, yeah, whatever…” when grownups tell you to enjoy (insert appropriate action word here) now, because time flies by too fast? Or when they say “When you have kids of your own, you’ll understand”.

I can finally say I do understand. And am passing that baton to Princess Nagger as I find myself telling her to tuck that moment away and remember it when she’s all grown up and has kids of her own.

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I better be careful, if I keep it up I’ll become my mother.

Speaking of being careful… Unless you were living under a rock last week, you probably heard or read all about the ESPN sports reporter, Britt McHenry, being a total Mean Girl to a booth attendant at a towing company when her car was towed from the parking lot of the restaurant she was eating at.

BrittMcHenry

While I do not condone her behavior – at all – you know how there are always three sides to every story, right? Each side, and the truth. While some may think that the video is the ‘true’ story, if you watch it, you can see that it was clearly edited.

Which takes the whole incident out of context, only showing one side of the story, not both sides of the story. I’d be curious to see the video intact and unedited, including whatever the tow booth attendant said to McHenry during her Mean Girl moment.

Like I said, I do not in any way shape or form condone McHenry’s obvious lack of compassion and basic niceness to the towing attendant, but I also think possibly the whole thing (the video in particular) was manipulated to make her look worse. 

Especially considering the towing company in question is notorious for towing cars that shouldn’t be towed, or having ‘spotters’ notify them the minute anyone leaves the lot to go elsewhere instead of the place the lot belongs to – like crossing the street to get cash out of an ATM because the restaurant – whose lot you’re parked in – only takes cash. So their towing practices are shady at best.

Things get taken out of context all the time – and obviously the severely edited video does just that, making McHenry look even meaner than mean to the attendant.

But it also brings up questions like how mean was the booth attendant to McHenry, pushing those buttons (possibly on purpose because of her being an ‘on air’ personality), and why was the video edited so minutely to make sure it exacerbated McHenry’s Mean Girl persona?

Inquiring minds want to know…

It’s time once again for Rory Bore’s Tuesday Chat!

This week’s prompt or question is:

“Tell me about a recent fear that you faced.” 

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “there is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Fear2

As human beings, it’s our nature to be fearful, though for some it’s more pronounced than others, some who let their fears control their lives. I’m not one of those people. Not saying I don’t have fears – fear of acceptance, fear of failure, typical fears we all experience.

Life can be full of twist and turns – I know my life has been, what with Cheater Husband #1 ditching me right before our third anniversary for another woman, then my rebound, Abusive Husband #2, being scary abusive and causing me to fear for my life should I dare leave him.

I left him anyway. Shortly after our second anniversary, when on that particular day he came close to throwing me down a flight of stairs in anger.

See what I did right there? Some of you didn’t know my current hubby is #3 – third time’s a charm and all that jazz, right? I don’t necessarily have a fear of revealing that I’ve been married three times, per se, but there are so many judgey people out there that I tend to avoid that topic.

Maybe I fear how they’ll react to me, considering my brother and his wife excluded me from their ‘inner circle’ of friends when I divorced The Abuser, because he maintained a friendship with them at the time, and was so very talented about looking like the good guy and me as the crazy one.

And yet, if I had not had the courage to stand up for myself, if I had simply followed the advice of others to ‘suck it up’ and live with it, I would not be alive today.

It all boils down to that typical fear of failure thing. I felt like a failure twice over, and feared reaction – and rejection – from my peers. We as humans tend to get too comfortable in whatever mode we’re in – we find solid ground, a place that ‘feels safe’, get comfy and settle right in.

It’s how we’re programmed – we look for safety and stay there. Fear is the number one reason why people stay in their safety zones, afraid to conquer their fears.

But here’s the thing – you don’t actually have to “conquer” fear. You have to master  it. 

Courage

Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”

And Ralph Waldo Emerson said some wise words, too:

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

Bottom line is fear is not your enemy – think of it as a compass pointing you to the areas where you need to grow. Courage is a mental thing, not an emotional thing – so embrace the fear and let yourself grow.

I plan to practice what I preach. Watch me grow.

What fears have you faced (and conquered)?

That’s a wrap for this week – you know the drill, link up and join in the fun, everyone is welcome, random or not. And that means even if you don’t have a specific Random Tuesday Thoughts Rebel post posted, you can still link up, I’m not picky. You don’t even have to add the badge, just link up so I can come harass you on your blog. I promise to play nice.

