My dad’s birthday was June 3rd, I know, I am horribly late, but I had a hard time deciding which dad story I wanted to tell. The one I kept coming back to was the sock birthday.
Anyone who knew my dad will tell you he was the most humble, kind, caring and strong man ever, with a wicked sense of humor. It’s no wonder he truly was one of God’s favorite children.
One year, after I had moved to Texas, I called him to ask what he wanted for his birthday. As usual he said nothing, not a thing, I have everything I could want or need. That’s what he said.
I said, dad, don’t take away the joy of giving you a gift from me. You see that always worked when my mom would say that to me. Didn’t work, so I kept on, dad, dad, dad, dad, tell me, tell me, tell me. Yes, even at that age I was annoying. Oh wow, I just saw it, Alex gets it from me! I digress.
So he finally acquiesced, since he knew I wouldn’t stop, and said, well I need socks. Socks? You asked, I told you, socks.
Socks.
I said ok. Then off I went to Dillard’s (THE store of the day) and went to work, I got so many dress socks, then every day socks, then in-between socks. I spent over $100 on socks. Not to show off mind you, that I could afford that, but to be funny. He wanted socks, socks he would get.
UPS would deliver them, I would sit back and be able to hear the laughter all the way to Texas.
Back then there was no internet and no UPS site to track the package. So I waited, and waited, it seemed to take forever, in reality it was three days.
I called him on the evening I suspected it had been delivered. When my dad heard my voice, it was worth all of the effort I put into picking out those socks, his booming laughter over the phone was all the thanks I needed for that gift.
He said when he opened that package he laughed for a solid thirty minutes. Then chuckled the rest of the day, he said it served him right for telling me socks in the first place.
He then went on to tell me they would last the rest of his days, they did. When I went home for his funeral, mom showed me his sock drawer and there was one pair with the wrapping still on them. She took them to the funeral home and he was buried in them.
I miss my dad every day, I am so thankful he was my dad, that he gave me an undying sense of humor.
Thanks to him I am able to laugh at things that happen in my life that would fell lesser beings.
To this day I can still hear that laugh, that amazing laugh, that let you know life isn’t that bad.
Humans
I saw something, for once not on Facebook, it struck me, the person said that the five slain officers were overshadowing the civilian deaths that had recently taken place.
I admit I sat there for a long time just looking at it, the words, the sheer audacity, the sheer non-understanding of why these five deaths are resonating with the nation. No, the world, they ran into the line of fire to save the people protesting them. How does that not express the profound meaning that their lives had? That their deaths have? They ran towards gun-fire to save people who protested them.
I have seen a lot of things recently spouting “race” as if ones’ race is based on skin tone. It’s not, we are the human race, created in God’s image. He did not create different humans with different skin tones, He didn’t say “you know what, I’m going to separate these people I have created by color”. He didn’t color code us. He created man in his own image and saw it was good.
Good. We were created good, prejudice is not inherent, it is learned. I was taught all of my life to judge a person by the content of their character not by the outward appearance. A hard lesson for me, oh, not by skin tone, apparel. I judged by what a person wore, their hair style, shoes, oh my, yes the shoes. My poor mother, she really had her work cut out for her with that one. I remember one Sunday, in Owasso, OK at the First Freewill Baptist Church, a woman came in with jeans.
WHAT!? This had to be 1979 or around there, I was aghast, one simply did not do that in 1979. As soon as we got in the car to go home I just could not contain myself. The judgements flew out of my mouth at a rapid rate. I could not believe someone, much less a woman, would come to church in jeans.
I’ll never forget the look on my mothers’ face, it wasn’t anger, it was sadness and disappointment. She looked at me for a long time and said Angie show me in the bible where it says don’t come to church in jeans. Or for that fact where it says all ye women come in a dress.
I sat there in that back seat and just stared, then I said well you won’t let me do it, she said no, I won’t. Here’s why, when we go to God’s house we wear our best, that’s why it’s called our Sunday best. You are very fortunate that your Sunday best is stylish, nice, pressed and what we, as your parents, deem appropriate.
