The Right To and The Ability To Are Two Different Things

I originally made this post on Facebook. As much as I want to stay out of this political conversation, or whatever kind of conversation you wish to refer to it as, we are being sucked into it whichever way we turn. I hope to post it here so others may read and know where I see things. Here's what I previously posted:

"The Patriots and the NFL as a whole have lost a large piece of their fan base.

The very flag players are disrespecting is the very flag many families have, as a legacy, of their fallen soldier.

There are a time and place for everything... there is no place ever for disrespecting our flag. Don't confuse your freedom of speech with saying or doing whatever you want whenever you want for whatever excuse you want to use to justify your inappropriate actions."

As a follow-up, I'd like to add that those that served our country, including me, did so to protect the rights we have, including your right to Free Speech and Peaceful Protest. Today, NBC released a poll that said 51% of Americans agreed that players had the right to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem. At first, that made me sick... then, twisting the scenario, I agree. The players do have that right. I also agree that 100% of them have the right to be suspended or fired for conduct unbecoming of a professional athlete. If I owned the team, they would have been fired after the first warning. The right does not mean you should, not on my time.

Can't Wait Until I'm 21

A friend's posted Facebook post requesting that people who had previously been smokers and subsequently quit, to post a comment about when and how they quit.

I quit November 11, 1982, five months before my third child was born.  It was at least the third or fourth time I tried to quit, and quit I did.

Here's my abbreviated response about quitting:

I tried going cold turkey - Fail
I tried hypnosis - worked for a few weeks
Saw a commercial on TV November 11, 1982 - Quit Cold

I was 32 years old, have smoked for who knows, 12 or 14 years, 1-2 packs a day

Laying on my couch doing some work reading, TV on... I reached to the coffee table to pick up the pack of Marlboro. The commercial starts with a close up of a guy, probably 10 years older than my age. As the camera pans back to see all of him holding a birthday cake with candles burning.... he says: paraphrased: today is my birthday. I'm 18 today (he obviously was a lot older)... it was 18 years ago today I had my final surgery to remove lung cancer from my body. Then he blows out the candles and says: I can't wait until I'm 21. I believe the commercial was sponsored by American Lung Association, not positive about that.... but the message was clear.... smoking caused lung cancer and it kills. I squeezed the pack of Marlboro and have never had a cigarette since. All I thought was... I'm going to live to see my kids grow up.

Since then, I've had 5 more kids (7 total) and so far have 4 grandchildren and expect to see more.

It's an addiction and will quit when your inner self says, today is the day. Good luck, it's hard without a real "why". What's your "why"?

Can't wait until I'm 29

What's your "why"?

No Help at WalMart, but Javianne is the Exception

Getting help at Walmart Chicopee, MA or nearly ANY Walmart is normally just a horrid experience.  Last nights visit started out as a WalMart norm.  The 1% milk cooler was empty ... looking through the doors, I could see cases of 1% milk sitting there.  There were several of us customers standing around looking and waiting for someone that worked there to come by so they could help us.  That didn't happen.  I waited nearly 5 minutes, several others walked away.  I looked through the cooler doors again and finally saw someone inside... on his phone, earbuds in, texting away.  He did look up once but ignored my gestures to come closer.  When I went to the cooler door, he walked away like he didn't see me or care.

I headed to the front of the store towards customer service, I walked away myself last time this happened, but not tonight. When I passed another worker stocking cheese, all I could so is shake my head.  As I approached all I could see was this guy bent over a box with his pants below his green skivvies, and I mean below his skivvies, so I made a "presumption" he had the same mental capacity as the dude in the cooler. I thought,this guy lacks care and common sense (not to mention his pants are falling off)... his lack of personal appearance and WalMart's apparent not caring how employees appear to their customers just pissed me off, as customers, we deserve better.  These guys are probably two of the ones protesting for $15.00/hour.   I went on looking for someone in management.

As I approached the Customer Service counter, which appeared to be closed, it was about 10:30 pm or so, a young lady came out met me and asked if she could help.  I explained I was trying to get 1% milk but the cooler was empty and those working were inattentive... before I got much further, she repeated 1% and asked if the WalMart Great Value brand was what I was looking for.  I hardly got yes out and she said I'll get it for you and off she went.  A few minutes later, the smiling, helpful young lady returned, milk in hand.

She seemed a bit embarrassed when I asked for her name (her hair covered her name tag) and with a bit of a dialect and my loss of hearing on my part, I didn't understand "Javianne".  I said I was going to write up my experience with her and thanked her for her assistance.  Sheepishly she smiled and said thank you and was off to help someone at another register.

I got checked out and realized my CRS kicked in (Can't Remember Shit), so I went over to ask her if I could take a picture of her name tag... totally embarrassed now, she said sure and pronounced her name to me yet again.

I don't know if WalMart needs more like her or if she needs to be at a company that cares about customer service like she showed me ... I think the later would be the best for her.  Either way, she made WalMart look good in the end.  Kudos to you Javianne.