All in a Day's Work

Today, I was in search of qualified applicants for a variety of vacant positions at my place of employment. So I attended a job fair at a highly noted college, which meant I spent the day:

* Eating free food (one of the perks..lol)
* Shaking sweaty palms of nervous students
* Introducing myself over and over
* Reviewing resumes in 2-3 seconds
* Being selective about relaying my direct office contact information to the students
* Forcing the youngins to laugh at my jokes
* Scoping out organizations who are hiring
* Weeding out students who are prepared versus the ill-prepared (the differences are very apparent)
* Being inspired by the students' passion and optimism
* Asking questions (that I most likely know the answers to)
* Keeping my composure (i.e., trying not to laugh when the students' personalities are bigger than life)
* Straining my neck, trying to hear the students' anxious whispering voices
* Losing my own voice

...All in a day's work.

It's Always Perfect!

The next time someone asks you about your day, tell them, "Life is perfect." And mean it!

I was having a conversation with my friend when he asked how was my day. And I responded with a very generic (my usual) answer, "Good," telling him how ordinary it was...you know, no fireworks -- just another day, just life. After doing my own blabbing, I asked him how was his day, and his easy breezy reply was, "Perfect." The word caught me off guard...To the point that I responded with a question... "Perfect?" I wasn't sure I heard him right.

His explanation was simple. "Yeah. Perfect. It is perfect. Every day is perfect. Granted, I'm not saying that I don't have bad or unfortunate moments but whatever or however it happens is always for the best. Think about it...we are exactly where we're supposed to be in life, doing exactly what we're supposed to be doing, and with the people we're supposed to share it all with, so everday is going as planned and that's pretty perfect if you ask me. Even when there's difficult moments, I'm where I'm supposed to be at that given time, to grow and learn,...and that's life."

Well, he definitely shut me up. But he was right. Every day is perfect, no matter how bad or ordinary or average we may think it is. The good, the bad, and the ugly are indeed perfect...perfectly orchestrated for you -- this life's journey.

So the next time you're asked about your day, think about how perfect it really is...!

Around these Parts, Things are Different

I live in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, and in any given moment I'll witness a foreign conversation, observe someone's native style of dress, or smell unfamiliar food in the hallway of my apartment building...but today I wasn't too cool with it. ...Ok, let me explain.

On this morning's commute to work, I was sitting on the train, reading a new book, when an African lady sat down next to me. The lady waited a couple of stops before she leaned over and... [Encounter went like this]

Lady: What happened?
Me: Huh? Obviously confused.
Lady: Your hand. What happened to your hand?

...I looked down, and realized she was referring to my white gauzed bandaging. I also realized that this was really invasive and none of her dangon business. But instead of telling her to, "Scoot back and mind her own business." I looked up and sternly said, "I'm fine," before frowning at her and returning to my book. The lady seemed embarrassed, and never made any further eye contact with me until she got off the train.

Granted, I could tell she probably didn't mean anything by the question, but she had no business asking me such a random and personal question. All up in my business?!?! LOL...but seriously!!!

This brief encounter reminded me of a couple more...like the many times my supervisor stands extremely close to me when speaking to me (or anyone, for that matter) or when groups of Asian teenagers ask to take pictures of me and my tall Black friends while on various trips abroad...or back when my Australian roomie in grad school used to leave every kitchen cabinet open after she used them...or the time my mom came to NY to visit and was bombarded (translation: grabbed) by an assertive yet innocent Asian lady who was curious about my mom's Macy's coupon. The lady at Macy's didn't mean any harm when she randomly, and abrasively, grabbed my mom's arm to inquire where she too could get the same coupon, but it happened and we were offended. It completely caught my mom off-guard, invading her space, and my mom responded just as most people would have...(readers: insert imagination here) LOL.

All of those incidents are/were offensive. And I highly doubt any of the people in those encounters meant to be offensive....but because of cultural differences and a lack of awareness, they were quite successful in doing so.

Fast forward to today, and all I could do is just laugh as I recalled the subway story to my mom. After hanging up with her, I didn't have any insightful, or life-changing conclusion or analysis... The only thought... People are people, and I'm sure it won't be the last time that someone of a different culture unknowingly offends me or I them. The only thing I can hope for is good intentions on both parts.

...Action!

"We must keep reminding ourselves we are the writers, the directors, the producers of our lives."

- Constance C.R. White

Essence Editor-in-Chief