Not everyone has those kinds of garments, did you ever once, in the middle of your judgement think that the jeans were her Sunday best? Those are the best jeans she owns, they are clean, no holes and fit, her shirt was nice, clean, pressed and she was presentable. She was dressed in her Sunday best and here you sit, judging her. I never forgot that, disappointing my mom it was up there with disappointing God. I learned a strong lesson that day, it is one, I admit, I still struggle with.
To judge a person by something they cannot control is idiocy, people cannot control the color of their skin. The pigment they are born with, it is who they are, that is not something we should be judging on.
No matter what color your skin is, if it is white, peach, ghostly white (Irishman shout out there), brown, light brown, dark brown, black, olive (Tammi shout out there), tan, red, yellow or any other color that can be found in a child’s Crayola box, one should not be judged for it.
Before my life in Owasso, the one I don’t talk about too much, I lived in Oklahoma City, as a matter of fact, I lived in a really tough neighborhood. Capitol Hill, if you are from there, then you know, it’s rough. Or it was when I was a kid.
In the 1970’s Oklahoma began desegregating, I know, 10 years behind everyone else.
There was a good mixture of skin tones in my elementary school, we had everyone, white, black, brown, red, everyone. You know what, no fights based on skin color, I did have a fight with a boy named Kevin, he was my skin tone. He made me mad and I hit him with my lunch box. My metal, partridge family with the thermos in, lunch box. Mr. Jackson was our principal and I went to see him fairly often, only once did he call my grandparents. Never anyone else.
Did I mention he was black? A lot of my teachers were as well, I never thought anything about it. Skin color was never mentioned and as children no one cared. At all. There was one incident, but I really can’t talk about it here and it’s not “race” related it was more an explanation gone wrong issue. And yes, it had to do with me.
When I got to Middle School, Capitol Hill Middle School, things had changed, it was not an equal mixture of skin tones, it was roughly 75% black, 15% white and the rest Indian, I am using these terms due to the fact that is what we used then. Please take them in context to the time frame.
In middle school, still no issues, no one made any reference to skin color, a lot of classes, as I look back, I realize I was the only one in there that had a pale appearance. No one held it against me, I wasn’t called names. I was confused when I watched the nightly news, as it was talking about “race” riots, minorities and things of that nature. In my school, I was the minority, so I really didn’t understand.
Then I moved to a different part of Oklahoma City and started going to Jefferson Middle School, way different demographic, back to more of an equal balance of skin tones. Here is the funny story from there, I saw my friend Paulette from CHMS and we were thrilled to see each other. I said I didn’t know you guys were going to go here! She had a twin brother named Paul. She said yes, her mom and dad wanted to get out of the old neighborhood. She then said, and I’ll never forget it, there were too many black people there. I looked at her for a minute and said Paulette, you know your black right? She laughed and said that is what she said to her mom and dad. She said she really never got an explanation for that one.
Oh and before you think oh they must have been too light skinned for “the community” at that time. Not the case, her family was very proud of the fact that they were pure, no Indian and no White. I didn’t know what that meant until later, all I knew was Paulette and I were friends, her family welcomed me into their home and mine welcomed her into ours.
Then the move to Owasso, now, I have to tell you, Owasso was a shock to my system, a huge shock, on so many levels. Gone were the museums, the symphony, no orchestra at school, I was so depressed about moving I didn’t want to join the basketball team, I had played in OKC, I didn’t want to join the band, seriously, I was a cello player. No cellos in Owasso at that time, also, not a lot of people that didn’t look like me.
I remember the first day of school there, my BFF Tammi and I went, we took the bus, spent all day going from class to class. Then after school, we waited for our bus, I couldn’t take it anymore, I whispered what did they do with the black people, she said I don’t know, but don’t say anything because they might do away with us. Tammi came from Tulsa, huge diversity there as well.
Owasso is much more diverse now, however it wasn’t then, and it was a shock to my system.
But I still was being raised in a household where you did not judge based on outer appearances, especially based on something you cannot change.
Something has to give in this country, if you are judging me based on my pigmentation then you are prejudice, if someone is judging you based on your pigmentation they are prejudice.
