Thursday: Grey, Hilarious and Quiet

If you know me in real life, you will know that my hilarity comes without being intentional.  Today I saw half of a grapefruit in the trash, on top of it's own peel.  Got it out, washed it and then told my Husband he had thrown away half of a grapefruit.  It took him very little time to (politely) set me straight.  I had thrown it away myself, not thinking about the mess of peel containing half of a grapefruit.  Because I know my memory verses my Husband's, I believe him.  And I found it funny.  I can totally see myself accidentally doing this.  I had been distracted by my writing, my own thoughts.  I do think that God must often laugh at me, with love...

Spent a lot of the morning editing and writing.  It's funny how some weeks this works for me and other weeks just fall, splintering, to pieces.  It feels exciting, productive, to be working on my writing again.  Soon, I will be making phone calls though, while I fold laundry.  

Talked to my Mom for a very worthwhile hour of time.  She had gotten a card with pictures form her sister, my Aunt J. and had pictures from the 1950s and 1960s which I do hope to see next time I visit.  I am realizing I need to get my Mom's memories down more and how valuable they are.  While talking, for the most part, I was putting wet laundry on dry racks and folding the mountain of towels and such that had been waiting for me to fold.

I feel tired at present, but happily so because I got through edits on FIVE different essays/book reviews.  I think 2 of the book reviews are nearly ready.  The essays, they take longer.  

Took a brisk walk, cold again and grey out but felt like sunshine internally.  A nice feeling! Talked again with the Cafe owner, they are putting up window treatments now, it looks really nice.  Sounds like they may have vegan options, so I am happy about that and hopeful that they can open in a month like they wish to. 

Finally figured out why I could not switch accounts on my Chromebook for Instagram. I needed to download the app on my Chromebook to do so.  I have done now.  It's better on my phone than Chromebook but at least I can type in the private message section for whatever account I want on my Chromebook.  So that is an improvement. 

We were doing a family zoom tonight, such a blessing, and some of the kids put this up as their background.  I don't have kids so I did not realize that there were memes created for their age group. It was funny but it made me think as well.

Of course this is a funny meme, showing what it is like to be a kid when a Mom sees one of her friends and spends time talking to her, probably relieved to talk to someone her own age.  Of course the kid, being a kid, is not so interested in the adult conversation.  I know enough kids from church to see this happening, plus of course my nieces and nephews.   But when I thought about this meme, and the fact that is clearly aimed to communicate a child's perspective and be funny, it made me pause.  Do we realize that social media is being aimed at our children?  And that by seeing a meme they can relate to (not a bad thing in itself) they are attaching meaning to social media memes.  This in and by itself does not worry me, per say.  [I like books/art/comics for kids, so why not memes?]

However, are kids being talked to about social media and how to gain discernment about things like memes?  I write this in all seriousness.  I have a few social media friends who are teens and I feel that they follow a lot of trends and post a lot of memes that are giving voice to what they feel passionate about.  However, I know enough to know a lot of social media is promoting things that I actually find harmful. Memes that are misleading.  And I am concerned about the teens I see who are swallowing memes whole, without taking time to know things like 

1. Who made the meme?

2. Who is behind the idea that the meme is supporting? 

3. What the meme actually implies, explicitly or more implicitly? 

Of course I personally don't know how to trace who created a meme that one finds suddenly on the Internet, but it is still worth thinking on and talking about with others. 

Well, it is late. I worked really hard today.  That felt good.  All that writing work.

Oh, about that grapefruit.  I still was eating at dinner.  It was so tart! Too much so.  Then I thought of Deb Perlman's Grapefruit Pound Cake that I made for +Patrick's mercy meal.  And that brought me quickly to the thought of honey.  I grabbed some honey that I have on the counter that crystallized and can't easly be stored in my pantry (it leaks).  One bite of grapefruit with a thick blob of honey is a great flavour combination.  Felt like I was transported to an more elegant era, where I would have such flavours at a high tea with crystal and fluted glass of champagne!  Clearly, I must remember this. 

DV, Until tomorrow! May God have mercy on us and save us!