Today while standing on the corner of Dundas and Adelaide in London, Ontario I just finished an interview and was waiting for the bus. An area that is characterized by down and out shop fronts with peeling paint with bars on the windows; it's walk way's littered with older men with grizzled beards who loitered in front of quick cash stores. You know the ones where you pay 20 dollars and get 200. The overcast weather only added to the somber attitude.
Then it happened, while I was casual observing the older man wearing a dirty windbreaker, smoking outside of the quick cash store three men approached him and opened their backpacks. These weren't your local Dundas loiterers either. The oldest had a kind weathered face, the kind of person whose worked hard all of their life just trying to make an honest living, the next wearing a black pea coat and dress pants and the youngest, clad in glasses were an odd trio to say the least. What was more intriguing was the brown paper bags that they pulled out of their backpacks, what stunned me even more was that they did this and handed them to people standing outside the quick cash store. I mean the police station across the street guys, if your going to do "that" kind of stuff it's probably not the place to do it. Of course I was intrigued but still waiting for the bus at this point. After asking guy in his late twenties if he knew what they were doing or if he had seen the trio he said no and then proceeded to tell me there was a drug bust on the same corner. At this point my hesitancy out weighed my curiosity and I decided not to chase after the three who were already crossing the street. I was a little discouraged at this point thinking I missed out on a potentially interesting story, but realistically I didn't really want to risk my life and I really didn't want to have to wait for another bus. Luckily for me I spotted them coming back towards me. What are the chances? However at this point I saw the bus coming down the street and I had next to no time. I ran up to them, risking my life, only to find out that one was going to be ordained as a priest this week and the older man was a volunteer of the church and the youngest was a theology student. Turns out they were giving sandwiches to people who looked hungry. If that isn't kindness I don't know what is. I was very impressed and hurriedly asked if I could have their number. I'm sure they were probably a little take a back to see a young twenty something asking for their number, but they graciously tolerated my abruptness and I now have the privilege of sharing this awesome story that really put a smile on my face today. Another discussion for another day. Megan
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There's always a catch 22 of people assuming you are younger then you are. When your past the 30+ it's a blessing and uber flattering. However when your twenty and your trying to be taken seriously it's less of a compliment than it is embarrassing.
We've all been there, young and wanting to be old enough to have the freedom to drive, drink or go out to the bar. Restrictions that only make us antsy to be older. The glorified benefits of being old enough to participate. No longer to be left out and told to go to your room or not being able to see that 18A movie. You always crave to be old when you are young and then the opposite of when you are old. In my case I had an unfortunate incident of being told I looked like "a 13 year old." I politely informed the man in question who asked for my identification that I was indeed turning 21 this year. He then squinted at my id, surprised. I'd like to attribute this to the 90's white thick headband that I was wearing at the time. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't seen a Degrassi: The Next Generation character: Paige Michalchuk wearing the exact same headband on an episode during a Degrassi marathon I was on. I'm happy to say the headband has now been tucked away in my closet, I'm not quite ready to part with it for nostalgic reasons not that it will ever make another appearance. I guess I see the benefits of this, eventually reaping the rewards of my youthful looking face in my old age, however as a soon to be graduate who is looking to be taken seriously I don't see this turning in my favor. Employers must look at your appearance and think this is someone who can be respected. How can a 13 year old gain respect? This in a way puts me at a disadvantage, a downside of looking young. Perhaps slapping on some make up and filling in my wrinkle lines with an eye liner will accentuate my older features. I always thought eye liner was key, really popping your eyes out. However I have since discovered that eye liner likens you to a goth and that nobody is going to take you seriously looking like that. At least not in my profession. For those that are "older" I don't want to put a number on this as no one really wants to be dated with a number. Especially if you are "older." Getting Id'd for them is making their day. I mean there are rewards, the passing stares of admiration and of course envy from your peers of the same age. Maybe you start walking a little straighter proud to still have that youthful glow. You've still got it girl, work it! However not getting Id'd and being assumed as being older is one of everyone's nightmares especially if your in the older category. Who wants to look older when they are old. I'd compare this to taking the subway or the train. Young people stand out, they are the ones you people watch unconsciously with their perfect hair and non-nonchalant attitude towards fashion. They're young and they can pull of anything. When your older you get passing glances and nobody really notices you and you sink into the background along with the thousands of working professionals who all look the same in their suits and heels. Being mistaken for being older doesn't have to be all bad though, does it? I mean just like for younger people who want to go to the movies, once your over a certain age you become a "senior." That means senior discounts, bring on that new purse you wanted. You'll be saving money that you will be able to buy more "it" items. There you have it, the upsides the downsides and if you roll with the punches you'll always find a way to come out on top. Don't let being too young or too old stop you. Another discussion for another day. Megan The internet is just a world passing notes around a classroom- We've all had the days when we log onto our e-mail or facebook to check our newsfeed only to find that our server is down. No amount of refreshing the page or clicking makes a difference and the former good relationship you had with your service provider deteriorates in a matter of seconds. The confusion and attempt to fix the issue is usually lost after about 10 minutes and then all hell breaks loose.