I am a regionalist, I admit that, I judge on what region of the country you are from. I states, well, I am not overly fond of I states. I am not going to say what those are here, as I would get hate mail. Just know, that the job I have, I get to see how people behave when they think they can get away with speaking to humans any kind of way. I think we all know what that means.
Every day, I work side by side with people who do not look like me, we all get along, we all joke with one another, help one another and share knowledge and experience. We don’t base our opinion of someone’s ability to do their job based on the pigmentation of their skin.
We are one race, we are the human race, God made one race, humans, until the aliens come, and they totally are, but for now, on this big blue marble, we are it. Human. We might come in different colors, different shapes, sizes and have different thought processes, but we are all one. And if you are a Christian or even Jewish, then we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. We are brothers and sisters; we all need to remember that.
I do not judge a situation based on a snippet of a video someone took with their phone, from an angle that doesn’t show everything that happened. I do believe that the media and politicians and people who are in power want to keep everything stirred up. They want to keep humans fighting over pigmentation.
Just stop, stop and take a good long look at what the people in power don’t want you to see. Take time out to forge friendships with people of differences. Physical, emotional, intelligence and personality, those differences in us make the whole.
I’ll leave you with the words of Downtown Julie Brown, peace, love and gossip.
As always, if you have any comments or questions you can direct them to angie@angieworld.com
My Dad
What I miss the most about my dad is his laugh, it was all-encompassing and you knew he wasn’t laughing at you but at the situation. He always told me it is far better to laugh than to cry. He was right, I have used that philosophy to get me through some really tough times.
I miss his wisdom, I always knew I could go to him with a problem and he would have the answer. Life was so much simpler when I could rely on him.
I only had him for a short time, I wasn’t born with a dad, oh I had a grandpa, uncles and older cousins, but I didn’t have a dad. Until I acquired one in my great-uncle, he took on the responsibility of raising another child when he didn’t have to. He was in his golden years, retirement, but he saw a need and he filled it.
I fully believe, to this day, he and my mom saved my life, I honestly don’t know what would have happened to me. So today, when fathers are honored, I honor the man who didn’t have to be my dad but decided to be my dad.
When I moved away from Owasso and landed in Texas phone calls were not cheap as it was long distance back in the day. We didn’t have cell phones and one waited until after 7:00 pm for night rates to make long distance calls. My dad was a stickler for this rule, he rarely broke it, after all, why waste money when you didn’t have to.
One day, he broke this rule, I’ll never forget that day, it was the middle of the day! I answered the phone and heard his voice and my first thought was someone died. Because you didn’t call long distance in the middle of the day back then unless someone died.
I said who died, he said no one, why would you say that, I said it’s the middle of the day dad. He laughed and then said no one is dead but he had something serious to discuss. Then he proceeded to tell me a story and it’s not politically correct to tell these days, but I’m going to tell it anyway.
He said do you remember that Sunday School teacher you argued so much she quit? I said yes, and if she had known her bible she might have won one of those arguments. He said, well, she left her husband and ran off with a woman and I blame you.
I said DAD! He said well, if you hadn’t argued with her so much in church she might not have done that. Then he could not contain himself he burst out laughing. I said you called me in the middle of the day to tell me that.
He said it was worth the price because he had been working on that funny all week. Then he handed the phone to my mom, who was laughing so hard she could barely talk.
When she caught her breath she told me she was laughing harder at the fact he thought that was middle of the day call worthy.
I miss my dad, I miss his laughter, his wisdom, his argumentativeness and his presence. My life is so much better from having been his daughter.
Tech Support Contact Tips
Well, hello old friend, it’s been a while, so much has happened, so many things have irritated me, so many things that don’t deserve being put down in print.
But there is one thing that I will put down, I work in tech support for a major telecommunications corporation, I believe I have said that before.
I work in a department that supports not only internet but television and voice as well, here are a few things I would like for you to know, to make it easier on you and me (or someone like me) when you call in for assistance.
