Rain, Parenting, & Touchy Subjects—It Must be Friday

 

Welcome to another Friday.  And, I’m glad to report that there are some clouds in the sky this morning.  Not the big and pretty, fluffy white clouds, but clouds that look like they could turn into rain.  Now, normally this wouldn’t be a cause for celebration, especially since I’ve got some shopping to do today and I hate running errands in the rain.  But, as I mentioned yesterday, it’s been pretty danged hot here, so a bit of relief would be nice.  In fact, I think I should go put down the pop-up canopy; it doesn’t handle even the slightest rain all that well.  A sad commentary on a tent of any sort, right?  I think a canopy ought to be able to withstand rain, but I suppose I suppose I shouldn’t let my dissatisfaction with its effectiveness cause me to ruin it . . .

Okay, I’m back, and the canopy is secure.  Ideally, that’s a four person job; doing it alone is inefficient and, honestly, kind of a hassle.  And, once I got outside for a better look around, I think the clouds are pranking me, anyway.  The only ones that look like rain are, literally, right over our property.  Everywhere else, blue as blue can be.  If we get any moisture at all, it will be short-lived.  Still, better safe than sorry, I suppose.

All right, that’s enough of the Rain and Canopy Hour, let’s get to the point of the day: Five Question Friday.  I’m once again linking up at My Little Life; if you’re looking for something to blog about today, give it a try.

1. What is a must in a hotel room?

My absolute must-haves are pretty mild: air-conditioning, shower, non-smoking.  My preferences are a slightly longer list: wi-fi, fridge, microwave, hair dryer (even though I always pack my own), big, fluffy towels, decent radio, windows that open (even though I don’t do it often, I prefer to have the option). 

2. Which Olympic event would you be best at?

To be honest, I’m not even sure of all the events that are in the Olympics.  However, I am fairly certain that I really wouldn’t be good at any of them.  Do they have an event for walking?  Not like speed walking, but just, you know, a stroll?  I’d be pretty good at that.

3. What's your stance on the Chick-fil-A subject?

Hmm.  It’s usually my preference to not discuss religion or politics here, and this is a tricky blend of both.  But, in the interest of completing today’s challenge, let me see if I can sum up my thoughts succinctly without offending too many folks. 

First, let me say that I support equal rights for all, including marriage equality.  For me, though, the hubbub is not about the fact that Dan Cathy does not.  Honestly, who could be surprised by that?  It’s no secret that the organization was founded and still operates on a fairly strong set of Christian beliefs.  I will also say that, in practice, those Christian beliefs seem to manifest themselves as outstanding customer service; I don’t believe I have ever received anything less than courteous, professional treatment from any member of their staff.  I’ve also never witnessed anything less than that, regardless of the type of customer being served.  

The issue, though, is not about Dan Cathy, who is free to believe as he sees fit.  He’s also free to speak about those beliefs in a non-hateful way, which, from all that I can determine, he has done.  The issue, for me, is about the organizational actions—in this case, where they choose to donate their corporate funds.  Again, from everything that I can figure out (I haven’t spent a lifetime familiarizing myself with the situation), the vast majority of Chick-fil-A charitable contributions go toward people, groups, and activities that no one could fault.  But it also seems that some small percentage of their monies go toward groups that actively denounce gay marriage and lobby against it.  This, I believe, is unacceptable.  In this day and age, I don’t believe that any American corporation should be supporting groups that actively promote discrimination.  If Dan Cathy wants to contribute his personal funds to these organizations, that’s his prerogative.  He and I will still disagree, and, realistically, those personal funds will still come—at least in part—from people like myself who don’t agree with how they are spent.  But no one ever said America was all about agreement, and I cannot go down a path that says I can’t support a business whose CEO spends personal money in a way that I never would.  Many of them probably spend their money going to horror films, too, but I don’t hold that against them.  But when a business decides to use its corporate funding to support something that I completely oppose, that makes a difference to me.

Okay, I’m not sure that was particularly succinct, but hopefully I at least succeeded on the “no offending” part.  Let’s move on, shall we?

4. One thing you said you'd never do as a parent, but totally have.

Say “because I said so”.  My mom didn’t say it all that often, but I hated it when she did.  And, really, I haven’t said it all that often myself, preferring to try to explain my actions and decisions, since I think that’s what helps kids to understand the world around them, and—hopefully—make good decisions on their own someday.  But I’ll admit that there were a few times, when I’d ridden the “Why?” train all the way into a rabbit hole, that I finally resorted to the dreaded conversation stopper.

5. What's the weirdest thing you've ever found at a yard sale?

I don’t really go to yard sales.  I mean, I’ve been to a few in my lifetime, but not enough that I can recall any particularly odd thing.  I do have enough stuff sitting around my own house that I need to get rid of that I should probably have a sale, but I’d hate to think that something of mine would end up on someone’s “weirdest” list someday.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these subjects in the comments below, or, if you are going to play along on your blog, link up.  But be sure to let me know, so I can come see what you have to say, too.

I hope you all have a good weekend, with rain if you need it and sunshine if you don’t.  Happy Friday.

Linky Tools subscription expired. List not available.