WHAT I VALUE MOST

I had an epiphany today. I love when that happens. I've noticed it usually comes when the wind is blowing the cobwebs out of my hatless head. I have a dear husband who is always expounding the importance of knowing your CORE VALUES. I've struggled with that... I mean, mine have changed so much over the years, I hardly know if they are CORE values or merely periphial random reactions to whimsy.

But I had an epiphany today. A complexion-clearing, soul-stirring, life-changing ephiphany.

I hate pretentious people. I always have. Ever since I was a little girl and my little girl friends wanted to play dress up. Ugh. High heels and fancy dresses and pretending you're a princess just wasn't my ticket to fun.

This ephiphanical observation is made all the odder when I consider how Disneyland was one of my favorite places to hang out... not only as a child, but as a teenager, young mother, and delighted grandma. But then, I realized that Disneyland invokes yet another CORE value I cherish as well...

But first, back to my epiphany. I really don't like pretensious people. You know, those people who think they are better than everyone else because they drive a such-in-such, or live in a magical castle, or have a bunch of letters after their names. Now, I'm not saying I don't like people who have accomplished these things... as long as they are not doing it to "impress" their peers and use their power to walk all over the little guy. I hate people who USE people and discard them like yesterday's newspaper.

Now that, in and of itself, is not a CORE value. I mean, you have to "value" something right? So, I realized that I value REAL people. People who roll up their sleeves, maybe they even get their hands genuinely dirty, or they are earnestly pursuing their dreams, and do an honest day's wages at whatever their task without cheating, hurting, or embarrassing someone else. I value REAL people who are comfortable in their own skin and don't try to put on "airs" as my momma used to say. I value REAL people who smile when they are happy, cry when they are sad, get angry when an injustice is committed, and move to action to change their world for the better... not only for themselves, but for everyone around them. I value REAL people who respect other people. Who offer a kind word, an encouraging affirmation, a ready hello when met on the street.

And now that I've had that epiphany, I realize that my CORE value when it comes to Disneyland is that I value watching other people have FUN. I never liked watching the screaming kid or the angry parent or the bored teenager at Disneyland. I value FUN. And Disneyland was and always will be to me a place of FUN. I value the FUN of people-watching at the mall just as much (it's considerably cheaper too). I value the FUN of watching kids play at the beach. I value the sheer FUN of riding my bike. So that explains the whole Disneyland dichotomy quite nicely I think.

I have other core values as well. I value my FAMILY. I value their input in my lives. I value being connected to them. I value FAMILY in a way that puts them at the head of the advisor line when I am making decisions. I value the things that bring FAMILY together. Dinners, hikes, trips, vacations... well, maybe not the last one so much if it lasts too long and costs too much money. That could drive anyone nuts. Unless we are vacationing at Disneyland... then that just incorporates a whole 'nuther value into my value now doesn't it?

Anywho - I do have more core values than that... and it is painfully obvious that I don't value berevity... and I have made you wade through this epiphany with me. But I hope that the wading has been REAL. I hope it has been FUN, and I definitely hope that, if you are reading this, you consider yourself part of my FAMILY.

See you at Disneyland!