- Don’t yell and scream at me. I am here to help you. Have you ever helped anyone who just yells and shouts at you? I am more willing to help you if you are calm and patient. It does not matter what happened before you arrived on my line. I have no control over that and cannot change it. I can help you however, and yelling doesn’t work.
- There are certain things I HAVE to get before I can even start to help you. I am not asking again because I want to annoy you, it’s because I do not have it, and it is required in order for me to assist you. Yes, I know it can be frustrating, I agree. That doesn’t change the fact that I still need it. You may have provided it to people before me, but that does not mean I see it. It does not mean “the notes” that you ask us to check are accurate. Please tell me, so that I know your issue exactly from your mouth and can properly assist. The reason you are speaking to me is because the people you spoke to before couldn’t help you. Part of that reason may be because they didn’t understand the problem.
III. Part of the information I do require is that you have to be able to authenticate the account and that you are authorized to make changes. This is not just something made up. This is in place for numerous reasons, but mainly to protect you, the customer. Just because you know you are authorized does not mean I do. I do not know you personally, you are a voice on the other end of the line. Federal law and company policy REQUIRE authentication. You don’t want me to break the law do you?
- Believe it or not, you are not perfect. I have much more experience with customer problems than you do, so I am coming from more knowledge than you have. About 75% of issues are customer created. This means it was not the company who caused the issue, it was you. Guess what? We don’t mind. It’s OK to screw up. We are here to help. If you’ve done something you shouldn’t have by mistake and know it, it really does help us if you tell us that. If we know what you have done, we can then undo what you’ve done. We really don’t mind that.
- This technology has been around now for quite some time. You depend on it now, and it’s a big part of your life. Take time to learn about what you use. You did learn how to drive, so learn how to use devices that take up so much of your life. Believe me, it makes your life so much easier. Many places have free classes on how to use computers. TV remotes are nothing new. We do provide a guide when you get your remote. Please read through and try and get familiar with how it works. We know you hate having to call us. This can be avoided by learning how things work.
- Going back to computers again. Computers and the internet is not something new. I am guessing you aren’t new to it. You have been using them personally and probably in your job for quite some time. The name of the browser you use; the address bar is not “technical lingo”. This is common language you use in relation to devices you have interacted with on a daily basis for many years. The URL/Web address is something you have been typing over and over. Again, not lingo.
These are all simple things that in this day and age almost everyone should know. I give a pass to everyone 60 and older. Although, I had a sharp 90-year-old gentleman the other day that was an absolute delight to work with. He was simply amazing; do you want to know what made him amazing? He didn’t scream, he didn’t speak down to me, he said Angie I don’t know if the problem is you guys or me. Can we figure it out? I said absolutely, let me make sure it isn’t us before starting on your end. It ended up being him, but with him following my directions we got him back online in no time and he was able to see the new pictures of his great-grandchildren that had just been posted online. I considered it my best call of the day.
VIII. If you call me, I want to help you, it is not only my job, it’s my nature, I love solving problems. The more complicated the better, there is nothing I love more on my job than getting you connected, being able to watch your favorite shows or talking to your loved ones. It is rewarding to hear the joy in your voice when we work together and get you up and running.
My favorite customers are my older ones, maybe because I am fast approaching that part of my life, or maybe some of them remind me of my mom, dad or aunts and uncles. I just want their services to work and the experience be as seamless as possible. They are a joy to work with and I let them know that.
I will be honest, if you come on screaming and cursing at me or another person in my position we will shut down, you will not get the same quality of service you would have if you had come on the line, calmly explained the issue and allowed us to ask the questions we HAVE to, then get to figuring out what is going on and getting you on your way as soon as possible.
I will let you know, for the ones that make disparaging remarks about my pay or my level of education. I am highly skilled at what I do, I am highly trained, not only at the job I do now, but in multiple areas of the major telecommunications corporation I work for. I have been around a long time, I make good money, and I am highly educated. I am from America, I don’t know why I am asked that, given my Owasso accent. Of course since I am in Texas now, I tell them well, not exactly, I’m in Texas and we think we are our own country.
There you have it, my tips for making your tech support experience better, not great, because you had to call in to begin with. But we really do want to help you.
