Reflecting on my life, its hard to believe the complete hodge podge of people and lifestyles I have come across and befriended. I mostly chalk the phenomenon up to my outgoing personality, the healthy dose of curiosity I have about everything in general, and a seriously open mind. With such a wide mix of persona's drifting in and out of my life I'm still amazed at the situations I find myself in from time to time, and the conversations I have. Its really silly actually, I act momentarily shocked then I take a step back and pretty much think to myself, 'This situation really was unavoidable.' Just think how it feels for me to realize I just spent most of the morning discussing non-sexual BDSM, the pro's and con's of breast feeding, and teasingly joking about the politics behind Obama supporting the gays. It takes a certain type to juggle such odd conversations before the first cup of caffeine.
Now don't get me wrong, I have plenty of plane Jane conversations. Just like most people, I pretend I'm normal Monday thru Friday 8-5. I just find it fun to occasionally branch out and touch on the different life styles of others, and I have found that if your really open and non-judgmental you can actually learn more about yourself through the exploration of others. The real amusing part comes when you start to wonder about yourself because you aren't doing some of these crazy and wild things your discussing so thoroughly with others. For example, I have so many friends who enjoy the BDSM lifestyle that I would have to be a little more lily white than I am to not have ever have had 'the chat' with a few of them. That's not to say I'm going out and buying gags and floggers, its just me believing that knowledge is power and that knowledge is going to allow me to live my life fully . I want to be able to go to my grave knowing that if I ever walked into a room with a Roman Cross in it, I would be informed enough not to hang my coat on it.
Its the same about the conversation I was having with a female friend about breastfeeding, except with this particular subject I might actually have to put the information to use one day (heaven forbid). Lets be clear, I don't ever plan on having children, don't enjoy children for long periods of time, and would probably duct tape one to the wall if the situation called for it. That being said, I have done my research on mostly any thing that involves child birth and the after care because as per usual I cant go on not understanding something most of my friends have gone through. I want to be able to look at a wish list for one of their baby showers and know what a breast pump looks like, with out having to find the nearest sales associate to quietly ask my question in shame. I have breasts, I should know what a breast pump is, it seems only logical right?
Now that I think about it, maybe my interest in all things is just some elaborate scheme so I will never have to be flustered or embarrassed around others. Which reminds me of the last subject I spoke about this morning, President Barack Obama supporting the gays. I couldn't help but feel slightly flustered discussing Obamas support for the LGBT community with a gay acquaintance of mine. Honestly, it wasn't because he was gay, it wasn't because Obama is a Hawaiian Muslim raised by an Atheist mother, it was the fact that the person I was speaking with couldn't understand that Obama was doing it just to try to rake in votes. The delicate dance of trying to tell a person who is a part of that particular community, not to vote for Obama just because he is making empty gestures is akin to trying to nail jello to a tree. Even throwing the example that Obama had all ready used the promise to work on the legalization of marijuana in his original campaign, and done the exact opposite when he got into office wasn't enough to shine some truth on the subject. I can only repeat that this conversation included, pot, gays, and a Hawaiian Muslim trying to wave a rainbow colored flag to get votes in the next election.
Needless to say, my morning was a prime example of how far down the rabbit hole some of my conversations go. The nice part about having me as a friend though, is that even though I might not follow the same path as you in life I will try my hardest to at least be in the loop and understand. Im like a closet know it all, except there are some coats in here with me that are a little off colored and probably shouldn't be brought out around polite company. At the very least, I have a nice selection of people to spend time with depending on my mood. If I feel like staying home and baking cookies, I have a friend for that. If I feel like picking up a nice Sunday dress and heading to church, I have a fair share of friends for that. If I want to talk about the string theory and Schrödinger's cat, I have a nerdy friend or two on speed dial. If I want to go running around the woods under a full moon, naked and chanting in....Well, you get the point. I guess what this whole rant boils down too, is that all things considered I feel pretty damn lucky to have the wild & mixed bunch of people in my life to call friends. Its a little hard to remember how I came to know most of them, a lot of fun to be around them, and a shock when I meet even crazier ones than I all ready have. No matter what conversations I find myself in, no matter what wild situations I find myself in, Im glad to have had them in my life.
- Friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine. ~Thomas Jefferson
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