Stereotypes

I am guessing that a lot of us have come across people who tend to stereotype us before getting to know us solely based on looks. If we're honest with ourselves, most of us probably do fit some characteristics of some stereotypes, but probably not all of them. For example, if you do not go by grades (since I have always had trouble in subjects like History, Geography, and Science), I fit the stereotype personality of a nerd. I love to read, I love to learn, I love doing puzzle books, etc. Heck, I read dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias for fun when I was a kid. If that doesn't fit the stereotype of a nerd, I don't know what does.   :)

Stereotypes aside, everybody is a unique individual and should have the opportunity for people to know them as they are; not as a stereotype. I have always been short and slender which many people seem to automatically presume is a weak stature. However, just because someone is short and slender does not mean necessarily they are weak just as somebody who is tall and big does not necessarily mean they are strong. There are strong and weak individuals of every race and body type.

Another stereotype I have come across lately is people assuming all girls want to eat salads. There were two different restaurants I have been recently where my husband ordered a salad and the server; without asking who ordered the salad; assumed that I was the one who ordered the salad and placed it in front of me. While I am all for healthy eating and exercising, I am not really a salad person. I like lettuce, but my closest thing to salads is lettuce with just some ketchup on top of it. I know that sounds weird to some people, but that is how I like my lettuce.

Personally, I think society is to blame for a lot of these stereotypes, including that certain toys and activities are only for girls or only for boys. I have noticed that it seems that boys tend to get more backlash for doing something that is a "girls' activity" than girls do for doing something that is a "boys' activity" and that is just wrong. If a boy or girl enjoys something, than they should be able to do it without worrying about getting made of fun of. Yes, there are physical differences between girls and boys, but aside from getting pregnant naturally and being able to aim where you relieve yourself, boys and girls can do anything the other gender can. No matter what the activity, there are going to be some girls that are better than some guys at it and vice versa, but that has nothing to do with gender. It has to do with that person's individual abilities.

If people did not feel bound to gender roles, do you think it would give them more confidence to do something that interests them despite if it was traditionally ore popular with one gender or the other?

Dealing with migraines

I got my first migraine when I was in fifth grade which was not a pleasant experience as anyone who has ever had a migraine can tell you. If you have never experienced a migraine, you are lucky because it is basically an extremely painful headache. Imagine feeling like somebody is beating a hammer over your head, dizziness, and nausea combined and that is the best way I can describe a migraine.

Over the years; I have gotten them on and off as I inherited a tendency to migraines from my Dad's side of the family. Growing up; I got them so often that over time; I eventually was able to deal with the pain of the migraine and just rest when I got home. In most of my jobs; I have had migraines on more than one occasion, but did not say anything to my fellow coworkers or clients and then rested when I got home. I have even done transcriptions with full blown migraines which I will probably wind up doing again in the future since I enjoy doing transcriptions.

I know I am not the only person in the world who has managed to work with full blown migraines. I am not saying that is a good idea to work with a migraine or that it is easy to do, but if you put your mind to it; you can do anything including working with an excruciating headache.

Does anybody else suffer from migraines? If so, how do you usually deal with them?

My thoughts about prejudice

I think most people have dealt with prejudice in one way or another whether they have been the ones receiving it or dealing it. Unfortunately, there has always been lots of prejudice and while the world is more tolerant in most areas of life than they have been in the past; there will probably always be some form of prejudice in all areas. For example; it seems like no matter how much more civilized the world becomes, there will always be some racist or sexist people out there which I believe is a messed up reality.

I have also noticed that as society appears becomes more tolerant in one form of prejudice; they also appear to find another group to discriminate against. Those who know me that I do not care about race, gender, political affiliation, religion, or any other type of group you can think of. What I care about is how you treat other people which I believe is the way it should be.

If you really think about it; I guess everybody has some of kind of prejudice against something. I have heard lots of people (myself included) saying they can not stand prejudiced people. Some people might say that makes you prejudice against prejudice.

I have also seen some people say they are not prejudice, but then turn around and say or do something prejudice. For example; I have seem some people watch a Caucasian person dance who happens to dance really well and then make a comment like "they must have some black or something in them because no fully white person can dance that well". I am white and while I admit I am not a very good dancer (although I love to dance); that has nothing to do with the color of my skin, but I know there are plenty of white people out there who are good dancers (as well as good and bad dancers of all other races as well). That kind of comment implies that the color of your skin has something to do with whatever talent you have which is not true at all.

Instead of some people assuming a person is not worth giving a chance based solely on one factor of their life; we should take the time to get to know the person and learn more about them. I am not saying you have to like the person because nobody is going to like everybody or be liked by everybody, but just give the person a fair chance and accept them for who they are.  If only more people would teach their kids to accept people for who their personalities and not any other factor; I think the world would be a better place.

It is a given that our instincts will sometimes tell us if a person is a good person or not. Instincts aside, do you agree that we should get to know a person as an individual and not group them as part of a race upon the first meeting?

Music to my ears

I am sure many of us have heard the saying that one man's junk is another man's treasure (or some variation of it). Obviously, that is because everybody has different tastes in lots of different areas of life which I think is a good thing. If everybody liked and disliked the exact same things; then the world would probably be pretty boring. It's the differences in life that makes it more interesting as long as we all respect each others' differences.


I think the saying is just as true for sounds as well as material objects. It is my belief that if you listen hard enough; you can hear music in anything whether it be listening to the radio, listening to kids play, listening to animals, during a thunderstorm, or even hearing a friend for family member snore.


While I have no problem admitting there are even some forms of music that I am not too crazy about, I still appreciate music in all forms. If you really listen to the sounds of nature with an open mind and try to hear the music, it can be a wondrous thing. For example; a thunderstorm can be a bit scary for some people, but I guess if you really listen; the thunder could be nature's percussion for some people.


I have often heard another saying that music soothes the soul. I have always believed that listening for nature's music can cheer you up when you are feeling down as well as help you feel more relaxed, but it has been a while that I have actually listened myself. So the next time you start feeling depressed, try really listening for the music hidden within the sounds of the world.

How many of you have found musical sounds in nature?