Oh, one more thing, pricing, I’m in tech support, there is only so much I can do for pricing and credits. I have nothing to do with movie coupons, don’t use them at home, don’t care about them and know absolutely nothing about them. Billing is what you want then.
My One Scandal
Last week, someone threatened to expose any scandals I had to the public. Well, I only have one real scandal, it’s not even something I’m ashamed of, or even embarrassed. It caused me great pain for many years, and still does to a lesser degree today.
Elizabeth Anne said, mom just write about it, I said well I need someone else’s permission to do that. My “scandal” doesn’t just involve me, it involves another person as well, so I asked them if I could tell the story. They have graciously agreed.
When I was seventeen I got pregnant, I knew the moment I realized I was pregnant what I would have to do. I was terrified to tell my parents; they had told me that if I ever got pregnant I couldn’t stay in their home. Before anyone condemns them, it is an age thing, I don’t condemn them, no one else gets to either. A few weeks before graduation my dad asked me if I was pregnant, I said yes, and true to their word, I had to find someplace else to live.
I went to the doctor, finally, he asked what I wanted to do, I said there was no way I could keep the baby. He helped me arrange the adoption, I didn’t know who would be adopting the baby, because in those days all adoptions were closed. There was no getting to know the new parents, no letters exchanged and definitely no pictures of the child afterwards. I knew I would be giving the baby up forever, and it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life. To this day, it was the hardest decision I ever had to make.
I moved to an apartment in Owasso, now during this time there was only one apartment building and it was off of main street and 76th. It was in the slums of Owasso, up to that point, I didn’t even know Owasso had a slum. I paid a whopping $150.00 a month in rent. After paying rent and electricity there was very little money left over for food.
I don’t think my parents realized how bad things were until my dad made an unannounced visit to bring me vegetables from the garden. He opened my refrigerator and just stood there and didn’t say a word. We talked for a little bit, he left, then the next morning there was a knock on the door.
There stood my dad with a bag in his arms, he came in and went straight to the kitchen. He brought everything to make pancakes, even the bowl. To this day that is the same bowl I make pancake batter in. You see, they didn’t abandon me, they just wanted me to learn the lesson, if I make adult decisions, I would have to live in an adult world.
From that Saturday forward, until after I moved out of that apartment, my dad came and made me pancakes.
On one doctors visit, the doctor asked me what I was going to do when I went into labor, I said I guess I’ll drive to Tulsa to the hospital. I still remember the look on his face, he said what about your parents, you see he was our family doctor. I explained about the apartment, he said come see me tomorrow.
I went back, he said he had spoken to the people who were adopting the baby and they wanted to pay for a phone for me. I said no, because wouldn’t that mean they were buying my baby? I was so young, so, well, stupid, he explained no, they would pay to put the phone in and pay the bill until I had the baby, then if I wanted to keep the phone I would have to pay the bill after that. He also called my parents, he explained to me that they would take me to the hospital, that I would not be able to drive myself.
When the time came, I called my parents, they drove me to the hospital, my mother didn’t leave my side until they took me to the delivery room. Then, she was born, I saw the top of her head, it was filled with hair, it was dark. I heard her cry, I asked if she was ok, then passed out from all the drugs they had given me.
When I was in the hospital room recovering, I asked one of the nurses once if I could see her, hold her. I wanted to tell her I loved her, I wanted to tell her I couldn’t take care of me, how could I take care of her. I wanted to tell her I was giving her to people who would love her and take care of her. I trusted that because I trusted our family doctor, he knew the people, he would never have arranged for a child to go to someone who was abusive. I wanted to tell her that if she wanted to ever find me, I would be easy to find. I didn’t know how at the time; I just knew I would make myself easy to find.
The nurse told me no, she gave me a scathing look and said I made the decision so I would have to live with it.
Live with it I did, and it was painful, made worse by the death of my first child after her, someone told me that God was punishing me for having given her away.
Years went by, I remembered her every July 27th, I remembered her every day, I would look at my children and wonder if she looked like any of them, I would wonder if she acted like them.
