Bittersweet Symphony Symmetry

I was driving home today and this song (Bittersweet Symphony) came on the radio.

It took me back to when I was flying over to Europe when I was 12. During the tremendously long 9 hour flight, there was plenty of time to cycle through the pre-recorded radio lists, and so I heard that song a couple times on that flight. It was my first time being off the continent. I'd been to Canada before, but that was just a jaunt up over the border. This was a trip that was pretty big, and showed me what another part of the world was like.

I never thought I'd live overseas. It's not something I planned. It wasn't until I came over here to see Mark that I thought of seriously moving over here.

There was just something odd about sitting here halfway around the world, driving -home- halfway around the world. It was not something that my 12-year-old mind would have even ever dreamed of.

But now that I'm here, I can't really ever imagine leaving either. It is a great place to live.

I was in the toilets the other day (that's the world they use for restroom/bathroom over here) cleaning, as that's my job, and saw a sign for post-partum incontinence and how it's normal. The ad was placed there not by someone pushing a drug, but by a foundation sponsored by the government. They were just there to give out information. I like that about things here. You see the government paying for advertising to encourage people to get fit, not to smoke, to take breaks while driving. I guess it makes me feel empowered. It makes it feel like I would have a voice, like I can affect change.

I like that I don't have to be concerned about getting a horrible illness, and also that I know people around me are going to be taken care of if they get cancer. They aren't going to be bankrupted by it.

I love the high minimum wage. I've worked harder than I ever have as a cleaner over here, and I don't think they work any less hard in the states, but they are compensated so much less. I appreciate that I can have a good life even if I just have a very simple job. Certainly I am looking to chase opportunities and do something that interests me more, but I love that just having a job is enough.

I also love the sporting culture, but that's a whole other issue and could have lots of individual entries of its own.

I'm not a huge fan of the heat (which actually hasn't been bad since I've been here, I just keep bracing myself because I think one day I will not be able to stay ahead of the heat), and I miss the snow and Autumn. I miss the people I care about who are back in the states. But I love my life here.

This is not how I saw my life panning out. I never dreamed of it. But I am glad I am here now.

Embracing Differences

Deep down inside of all of us, we just want to be loved for who we really are. We want to freedom and acceptance to be ourselves.

I've been reading this book lately on introverts. I've always known I'm an introvert, and I've never had a problem with it, but learning about Andrew and the issues he's had feeling neglected and looked down on for his introverted tendencies, but then also just paying attention to how the world does slant toward extroverts, it's just been making me think.

This song came along at the perfect time, because I've been considering the plight of the homosexuals as well, because they come in a similar ratio to the norm. Most people are hetero, most people are extroverts.

But as big as introversion/extroversion is to your temperament and personality, I still just think it would be so hard, not to be different, to be different in a way that brings such animosity from people. People have so many opinions on how you feel, on how you should feel, on what you should do, on what you deserve.

People may think I'm boring. People may think I am putting my husband in danger by not shaving my legs (for reals), that I just do what I do. But I haven't seen lots of people go into the media saying that what makes me feel loved, and the people I'm attracted to are wrong, and that I'm evil for doing so, and that I don't deserve what other people have.

Why does that happen? It just doesn't seem right to me. I guess I just think that the world puts us out there and creates all this variety, and then our society seems to want to squash that all out of us. We all have to be the same.

There are people out there who are sexually attracted to the Eiffel tower. I just think that is plain cool. How much variety there is in the world! There are so many ways to enjoy this experience we call life. Why is there so much need to put down and make people feel weird for their experiences? Why do we have to leave people out? Why can't we all just embrace the variety and accept people for it?