Tag: Ellen Degeneres

Where is the love, y’all??

“Here’s the thing – I’m friends with George Bush. 

“In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different, and I think we’ve forgotten that that’s okay, that we’re all different.”

The presenter used the example that while she wishes people didn’t wear real fur, she has a lot of friends who do.

“But just because I don’t agree with someone on everything, doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be friends with them,” DeGeneres said. 

-From the Ellen Degeneres show, after the fallout of her sitting next to George W. Bush during a football game

You know that I have sidestepped and tried to stay away from controversy, for the most part, in my blog. I don’t like politics (nor politicians, frankly), I believe that there are many paths to God, and I certainly don’t care to have people cram their opinions and “shoulds” down my throat. Further, if I just don’t agree with the other person’s opinion, I don’t care to be made out as an “idiot” or even worse, a “villian.” I respect everyone’s right to their own viewpoint, and I expect the same respect in return. No harm, no foul.

What I was trying to get across in my blog that I wrote on Tuesday (Love. Spirit. Life.) was that if we can’t have honest discourse and questioning with each other about our differences, if we have to feel fearful of admitting our conflicted thoughts and feelings and beliefs, all that have arisen from our own unique and personal experiences – these very experiences that have helped shape our own lifetime perspectives, how are we ever going to evolve and move forward to a more enlightened, cohesive state of being, as a whole? How are we ever going to feel that we are leaving a good world for our children and our grandchildren, when we pick divisiveness and exclusivity in our “clubs of thought” over our love for the whole of humanity?

If I were to only choose to associate with people who felt the exact same way as I do about all things, than I wouldn’t have one single friend. In fact, the six people who I love the most in this world, my immediate family, would no longer be able to associate with each other. In the last presidential election, the voting members of our family of six, effectively cancelled each others’ votes out.

We all complain about the horrifying polarization of our current society (that seems like the one thing most of us agree about), yet we start out with the assumption that anyone who doesn’t see things the way that we do, is evil or stupid – people to be feared and ostracized. How are we ever going to experience empathy, understanding and compromise, if we are made to feel that we can’t even express our own viewpoints for fear of being excommunicated from our communities, our churches, our friend groups, perhaps even our own families?!? What is our highest law? Shouldn’t it be Love?!? Does Love behave this way?!?

We all complain about the horrific statements made anonymously on the internet. Still, even with these forums, we have gotten so “careful” that I have even seen anonymous Comments, start off with, “I’m probably going to be skewered for this, but here goes . . . .”

We will never be entirely unified with anyone about everything. But if we choose to only communicate and commune with people who are close enough to “being just like us”, we will never, ever bridge these ever widening gaps. We will just add more suspicion, paranoia and make assumptions about other people, without ever trying to see them as most importantly, other people who likely have the very same deepest, core concerns as us. (love, safety, health, security, and peace for our families and our friends, our communities, and our world)

I am always amused when people tell me I’m so “honest” in my blog. Why shouldn’t we all be “honest”? I’m not saying cruel, and thoughtless and blunt. (which unfortunately, I have been these things, as well, and I am not proud of that fact) Why do we fear having open, authentic discourse? I think it is because the new way of communicating seems to be more “cram my righteous thoughts, ‘my holier than thou beliefs’ down your throat” and if you don’t agree with me, I will attack you with name-calling, bullying, shaming and ganging up on you, and then I will never speak to you (or anyone who you associate with) again.”

What ever happened to really hearing each other, trying to understand where the other person is coming from? What every happened to saying, “This is how I am seeing and experiencing and processing what is going on. Tell me your thoughts. Where am I wrong? What am I missing?” Whatever happened to the belief that in the end, we are so much better off looking for our connections, than staying in our far corners of disconnect??

I don’t like rants. I just wrote one. I am only human. Aren’t we all???