Then one day, in 2005 I received an email, it said I think we may be related. I just sat and stared at it for a really long time.
There it was, the contact I honestly didn’t believe would ever come, it was her, and she looked exactly like me, except with blue eyes. She had children of her own and became curious about me after having her own daughter.
We had a rocky start, I won’t tell that part, because it is really her story, however, today we are forging a relationship. She is forging relationships with her siblings and we are happy.
She doesn’t call me mom, I am not her mother, she had very good parents, to which I am extremely grateful.
That is my scandal, once again, I am not ashamed of what I did, I did the right thing, I faced my responsibilities by giving my child the best home I could at the time.
Foy and Odela, the Story Continues
So, today, my parents are celebrating their 82nd wedding anniversary in heaven, I know without a doubt there will be coconut cake, as that was my dad’s favorite.
They were married January 13, 1934, during a time in America that was bleak and chances of success were seemingly nonexistent. They beat the odds, they worked together for a good life for themselves and their children. They didn’t attribute any of their success to luck, they attributed it to God and hard work.
I know on this day, in the past, I have told their courtship story and how they came to be a couple, but today I’d like to tell about their journey across the United States during the Great Depression to find work and keep their family together.
After they were married and after they had two children, Foy and Odela had a conversation about the future welfare of their growing family. There was no work in Oklahoma and it was the dust bowl of America at the time. Crops were not growing, there was no work, Foy knew there was work in California, so they packed their family up in the old Model T Ford and started their journey.
It wasn’t a straight shot, it didn’t take several days, it took months, as they worked their way across the nation towards a better life. You see when Foy and Odela started the journey, they had no money for gas or food, so they had to work their way towards the future.
They found farms along the way that needed migrant workers to help bring the crops in. Foy and Odela picked cotton, they picked tomatoes, they picked green beans, they picked anything they could to make the money for their next leg of the journey.
Their car broke down in New Mexico, there they were, on a dirt road, knowing no one, with a toddler and a baby. There were no cell phones in those days, not even phone booths on every corner, and it wasn’t a well-traveled road.
Foy flagged down the first car he saw, it was filled with other migrant workers, ones that did not speak English. But by hand gestures and the looks of panic on Foy and Odelas’ faces let the family in the other car know something was wrong. The man took a look at the engine and somehow conveyed he knew someone who could fix it, however, night was coming and it could not be fixed in the dark.
The other family gestured that Foy and Odela should ride with them to their house, the family was very literally dirt poor. Odela would later recount how the floor was dirt, but the house was somehow clean, the family shared what food they had with them and made sure they were comfortable for the night.
The next morning, true to his word, the man went to get the mechanic and they fixed the car, gave Foy and Odela some food from their meager supply and sent them on their way.
Odela later said it was the first time she had ever encountered people who were different from her and God taught her a valuable lesson. All people, everywhere, just want to provide for their family and make sure their children have better opportunities than they had. She would say that day she had been humbled in the presence of grace and generosity.
They finally made it to California where my dad worked in a gold mine, my parents painted houses, had another baby and then my dad landed the job at McDonald Douglas, which after a few years allowed him to transfer back to Oklahoma, where they landed in Owasso.
Happiness Rant
I have to say nothing irritates me more than seeing the word happy flung around. Do what makes you happy, happiness is all that matters in this world. What a load of cock, I’d say the other word, but I don’t in life so I won’t here.
If I did what makes me happy I would live on puffy Cheetos, drink diet coke and stalk Dean Cain all over the world. I choose to do the right thing, I choose to do things that give me great joy, happiness is such a human word, a human emotion, and it is fleeting.
Joy is eternal, having a joyous soul gives one the unique ability to overcome trials and tribulations of an earthly nature. Happiness can be punctured, can be effected by the outside world.
I am not saying don’t be happy, there are a great many things that I am happy about, and they are all human things and can be taken away at any given moment. Certain television shows make me happy, they can be taken away at the whim of a network executive.
Whenever I see the memes or words of people saying the only thing that matters in this world is happiness so do what makes you happy I want to literally scream.