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12 Comments

  1. I could hear the booth attendant on the video I watched, at least part of it, and I thought she reacted very calmly to the insults Brit was throwing at her. I understand why she was angry, but the booth attendant is just that… a booth attendant, doing what she was hired to do. I don’t really know what to think of it all. Trying to see both sides is difficult.
    Forgetfulone would like you to read ..Random Tuesday and Coffee ChatMy Profile

  2. I think it’s interesting that all these horrible accusations are coming out about the towing company now. And how they’re now requesting Britt doesn’t get fired. It’s like they’re trying to make themselves look better or at least throw some good will at themselves to try to even out the situation.
    Kendra would like you to read ..RTT: Jacobyisms, manicures and insuranceMy Profile

  3. Being brave isn’t about doing great things, it’s about facing fear and not letting it win. Not so easy, but it does make your life better in the long run.
    VandyJ would like you to read ..Random TuesdayMy Profile

  4. I am so glad I read your wise words about using fear as a compass to allow you to grow. My own (current) fear has me both forging ahead AND attempting to forge a safety net. I always did bite off more than I could chew.

    I can relate to the fear of acceptance and failure, as I have had a lot of the latter. And I am also divorced for the second time. I don’t know if I’ll ever get my third time, as it’s hard at my age to date, let alone find anyone worth the effort of a relationship, who is worthy of me, and also who will accept and love me. It’s a tall order to fill, but I am okay if it doesn’t happen. If it’s one thing two bad marriages taught me, it’s to never settle.
    Kim would like you to read ..Progress: I am making it. And Battle of the Bands winner for 4.21.15My Profile

  5. I guess I’m living under a rock – hahaha – no, just no tv and no interest in this kind of news either. But you are totally right, media, any kind of media can be and is totally manipulative. It is good to keep an open mind and, like you say, try to see all three sides of a coin.
    Very true what you are saying about the fears we experience and how they are part of our life our growth. Great quotes! Let’s just hope we will continue to grow.
    I didn’t know your on #3, but it doesn’t matter to me. I mean why should it? It is your life, your – tough – choices. I actually congratulate and admire you for standing your ground through the tough times. And for opening yourself up to us, your readers. That is another fear mastered.
    Claudia would like you to read ..The miracle of lifeMy Profile

  6. I, too, would like to see the unedited version of that video of Britt McHenry, but agree that what she said – in any situation – was totally uncalled for and rude, deserving of her suspension.

    I also divorced my first husband as he was an emotional abuser and then hit me once. I knew that if I didn’t get out, then, it would get worse. I was also ostracized by my family because he had a way of looking like the good guy and making me look crazy. I totally understand how you felt.

    Like you, I finally found “the one” and know what true love REALLY feels like. Wishing you many years of fearless happiness my friend.

  7. YES that is it. When everyone is around I can’t get anything done projectwise!

    But I do love being with and around my family. But I”m an introvert 🙂

    It is so true about enjoying and tucking away moments. I try to live like that with my sweets too.

    Fear…I fear that I”m actually really selfish. I don’t want to be selfish for selfish reasons 🙂
    Colette – JamericanSpice would like you to read ..I Will Be A Soul On Fire! – #Music For The soulMy Profile

  8. Some very wise and wonderful words!! And no need to worry what I think: my “dad” that I refer to, is actually hubby #3 for my mom and YES — 3rd time IS the charm. because the 2 that came before were not worth a lick! and that’s not my mom’s fault at all. people just need to mind their own damn business! 🙂
    I love the quote by Emerson — that’s great! and what you said about mastering our fear. Because it is rather like an internal guide or compass. It can be that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach that happens when you get on an elevator alone.. and a lone man suddenly comes up behind you and follows you inside. Do you stay, or do you listening to that uneasy voice and get off. I asked because it happened to me once. And I got off the elevator. The man got all irate and insulted – started yelling at me as I walked away. Um, kinda just proved my point buddy. Now, maybe he didn’t hurt me in any real way — but he certainly did not behave as a gentleman, because a real man would have totally understood WHY I left that elevator. Whether my fears were unfounded or not, isn’t the point: it’s that I dealt with the decision and made no apology for my action.
    Rorybore would like you to read ..Tuesday Coffee Chat: Face Everything And Rise!My Profile

  9. @kisma4
    I love that you shared your fear and the way in which we look at the big picture!!! Life has a funny ain’t it and it’s sad that we have to think about what others will think of us because heaven forbid, we make a mistake in our lives!

    Great post!
    Kisma would like you to read ..WW- Places my felines hang out and catnap!My Profile

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