So I seem to be inadvertently pissing people off with whatever I say recently. I basically can't seem to do anything right. apparently just the mere fact of my existence is enough to anger others. To take a silly example that can't get me in more trouble since they hate me so much anyway - one of those "we think people in the emerging church are poopy-heads" sites came across my summary of the Emerging Women lunch at the Emergent Gathering. You know the lunch where we all sat around and told our stories. Really evil stuff there. Well this anti-emergent site wrote, "Here is just another reason to stay away from the emergent church.It is one sad day when "Christian" women and "men who support ‘emerging Christian women’" start sitting around re-imagining God in their own image so easily." What exactly is their issue this time? That we host mixed gender lunches? That men would ever condescend to support women? That we talk about God? I don't get it. The best part were the labels used for their post which included - abomination, feminism in the church, false teachings, and heresy. Wow I always wanted to be classified as an abomination.

Then my lunch today seemed to solidify the fact that I offend people with my mere existence. Emma and I were out running errands and stopped to have lunch at her favorite place Noodles & Company (this was mommy's apology for making her get a shot at the doctors). The lunch started out amusing. Emma had just had a haircut at one of those places that make it all cute afterwards. So with pigtails with ribbons we went into lunch. Usually Emma gets mistaken for a boy (even when she is wearing pink clothing with hearts all over it), but today nearly everyone in the restaurant commented on what a cute little girl I had. I was thoroughly amused by how the girly pigtails (as opposed to her usually disheveled moptop) changed people's perception of her. But anyway, back to the main story...

I ordered my food and went and sat down. The restaurant was crowded and so I was glad to find a table. Shortly after I arrived a businessman and businesswomen sat down next to me. The man was very loud in his complaining about having to sit this close to a toddler (apparently he didn't think Emma was cute). I'm sorry but if you don't want to be exposed to kids don't go to fast food places that serve mac n' cheese. I also got to listen to him berate the restaurant for using such an inefficient serving system, make fun of people whose houses he was working on foreclosing, and talk about why he hates Japanese people. The women never said a word, I doubt she could get a word in edgewise. I did my best to ignore his complaining and his death glares at me for having the audacity to have a child and be sitting already at a table near where he wanted to sit and eat.

But speaking of the actual food. I ordered our food and sat waiting for it to arrive. After waiting for awhile I noticed that all the people who came in after me had already been served. I asked the server about that. She checked and told me they had just skipped over my order. She brought out Emma's food and told me mine was still cooking. After a while I see other people getting the same dish I ordered so I decided to ask again. That really pissed the server off. How dare I want to actually get my food. She then walked over to the cook asked him a question, he immediately threw together my food and she shoved it at me. Things were not going well. First people don't want to sit anywhere near me then the restaurant doesn't want to serve me. Great.

So I start eating my lunch. By now Emma is finished and is getting squirmy. I am spending most of my time leaning over to pick up stuff she is dropping on the floor. At this point I am just trying to finish eating so we can leave. This is when the seriously obese women at the table behind me gets up and leans over to tell me that I need to pull my shirt down. It has ridden up and my back is exposed which is offensive she tells me. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the modesty police? I couldn't even respond to her, I just stared at her until she walked away.

I think my mere existence pisses people off. No matter what I say, people get mad. And now apparently just taking up space in this world is an affront to others. Yes, I know this is an overreaction, but there are just days when I am really tired of all this crap.

Labels: Personal