When the bible was translated into English, there was no happy in it, men put that word in there, joyous, joy, blessed, those were the words used.
Jesus did not promise us great happiness if we followed him, he promised great joy, he also told us we would be persecuted, ridiculed, but to stand fast in our faith. Our faith, not our happiness, so there we have it folks, faith, hope and love these are the things that are left and of these three, love is the greatest. Love gives us faith and hope and great joy, look beyond mere happiness, find your joy, find your hope, find your faith and you will have your blessings, in abundance.
The blessings may not be what you think happiness is, it may be something entirely different, you will never know until you give up the inane pursuit of happiness and look towards something beyond.
If I had not stepped out in faith by accepting my Aunt Odela’s offer to come to Owasso, I would never have had a real mother and father. I would never know the joy of being a real daughter, I would never have known the joy of having a friendship that has spanned 38+ years. I would never have known the joy of being a mother to the best children ever.
Stepping out on faith gives us joy, not happiness, once again, not saying don’t be happy, there are many earthly things that give me happiness. But they can be taken away at any given time, joy cannot.
What I Gave Up
So, on Facebook, where we all know the good information is at, I read a post from a fellow Owassoan that made me think. He said that he met a man who lives in Owasso now and the man corrected him on the pronunciation of Owasso. You see there are two ways to pronounce it, if you are from Owasso, it is Owassuh, if you are not, it is Owasso. There is a distinction, my fellow Owassoan let him know, you might live there but you are not from there.
He was right, even though I did not live there from birth, I am from there, I claim it as my hometown. I hope the natives don’t mind that I claim the city for my hometown; it is where I came of age, where I learned many life lessons and where I finally had real parents.
I talk a lot about what Owasso gave me, I don’t really talk about what I gave up to gain all of the friendships, knowledge, parents, church home and life lessons. I gave up living in a city I loved; I gave up being in the Orchestra, being on the basketball team, the volleyball team and track. I gave up my cousins, all of them; I gave up my grandmother and great Aunt Effie, my aunts and uncles.
I know what you are thinking; I could have had many of those things in Owasso, yes to the sports, no to the music. There was no orchestra in the Owasso school system; I was so depressed I didn’t want to entertain the thought of joining the band. Even though I could play the clarinet, having also been in band in the City. For the first year I was there I was seriously depressed, I had one friend, and everyone in the school had been together since kindergarten. For the first time in my life I was an outsider, looking in, not really belonging, my parents, God bless them, took me back to the City almost every weekend for the first year. Oh, BTW, the City is what all native Oklahomans call Oklahoma City. So for the first year I went back there almost every weekend, to see my grandmother and great Aunt Effie and reconnect with friends.
Then something happened, I was in the library, in the 9th grade and I saw one of my classmates, not someone I knew well, still only had one friend, Tammi, but I said hi. He said hi, then asked me what I was doing that weekend, (not because he liked me, he was making small talk) before I could open my mouth he looked at me disdainfully and said let me guess, going to the City. I just nodded; I didn’t know anyone knew my business. He then said the words I will never forget, you’re missing it, you’re missing everything there is to do here, you’re missing out on freindships and life. Owasso is fun and you are not part of it, but you could be if you would quit running back to the City every chance you get.
That stopped me cold, I had serious thinking to do, I made a decision, I stopped going to the City all the time, started going to football games and the Skate Ranch. I made friends; I became an Owassoan, second best decision ever.
I don’t regret what I gave up because I gained so much, I love being from a place that has heart, that takes care of it’s own and doesn’t let you go once you become one of them.
I am now reconnected with my cousins and could not be happier, I am still a City girl by birth but an Owassoan by choice.
Discombobulated
I have a confession to make, I love yoga pants, before you judge me, I don’t wear them anywhere but to work out and at home. I gotta tell ya, these are the most comfortable things I have ever put on. I LOVE them; once again will NEVER wear them to the store or anywhere but to work out and at home.
As I sit here, watching Star Trek (J.J. Abrams version) I am reminded how much I love the character of Spock, and all of them. I know a lot of original fans of TOS (for those of you not in the know, that stands for The Original Series) they abhor this carnation of the universe that they are so fond of.
