Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Well, after much thinking, analysis, and feedback, I have determined to continue down the blogging path on which I have started. Everyone's comments are very appreciated and taken with great consideration.........

On Sunday, after heading downtown, and attending the Global Day of Prayer (http://www.gdop.org/) , my group headed out to eat at a local McDonalds in downtown Dallas. After battling the barrage of one way streets in downtown dallas, and making more than one U-turn, we finally arrive at the golden arches. We went in, ordered, and sat down to eat. I got up to the counter, and realized that when you're hungry, everything on the menu seems to have a strange appeal that sounds very appetizing. I couldn't at first decide , but eventually settled on a quarter ponder, and an order of chicken nuggets. After everyone got seated, the real fun began.....

I was sitting in a chair across from my good friend Brian (http://www.brianaldenbass.com/) (also linked in favorite blogs), and a few other very close friends. (BTW-I have mentioned to Brian that he would be the center piece for this blog, so everyone please show support and check out his blog too!). So as we were sitting, I noticed a girl and a guy walk through the door. To me, they didn't seem to really fit together, but nevertheless they came in together. As I observed them in line ordering, it all seemed very uncomfortable, and not very normal. At this point I also observed that the girl had this huge, and Im talking ginormous back pack. It was a large, green, military back pack, but she was dressed in civilian clothes. On top of this, did I mention this back pack was very very B-I-G! So, as I sat there observing the interaction between her and the fellow that came in with her, the question began to nag me.....what is in that back pack? Is it just clothes?, if so, is it like all the clothes that she owns?, or is there something else in there? After I pointed this out to the group, we had a short discussion about the bag, and then I noticed something even more bizarre! The girl went and sat alone at one table (with the incredibly large bag), and the guy went and sat across the restaurant in another booth, alone. After this, I began to tell my group (Brian was sitting directly across from me) that I was going to ask this girl what was in her bag. It was bugging me too much. At that time she was on the phone, so I said "As soon as she gets off the phone Im going to go ask her what is in that bag?" Keep in mind at this point the bag was on the floor and she had her foot planted right on top of it in almost a defensive stance.

This is the point where Brian enters the equation. He states "If you do that, Im going to be embarrassed", "Whether you get embarrassed or not, its going to embarrass me." Well, I knew that I wouldn't be embarrassed, but it intrigued me that Brian would in affect, be embarrassed for me. To me what was even more interesting was that, he wasn't embarrassed about explaining his "embarrassment meter". He very calmly, and plainly pointed to the facts, that he gets embarrassed whenever someone does something out of the ordinary, because he puts himself in the place of the person that is getting talked to. Or in other words, it is a form of empathy for the person that is the subject of the bizarre behavior, ie (the girl that I was going to ask about the bag). It is a very admirable, and respectable quality in my mind, I am somewhat the same way, the bottom line is that both Brian and I, don't want others to be uncomfortable. So, Brian with his by the bystanders embarrassment meter, actually shows a deep care and concern for others, because he is in a way, sharing their potential embarrassment. So with all this in mind, I tried to explain myself, in the hopes of minimizing the potential for many red faces, mine, the girl's, and Brians. My thoughts are that if people are comfortable, no matter what the situation, they won't get embarrassed. So, whenever I face a situation in which there could be embarrassment caused because of an out of the ordinary circumstance, I try to deflect most the attention onto myself, in order that the other person does not feel the attention is on them.

After trying to explain that there should be no embarrassment, Brian still stood on the fact that he was going to be embarrassed if I went up to this complete and total stranger and began asking them questions about the contents of thier personal property. Which I did....., and still do, understand. But, I couldn't help myself, I had to know the story behind this monstrously huge satchel. So, what did I do?.........

I waited for the girl to get off the phone, and walked right up to her, and made clear my intentions. Honestly, and without hesitation or time for her to feel uncomfortable. It went something like this:

"Hi, my name is Josh, I know this is weird, but I saw that bag of yours, and its just so big, and I had to come ask what it was all about, and what was inside of it?" "Are you in the army?"

I could see there was hesitation in her eyes, and expression, so what did I do? I kept talking...Asking questions, and keeping a large smile on my face, explaining over and over again, how strange this is, but I truly could not help it, I had to know! the bag was just really big? So, after a couple of more moments pass, she explains that she is in the military, and that she is a door gunner on a Blackhawk Helicopter. She is passing through Dallas on her way to Oklahoma for training, and that the bag was full of, military equipment, and such. Well, after this I was extremely interested, and had to ask "Have you been to Iraq?" No, she said, "but Im shipping out in August." What is your name again, I ask? "Jessica" Are you scared about heading over there? "No" Man, oh man how cool is that. We talked for a few more minutes, and she explained the situation with the guy she walked in with, (apparently he asked her for some food the moment she stepped off the bus in Dallas), and after a few more minutes, she had to go. I told her bye, and headed back over to my table, and to Brian.

Now, as you may have guessed, my first question was, "Did you get embarrassed?" and the response. "Well, I was embarrassing on a scale of about a 5 when you walked up and started talking to her, but then I thought, "oh man if he sits down, then Im going to get really embarrassed. And then you sat down! and I was embarrassed on a scale of about an 8!". His explanation was priceless, and it was so funny how he could explain the embarrassment factor so rationally! This was the point in which I knew a blog would have to be written explaining this embarrassment meter!

Well, what comes from this long rant and rave? To me if was a few things.

You will never know if you don't ask.

Compassion and empathy can be seen in more than one way. (embarrassment meters)

Old friends bring a comfort and perspective that is priceless, and new friends can be sitting only a table away.

Everyone has interesting stories, all you have to do is take the time to find them.

From a small experience like this, I will never, ever see the downtown Dallas McDonalds the same way again. There will forever be a fun, and happy memory attached that I will visit every time I pass by it.

I need to pray more for our military, and constantly be thankful for those who protect my freedom to write things like this.