Introduction of me
In a world bombarded by varying information, opinions, and news, here’s one more little tidbit for you. My name is Anita, and my views are just that..my views, opinions and random thoughts. Nothing new, or brilliant. Just a different perspective, maybe even a fresh way of looking at the world. You may even get a whiff of humor sprinkled around here and there, possibly reeking of sarcasm and passive aggressiveness tones. More than likely it will not be well camouflaged.
My background is simple. I grew up in a poor neighborhood, but if you looked inside my home, you couldn’t tell. My mother kept a tidy home, full of knick-knacks, or my new favorite word, “tchotchkes”. She never failed to keep the four children in line with a firm hand and a “I dare you” kinda look. We knew what that meant, and rarely challenged her. By the time I came alone, well, she was a bit tired, and I’d test the limits every now and then. How she managed to work several jobs, come home and fix a meal for the gods, and deal with us?? I will never know! She nailed it, time and time again. She was amazing! I give her all the credit for my hard work ethic and tenacity to see things through to the end!
As that kid from the “other side of the tracks” (insert eye roll here), it was a complete uphill battle to find friends from varying social groups that dared visit my home. I had this naive belief that we were all the same.. I’m a kid… you’re a kid… that makes us the same, right? Nope. You could see the shock on their faces when they walked into my home. Of course I didn’t see it. It was a great place, my mom was a rock star, the house was spotless.. the food banging. This kid right here even volunteered… VOLUNTEERED… to clean the house frantically the night before my guest would arrived, just hoping to impress my new friend. Spoiler Alert: It did not! When the parents arrived to pick up their kiddo, well, that was the proverbial nail in the coffin. Needless to say, they never came back, and classes at school were just plain awkward. I was so unaware of the hierarchy that caused this gulf between teenagers, and it took many blows to my ego to get the picture.
On occasion, these familiar feelings will come crashing back into my soul, like waves lapping the beach only to get sucked back into the ocean. With each passing tide, the waters will bring a memory from the ocean and place it at my sandy feet. When I look down to see the sacrifice that was placed before me, it becomes obvious that this is not the place to build my future, it’s only a suitable spot to reflect for a brief moment.
Regardless of the setbacks that happened , it taught me that true friendships will look past any social differences and see the person you are, and even the person you’re going to be. My social circle was very small, with only two friends to call my own. They’ve walked hand in hand with me through it all, even to this very day! And for that, this girl is blessed! In my opinion, this made me feel rich enough to block out the negatives that hovered around my side of the tracks.
Honestly, I don’t ever recall feeling “poor”, it just wasn’t in my vocabulary, or my inner vision board. Mom made sure we didn’t look like vagabonds, or act like the heathens down the street. Once, during a neighborhood Vacation Bible School hosted in an abandoned building, we all sat down to learn the stories of Jesus, and mom rushed in with a washcloth to clean me up from playing all day. Yes, I was mortified, but I can see her heart in her actions, and honestly it could’ve made a spot on Jesus story that day. I totally would’ve capitalized on that moment if I were the teacher, but, she had her own lessons mapped out that day.
You’ll hear more about these ladies at a later time, but for today, I just wanted to break the ice, and post my first blog!!
The View From Down Here – from the short girl! Anita