As for me, I take it for what it is, a version, someone else’s vision of what this would look like if something catastrophic happened. It is a different timeline, the personalities are there, however different happenings have shaped them and the trajectory of their lives. Please note though, they all come together, they are all still on board the Enterprise. Seeing it, seeing the two Spock’s is like wrapping ones self in a warm fuzzy blanket.
This entry will be filled with randomness as I am feeling discombobulated, I feel as if I have lost a friend, someone who gave me hope through out a rough middle childhood. So my thoughts are a bit scattered at the moment.
I lost an uncle last week,
While, as an adult, I didn’t know him that well, I will admit that, when I was very young he was one of my favorites and he is the father of my favorite male cousin. My uncle was the one who influenced the trajectory of my life when I made the decision to take my Aunt Odela (who became my mother) up on her offer to “visit” her and my Uncle Foy (who became my father) in Owasso. Please see that story here http://www.angieworld.com/2012/08/my-life-story-sorta/, I have a lot to thank him for as it was the single best decision that I ever made.
It gave me Owasso, it gave me the best friend a person could ever have, it gave me the best parents, the best church to grow up in, it gave me the most amazing children a person has ever been privileged enough to have. I owe a lot to that Uncle and I will be going to his memorial next weekend to say a proper thank you and goodbye to him. After all it’s only logical, sorry had to throw that in.
Last week I also had to go to the doctor, I had a cyst on the top of my head; yes you read that correctly. It was painful and disgusting, however the doctor was able to get the whole thing and I do not have to go to a surgeon. Now I have to go to a doctor for my hurting elbow, I don’t even know what is going on; I am supposed to be getting stronger, not falling apart!
Owasso Thoughts
So, my friend Billy G. from Owasso said something provocative on Facebook (of course) the other day. He said “Facebook is a great place to be friends with people who didn’t like you in high school.” Well, I don’t have to tell you that set off a firestorm of comments.
I am going to add my own here, I came to Owasso in the 8th grade, actually the summer before 8th grade. Since I lived in the country I really only got to meet one person in my grade before school started. She has turned out to be my best friend, Tammi; she lived up the hill from me. Literally up the hill.
People in Owasso had been together already since Kindergarten, those cliques are not easy to infiltrate, so we began our own, some, like us, came to Owasso late, others had been there all their lives.
Not everyone gave me a warm welcome; I’m good with that, they already had their friend cards filled with others. Some were downright mean, I’m good with that as well, I can give as well as receive, and I really could then.
I was pretty snobby back then, total defensive mechanism, because the reality of it is I am the least snobby person alive. Well, certain things I am incredibly snobby about, crocs, hate them, judge people who wear them. Especially if you are not a worker that stands on your feet a lot or do not have health issues that require you to wear them. If you wear them to a sedentary job and wear socks with them, you will feel my ridicule. You all can judge me for judging others on that point.
I met a woman yesterday, who after speaking with me for a total of 5 minutes said, “you’re one of those people that make friends wherever you are, aren’t you?” Yes, yes I am, I am friendly by nature, I smile a lot and will talk to anyone.
However, that does not mean I tell my life story, that you will never get out of me, it’s mine, I choose very carefully who I share that with.
But back to Billy’s provocative posting, he was joking, because that is who he is, a jokester, and I love that about him. But the post struck a nerve with some people; it probably dredged up memories of meanness that one does not really get over. They get past it, but not over it, not me, I didn’t care if they were mean to me then and I really don’t care now.
If I had made friends with the really popular people I seriously cannot imagine the trouble I would have gotten into. I found enough trouble on my own, I heard about the parties that the popular people were having and believe you me, I was tame in comparison. My parents would have really disowned me if I had been involved with those!
Owasso was a great place for me, I came into my own there, I found acceptance in a family there, I found lifelong friends. I found my best friend there, who knows all there is to know about me and still loves me.
As for being friends with people who didn’t like me in high school, I’m not, I’m picky about my Facebook friends, I reserve it for people I would want to hang out with in person.
Angie World 