“Discussions are always better than arguments, because an argument is to find out WHO is right, and a discussion is to find our WHAT is right.” – unknown

The Fine Line

“Kidding is when both people can laugh at the joke.” – Ellen Degeneres

There is always such a fine line that you hope that you don’t cross over when the teasing and the kidding starts up. I am a kidder and I have a huge tendency to put my foot in my mouth, but I try to be sensitive. I can’t stand roasts. I think that they are awful. I try to be calm and laugh politely at jokes aimed at myself, because I don’t want to be in the “She can dish it out, but she can’t take it,” camp. I think it is healthy to be able to laugh at yourself. However, kidding is touchy. Still, I’d hate a world without any ribbing and fun. I’ve heard that people only tease other people whom they really like. When I was a young girl, teasing was supposed to be a gauge of how well a boy liked you. The first little boy who ever asked me to “go with him”, pushed me into some bushes first, which of course, made everyone else laugh. Perhaps there is some truth to that statement.

My kids loved to watch SpongeBob SquarePants when they were younger and I honestly liked watching it with them, too. Two or three episodes stick out in my mind – Patrick deciding SpongeBob was probably ugly and that’s why he was repelling other creatures (it turns out it was just his bad breath) and SpongeBob learning to drive – both of these episodes can still make me laugh until I cry. The other episode that applies to this blog is when SpongeBob decides to become a stand-up comedian and he finds out that his audience loves squirrel jokes. The only problem with this is, that SpongeBob’s best friend is Sandy, the squirrel. Obviously, SpongeBob has to learn the hard way that making jokes at the expense of your friend’s feelings, may mean the loss of your friend.

Image result for quotes on being a kind when joking

Sparkle Face

Right after reading my blog, make a point of looking up Ellen Degeneres’ Glitter Has Got To Go stand-up routine.  That’ll be your laugh for the day.  The first time I saw her do that routine, I was waiting in a doctor’s office waiting room and I laughed so hard that I almost peed my pants.   I’m not subtle when I think things are funny.  My family gets a bigger charge out of watching me laugh at comedians, than watching the comedians themselves.

The reason why the Glitter routine came to mind is that I have had an ongoing problem with Sparkle Face for most of the summer now.  For some reason, one of my favorite make-up brushes (not sure which one) has been transferring iridescent green sparkles on to my face – not a lot of sparkles, just a random sprinkling which land on different areas of my face like little green, shiny freckles or zits.  The crazy thing is that the sparkles don’t show up right away.  The must be buried into my relatively heavy “Please Make Me Look Younger, Lifted and Wrinkle Free” foundation and powder duo and then only start glistening and shining hours later, usually when I’m in public.

Now I know that some people get insulted when others tell them that they have broccoli or poppy seeds stuck in their teeth, but I think it is a kind gesture to tell another person about their unplanned teeth decorations.  You are just showing them that you love them and don’t want them to be embarrassed.  People are funny when they want to tell you about something in your teeth, though.  Instead of just saying it, they make funny motions with their hands towards their own teeth.  They’re trying to be subtle but the charade playing is anything but discreet and it is pretty funny to watch.  My husband, kids, friends and random strangers have all been sweet with their concerns about letting me know about my Sparkle Face.  They point to their own faces and kind of swirl their fingers around their cheeks.  “You’ve got something green and shiny on your face.  You’ve got a sparkle on your nose.  Did you want that there?”

The bad thing about these damn green, iridescent sparkles is that they must be attached to super glue, because they are next to impossible to get off my face once they appear.  Part of me wonders if they are blooming out of my pores and actually have sparkly little roots underneath my skin.  I always thank my kind, “let me help you stop embarrassing yourself” posse and then I start digging away at the sparkle hoping that if it won’t disappear, that it may get dirty and at least not catch the light.  I try to at least lower the glisten factor.

You may be thinking, “Why don’t you just throw away your make-up brushes?”  If you are thinking that, you are not a woman who wears make-up.  My make-up brushes are broken in.  Their hairs are perfectly matted to the contours of my face.  This doesn’t happen overnight.  Plus, I’m stubborn.  I’m also stumped as to where the sparkles came from in the first place.  I’m 47 years old.  I’m all about loosening the guidelines on how to dress appropriately as you are aging, but I know that I am way past the Sparkle Pony stage and I’m happy for that.

If this continues, the Sparkle Face at least may look a little more appropriate as the holidays approach.  Or if I’m really lucky, it’ll start showing up as a must-do trend on the covers of magazines.  I’m not holding my breath on that though.  I’ll just keep on shining my Sparkle Face until the last little glimmer disappears from my brushes.  I just hope that the sparkles aren’t capable of reproduction.