Monday, August 4, 2014

Reality Meeting Fiction



People were having trouble trying to leave comments on this blog. I think I’ve fixed the problem, so give it a try.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=marja+mcgraw&sprefix=marja+mc%2Cstripbooks%2C292

 Also, a new Sandi Webster mystery is now available in both ebook and paperback format. “What Are the Odds?” is an entertaining new addition to the series.

~ * ~

Now, down to business.

Many of us have little habits that can be annoying, and they usually show up when we’re angry, frustrated, disbelieving or at inappropriate moments. Sometimes they may show up when something strikes us funny. A person comes to mind who snorts when she laughs. In this case, it’s not annoying but makes everyone else laugh harder.



In the Sandi Webster series, Sandi has a bad habit of sighing. As a matter of fact, she’s pretty much brought it to an art form. In the Bogey Man series, Pamela rolls her eyes frequently. It’s her way of making a statement without speaking. She remembers her mother telling her not to do it because her eyes might get stuck that way. Anyone remember their mother telling them this scary little story? I do, and I never realized I was rolling my eyes until Mom called it to my attention.

And then it happened; a news report about a woman who both rolls her eyes and sighs, and the possible consequences.

In July of 2010, in Elmhurst, Illinois, a woman was ejected from a public meeting for excessively rolling her eyes and sighing. Local officials were looking at the possibility of creating a “disturbance and disorderly conduct” violation because of this individual’s annoying attitude and performance. The City Attorney was going to look into it, but I never heard the results.

Who says fiction is too unrealistic sometimes? Not me. I know many real life stories would be scoffed at if they were found in a piece of fiction, because (to use a cliché) life really is stranger than fiction.

Of course, there’s more to the story than what I’ve mentioned, but I’m not a reporter and this isn’t a newspaper.

If Sandi and Pamela were real people, they’d probably be outside the meeting place marching and carrying placards – and sighing and rolling their eyes.

In the meantime, their counterparts, Pete and Chris, might be standing on the sidelines  pretending they didn’t know them or saying things like, “I wonder who those screwy women are” or “I’ve never seen that woman before in my life.”

I hate to admit it, but I had to roll my own eyes when I heard this story.

Personally, food is one of my issues. I’m a picky eater, I snack a lot, and I have a chocolate ice cream cone and a spoon of peanut butter every single night. How could I forget, I’m a chocoholic. I’m tenacious, and sometimes that can be a bad habit. Sometimes I speak my mind when I should just sigh or roll my eyes.

Think about it for a moment. Do you have an annoying habit(s)? Do you think you could break yourself of that habit? Most importantly, do you want to stop doing whatever it is that you do? I don’t care what anyone says, I’m not giving up chocolate.

Until next week, enjoy people’s habits instead of letting them annoy you.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website.
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

14 comments:

  1. I used to have a bad habit of biting my nails or pens, but haven't done either since college -- no idea how or when I stopped. And I'm not giving up chocolate, either. ☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you got over the nail biting. A nervous habit maybe? And chocolate rocks! Glad you're a fan. : ) Thank you for commenting!

      Delete
  2. I'm a chocoholic too and, like you, Marja, I have absolutely no intention of giving up chocolate! Actually, I don't consider that to be a "bad" habit at all.
    Whether or not a habit is "bad" is, in my opinion, "in the eye of the beholder." For example, I prefer honest, direct people who say what they mean and mean what they say, while many others like people who always smile, nod their head and agree with them. The fact that I speak my mind (with kindness and tact whenever possible) would be considered "bad" by some. Oh well. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personally, I appreciate your attitude, Pat. I prefer honesty, especially when gently presented, like you do it. I wonder how many chocoholics there are out there. My other passion is black olives. Oh well... Thank you so much for commenting!

      Delete
    2. Patricia, I'm a firm believer in the Carole King lines "I know you will be honest if you can't always be kind." Yes, the truth can hurt, but sometimes people really need to hear the honest, unvarnished truth than a sugar-coated lie. ;-)

      Delete
    3. Heather, it's nice to "meet" someone who prefers honesty to, how can I phrase this nicely? Insincere baloney? LOL

      Delete
  3. Oh my goodness! Not only am I a chocoholic but a black oliveoholic also!!!! I guess we learned something new about each other today, Marja.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LOL I could live on the two things. Nice to know another oliveoholic. : ) Plus I think you just made up a new word. Thank you so much for commenting! (and making me smile.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Creating a disturbance by sighing and rolling your eyes? I've seen some other ways of acting out that are just as bad. I too love chocolate and have a piece every night after supper. I also love crackers. I'm sure I have lots of bad habits but my husband isn't here to help me with a list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A list would be overkill, Susan. No one wants a list (she said with a shiver). Yes, I actually kept a copy of the newspaper article. I guess city officials can be pretty picky sometimes. It's turning out there are a lot of chocolate lovers out there. : ) Thank you so much for commenting!

      Delete
  6. Chocolate, yes, i love it. Olives, too. In fact , the desire for olives seems to run rampant in my family, so much so that my mother stopped putting pitted olives on the Thanksgiving table because the dish never made it around the table. She bought pitted olives and counted the pits on everyone's plate to make certain no one was hogging them!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great story, Lesley! When I was growing up we only had olives on holidays. As an adult I suddenly realized I could have them whenever I wanted them. Now they're a staple in my house. Thinking in terms of olive oil, I figure there must be something healthy about olives. Right? Thank you so much for commenting!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Seems there should be on line chocolate factory connection. Chocolate is a health food so you are treating your body correctly. Honesty is best policy. Friends will always accept direct conversation. With strangers a softer approach is generally advised to avoid unseemly disturbance. Bad habits would rather keep to myself than divulge.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good thoughts, Jake. I agree that honesty is the best policy, although sometimes we have to be at least a little discreet and thoughtful in what we say. I couldn't agree more with you. Thank you for commenting!

    ReplyDelete