A reader once commented on my column that a person isn't entitled to have an opinion on the Scriptures until he or she is 50 years old. This was his response to a piece I had written about the successful rescue of a group of Chilean miners who had not given up hope, and the value of prayer.
I don't remember the whole of his comments because, quite frankly, I didn't understand most of what he was saying. Perhaps, because I wasn't yet 50 years old, I wasn't old enough to truly comprehend his message.
In any case, his thoughts didn't change my mind; I was just excited that someone was moved to respond to something I had written, even if it meant he disagreed with me. In fact, on the rare occasion that someone sends in a reply to one of my columns, it is usually to tell me how misinformed I am.
One of the most surprising backlashes I've ever received was when I wrote a tongue-in-cheek, Seinfeld-esque piece about the tortures of wearing pantyhose. I'm not Jerry Seinfeld, but I thought it was entertaining enough to get a few laughs. Instead, I was accused of being an angry woman who just hadn't found the right hosiery.
That's OK. I figure a successful column should strike a chord with the reader. I want to elicit a response, whether it's in agreement or in the form of an accusation. So I consider what's happening at home, at work and in the news each week, and share what I think.
This brings us to the current week, which has been eventful on every front. The kids have returned to school following Christmas break, and I've returned to work. We've resumed karate, gymnastics, praise team practice, guitar lessons, piano lessons, Bible studies, working, attending classes. We are also trying to figure out how to fit in drama lessons, voice lessons and mixed martial arts.
Mike made appointments to get in-home estimates for cleaning services, so we'd have a bit more time for other things, like laundry and the dishes. However, no one can do any cleaning until things are picked up. I've cancelled the appointments.
In the news, Democrats are attacking Republicans, who are attacking Democrats and other Republicans as they vie for their party's nomination for the presidency, and Tiger Woods' ex-wife just bulldozed her 9,000-square-foot, $12 million mansion so she can build her dream home.
I think ... I think ... I'm really not sure what to think. Then again, I'm only 49 years old. Maybe when I'm 50 I'll have the answers to this week's mysteries of the universe. Today I only have questions.
"How do so many of us do all that we do without having the benefit of being paid huge salaries, on the backs of the taxpayers, to argue incessantly on the job and accomplish nothing?" "How can I find time to get my stuff picked up so that I can reschedule the cleaners?"
"Does anyone know where I can get a deal on a bulldozer and a yurt?"
Kim Dailey, of Columbia, is a wife, mother of five, and special education teacher in south St. Louis County who relies on her faith and sense of humor to survive in this crazy world. In her free time she soaks it in, sorts it out and writes about life.
