Don't Throw the Introverts Out with the Cookie Dough Scraps!

Picture taken by Taylor Peters (my daughter!0 12/23/2014

 So today is the eve of Christmas Eve.

Tomorrow I will take the Amtrak up to Portland to stay with my kids for a few days.  Today I went for a walk in Salem. The traffic was much heavier than usual.  I am happy I am not needing to do any last minute shopping.


I try to stay peaceful and joyful during the holiday season.

I really do.

This year I made a commitment to study the Old Testament every day for an hour until the New Year.

I have kept that commitment and am enjoying my study. It is like puzzle pieces coming together in my brain.  But much of the Old Testament is the history of mankind. Which is often violent.  Not helping my peace. Not yet.

And then there are all the social events. And sweets.

I am an introvert.  Don't get me wrong. I do love people.

I  really do.

But after interacting with a group of people, especially in a party type atmosphere (without a specific purpose), I need a few days to recover and recharge.  Usually in a quiet, dark place with a book and my piano.

Speaking of which, over the holidays there are many performances, recitals and parties that involve my piano playing, or supervising my students. I love these! Yet, I still need the down time to recover.

During the Advent/Christmas season, I don't have a lot of recovery time.  So I keep going. Usually stuffing my emotions with all of the sweets and fatty foods.

After which, I need to recover not only emotionally, but physically!  (I keep a lot of peppermint tea, yogurt and kim-chi on hand for these times.  I'll tell you more about Kim-chi on another post).

This morning I was pondering this holiday season for introverts dilemma. Every family has a token introvert or two, whether they realize it or not.  Every group usually has one also. Because we are outsiders, not always fitting in, often uncomfortable, we can be labelled as "weird, strange, anti-social, stuck-up, quiet, different, etc."

After awhile, we introverts become invisible if we can't get past ourselves.  I must say, that if I make the effort, I am usually happy I did.  If I push past the self-consciousness, I often meet some very interesting people!  But in large groups, it is difficult for me.

One-on-one, I soar!

So as I was pondering the week ahead and how to blend in without altering myself or offending anyone, my daughter called. She is an extrovert. So is my mom.  She said she is making cookies all day. We talked about what kind of cookies everyone liked. We agreed that sugar cookies were always a hit. You could cut them into many shapes and decorate!

Then as we hung up - Light Bulb!!!!

Have you ever made sugar cookies? After you make the dough (and eat a few bites as you go), you roll it out. Then you take cookie cutters and cut nice, neat little shapes.

But what about the leftover pieces that don't fit into the nice, neat little shapes?  I called my daughter back.  And then my mother.  They both throw out the little bits and pieces!

But I have always lovingly gathered them together to make funky little individual cookies.


That, in my opinion is the difference between and introvert and an extrovert! And our society does seem to glorify extroversion. 

You see, if we all were perfect, nice, neat little shapes, it would certainly make life easier! But the funky little cookies see life a little differently.  We are not just along for the ride and here to make you laugh and feel good about being part of a group. Often we have unusual takes on life. Deep insight.  Sometimes not. Sometimes we are just selfishly self conscious. Too wrapped up in our own feelings to care about others.

But this is good food for thought, right?

And my question remains. What do we do with the extra dough? Do we combine it with the rest of the dough to make more nice, neat little shaped cookies? Do we throw it away? Or do we take the scraps and make funky little individual cookies?

What do you think?

May your holidays be blessed!


Zita

Picture taken by Taylor Peters (my daughter!) 12/23/2014

Fast Food Intervention

It seems like I am led to helping people in crisis at burger joints!

On my daily commute, I ride the Amtrak train (or more often now, bus) up to Portland, Oregon from Salem, Oregon.

I teach piano and accompany a choir in Portland.

On my way home, I travel through downtown Portland to Union Station.  I usually have about 30 minutes down time. I often stop at a fast food restaurant on the busline. It is cheap.  And easy. I try to eat relatively healthy, but don't always succeed. I suppose this ritual is a comfort thing.  But mostly it is a convenient, inexpensive stop to take a breath and contemplate my life.

