Something to Talk About

"Yeah, I just want to ask how many people here has NOT had sex with my husband? "

My attempt to go shoeless for one day was almost a complete failure. Just getting out of bed that morning and having my feet hit the bare wood floor sans house slippers gave me the willies (and I had swept the entire house the day before to gear up). 


I intended to soldier on. I had an interview (reporting, not job prospect) that morning. I got dolled up in my prettiest suit thinking it would be a trade off for showing up with my feet bare. 


But that was the day it poured down barrels, and I could not bring myself to have dripping wet, muddy feet in the lobby of a local non-profit. So I comprised with flip flops. 


Now, having been a college kid within the last decade, I know that most young people consider flips to be acceptable from school to church to the White House. Personally I have never stopped thinking of them as more than shower shoes.


Luckily I got to explain myself and my choice of footwear to the executive director I was meeting with, so not only did I look like less of an idiot, but I got to initiate a conversation about the naked-footed plight of TOMS Shoes. I wore my disgustingly comfy sneakers for the rest of the day. 


That next evening on Q, a CBC radio program (via WUSF), I heard about a new challenge that would suit me better and not put me at risk of getting a parasite. Writer Lauren Frey Daisley spoke about her recent article in Salon about giving up snark for a month. 


With the current polarized climate led by jackass politicians, both sides are making it way too easy to get angry and talk trash. But as Lauren said on the radio show, that kind of talk tends to have a negative effect on the speaker. 


Stress levels raise as we rile ourselves up and piss off or hurt our friends on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum. By getting back to "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all," we can focus our energy away from pointless complaining and spend our time being productive instead. Which always makes me feel better.