The internet does crazy things to you, especially if you can't access it. Gone are the days when people would be content with being confined to information in the news and libraries. It's been replaced with a demand to access an answer to a passing question with a few clicks. God forbid those clicks result in a blank- cannot find the page, anger may arise. Why do we get so frustrated when we can't access the internet? When it comes to television, unless you are in the middle of a sports game or a show it's not really an issue, you can't just watch it later on the internet. You would think it would be to easy for us to move on from not being able to check our facebook. Think again. Our reliance on the internet, leaves us powerless and were unable to cope. Frustration is a common ailment of the "server not found." We rely so heavily upon technology; for our livelihood, communication, social interaction and maintaining friendships for many of us we wouldn't know what to do without it. Sometimes it can be our best friend, waking up to likes and comments on your photos is a confidence booster. Who needs real life compliments anymore, especially when you can get 50 likes. All it takes is a picture uploaded, maybe one that has come artistic credibility or one that you seek to show off your latest outfit, either way your bound to get some attention. Attention isn't always good attention though. In fact what you post on the internet is almost a public comment dumping ground. There are those people who just have to voice their opinion about a comment or post you made. Remember that old age dinner rule of not bringing up religion, politics and money. I think the same applies to social media and the internet. Avoid it unless your willing the pay the consequences of negative commentary from people you know or don't know. Another discussion for another day. Megan I think one of life's greatest challenges has to be living with people. Having at least one room mate can make all the difference in how you get along with people. Obviously no one is perfect, especially not when it comes to lifestyle, no two people are alike. However it takes two to tango and both parties need to be able to work together to sort things out. All kinds of feelings fester when left alone and are not acknowledged. Kind of like the night you wanted to spend in studying and they threw a party and blared music until 4am. Or the time your phone charger went missing.
The best thing to do is iron out the kinks right from the get go. At least that's the advice I've been given, however for any twenteen's who are in the same room mate boat, it's easier said then done. The room mate cycle as I like to call it has been proven time and time again during the 3 years I have attended school. It starts out with everyone on their best behavior; dishes being washed promptly, garbage being taken out consistently, no loud parties during the week. Then around the third month in things start to creep up on you. That nagging question of where your food is disappearing to or the I swear I left a beer in the fridge. Of course neither party will come forward to address the issues and so begins the deterioration of the fragile semi friendship you had going. The fourth month in its almost too much to take. Seriously cooking food at 2am, why is that necessary, plants being thrown off the balcony and a feeling of inconsideration and disrespect takes hold. Any sort of peaceful resolution has now faded and is replaced with resentment. Following this a confrontation, or at least an attempt at sharing your feelings. However no one is willing to take responsibility for their actions. The next few months simmer with resentment and sparse tolerance of each others behavior. Whether or not you knew them or not before, living with people can make or break your relationship and problem solving skills. It's much easier to let things slide and pay the consequences later. Compose yourself, down that bottle of Bob Marley's mellow mood and face the innocent face of your room mate who has not a clue of their inconsiderate actions. Sometimes you just have to grin and bare it. Pick your battles, it is really worth getting upset about those dirty dishes or can I save my argument for something more justifiable. Living with a person is only half the battle, getting a long with them for the remainder of the time is the other half. Showing each other respect goes a long way and really clearing the air before throwing a party makes the difference. However hoping that subtle hints will let them know how your feeling is not. Sometimes people are unprepared going into a room mate situations. Prepare yourself by committing to a room mate agreement, being honest about your life style and agreeing to discuss things that are bothering you. That puts less pressure on the both of you of feeling attacked by each other. Wording is also key in handling situations, if you can word something in a way that doesn't put the other on the defensive you will go a lot further when trying to explain your point. Perhaps even asking what you can do better. Another discussion for another day. Meg For many of us Twenteens we have a keeping up with the Jones's mentality. Our face goes green with envy when we pass by the girl with the Hunter boots, Canada goose jacket and Iphone 5. Why can't that be me you ask? Well for starters anyone who has the money to blow on trending items that are over priced couldn't have been in the position of choosing between buying groceries or a new dress to go out in on a Friday night. I personally would choose the latter. It's not that eating isn't important (trust me it is), it's just if you're going out with your friends, food ranks slightly lower on your priorities.
Anyway getting off the topic of budgeting. Budgeting I personally find very difficult. Who has time to constantly keep track of what they are buying? A lot of the want items magically find themselves in the need list. Seperating the two is pretty difficult, especially since you can't exactly wear your toilet paper out to a social event. For me anyway I'm always shocked to check my bank statements to see someone..definitely couldn't be me, bought dinner at Dairy Queen, I mean I have entire fridge full of food, how in my right mind did I spend 8 dollars on a dinner... Sadly I find the majority of my purchases, where I guess I could be saving money (another foreign word..Saving..it just doesn't sound right) are on food! It amazes me how much I can eat in a week... I'm like a bottomless pit. I truly believe if people ate at home they would save so much money. Perhaps even buy those new shoes I've been eyeing in Aldo for a while. By a while I mean December and in fashion lingo I'm soo far behind the 8 ball. I think the best advice I can give for avoiding uneccessary purchases would definitely have to be avoid the MALL! You wouldn't believe how easy it is to forget about clothes and other items when your not in the vicinity and by vicinty I mean distance and the effort to get there. I personally am not inclined to venture out of my warm bed if it's snowing. If you can keep yourself a bus ride from the mall it may prevent your uneccesary spending and your bank account will thank you later when you need a new phone after the unfortunate swimming incident. Maybe that's not a good example as it's -9 outside. Another discussion for another day. Meg |
MeganMulti-media journalist with an unstoppable curiosity. Archives
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