I do that a lot.  Contemplate. Always have.  I am an introvert by nature. But we can talk about that another time!

I also like to people watch. And lend a helping hand when needed. 

The following are two encounters I had in the last few months. These are from my posts on Facebook. I changed the names of the young men and am not mentioning the name of the fast food chain I frequented. For the protection of privacy.

November 7, 2014: 

After I taught piano today in Portland, I was feeling in the need of comfort. Comfort food to be exact! I had only a short time before the 9:30 bus home to Salem, and about $5 to my name. So I stopped for a small hamburger and fries and hey...free Wi-fi! I was standing in line and noticed the young man a couple people ahead of me was having a hard time standing up straight. He was swaying. When he was called up to the counter, he leaned on the counter to catch his breath.

He appeared very tired, hungry, drunk, coming down off of drugs or all of the above. But my heart ached with compassion for him. Especially when I noticed how people were treating him. He really just seemed like a hungry young man needing food.

The cashier told him to get his hands off of the counter. The young man murmured something and showed the cashier a handful of bills. The cashier appeared to get angry. He said, "I can't understand you. Please step away." The cashier then started to motion the next person in line, an older woman in front of me. She shook her head and refused to move while the Hungry Man still stood there.

So the cashier called another worker over. This worker started loudly lecturing the man, saying he was in no shape to be in their restaurant, they couldn't understand his speech and he needed to leave.

I stepped up and pulled Hungry Man aside. I asked him what he would like to eat. He looked at me with a sad look in his eyes. "I just want two cheeseburgers and a Mr. Pibb, M'am."

I understood him just fine. I told him to sit down and I'd get him some food. He tried to give me his money but I told him I would take care of it. When it was my turn to order, I added his to mine. The cashier asked me if I was ordering for the hungry man. I said I was. He then said, "He can't be in here. He needs to wait outside." So I told Hungry Man - "I have ordered your food, please wait outside for me."

When our order came up, I walked outside and found him waiting by the curb. I gave him his food and said, "They weren't very nice to you. But I got you your food. God bless you."

He looked at me and said clear as day, "No. God bless you. You are an angel. Thank you."

I asked him his name. He said, "I am Adam". I asked him if I could pray for him. He said I could. Then he dug into his burgers with gusto!

I can truthfully tell you in all of my wanderings this week, I felt God's presence and love more with this encounter than any other. I will not forget him. I do not blame the casheir. They have the right to refuse service to anyone they are uncomfortable with. But I am so glad I didn't let his appearance sway me from offering him a bit of humanity.

And I hope somewhere in downtown, Adam has found a warm place to sleep tonight. I am thankful to God for bringing loving people into my lives, where I least expect them.

  December 18, 2014

I made a split decision to stop for a bite downtown after the musical I accompanied tonight. I was going to just go to union station and wait for my bus home, but I had time to kill. And a root beer and a small fry plus WiFi sounded comforting. Well, I am so glad I stopped. I was able to help yet another young man in the midst of a mental health crisis.

 Anyway, his name is "Dave". He is 20, homeless, autistic and depressed. We talked a bit. He showed me a poem he wrote about his girlfriend. He talked a lot about dying. He actually asked me if I would call the Multnomah country crisis line. It took a couple of calls, but they are sending first responders down to check on him. He also gave me the name of his caseworker. I left her a message. I hope they find a safe place for him tonight. 

As I left to catch my southbound bus, I asked him if he would like the flowers they gave me at the performance. He gave me a shy crooked grin and said, "Really? For me? They are so pretty!" Then he started sobbing and gave me a big hug. My heart breaks for all the sad and lonely people. Will you take a moment wherever you are and whisper a prayer for this broken young man and all those who feel alone, neglected, sad and afraid tonight?

Thank you and God bless you all!

All Aboard the Sunrise Train!

Greetings and welcome to my blog! My name is Zita. 

I am a Christian, a mother, a piano teacher, a pianist and I am a commuter!  

I have had so many adventures since I started this journey. So many wonderful moments, amusing stories, insightful revelations...all too good to keep them to myself!  

So I thought I'd share!

Hop on board! :)