Bread and Butter

I learned it as a child. Whenever I walk through two or more people having a conversation, or when someone walks between me and a companion, I have to say “bread and butter.” I still do it. And here’s why.

Remember the scene in Ghost when Patrick Swayze’s character steps through a solid wall for the first time, or any scene in Harry Potter when he is transported through walls or across space? They have disrupted the energy of the universe. And so, when they arrive at their destination, they shake themselves off, because it’s an uncomfortable feeling stepping through energy.

That’s how I feel when I am forced to walk between two people who are connected to each other in some way. I am entering their energy field, and I don’t want to. After I am safely through, I shake off the feeling and say “bread and butter,” as if that will clear away any remaining negative energy. I will do almost anything to avoid being in the center, but, I have noticed, many people force me into cutting between them.

It’s a crowded street, and instead of stepping to the side, so we can pass each other comfortably, they hold their ground, continue their conversation and walk around me, one on each side. Sometimes their energy is clearly angry, they are having a heated discussion, and I don’t exist for them, but there is a tangible energy running between them, and I can feel it.

Seven Reasons You Should Absolutely Read this List

A lot of blogging gurus these days say lists are the way to go. So here’s my list of why this list is absolutely compelling reading.

1. It’s a list. Duh! It’s got a finite number of ideas anyone can grasp in just a few minutes.

2. It’s written by me. You may not know my writing yet, so this is your introduction to one more person you ought to follow. And here’s a bonus—I promise not to post every day, three times a day. So you won’t have those pesky notifications popping up in your inbox all the time.

3. You always do what you’re told. In a world full of choices, someone else telling you what you should do is a relief.

4. It gives you a space to comment at the end. Don’t you love writing snarky comments?

5. You’ve thought about doing a list yourself. Use this as an example of what to do / what not to do. See item 4 above for what to do if you think this list is an example of either.

6. You just can’t resist anything with the number 7. It’s a powerful number—Seven days in a week; You always get your coffee at 7-11; It’s a magical number. Poof! You’ve almost finished the list.

7. Whatever. Make up your own reason and use item number 4 to tell me what it is.

Thank you for reading. This is my first list post. Now that I know how to do it, there will be more to come. So follow me and see what’s next.

Whose Story Is It?

As more and more of the Cosby story comes out, I find myself asking whose story is this?

While a few of the women have told a portion of their stories in their own words on Dr. Phil, most of the time we read their words in the context of a news story about Bill Cosby. So whose story is it? Is it a story about Bill Cosby and his fall from grace, or is it the story of the woman who is telling the story, or is it the story of the reporter and editor who edit and structure each woman’s words into a compelling narrative that will sell a publication, or get people to click on a link?

Headlines matter

I learned the hard way recently that the headline often determines the story. If it reads, Abuse Charges Against Bill Cosby, notice that Cosby is front and center and the charges come from an anonymous source. It is a story about what is happening to Cosby not the story of the woman charging him of abuse. If it reads, Bill Cosby Facing Accusations, again it is a story about Cosby and the ramifications, for him, of those accusations. If it reads, Another Cosby Victim, both Cosby and the woman are in the headline, but the woman is lumped together with others and it feels that she has jumped on a bandwagon rather than having a story to tell. Only one woman, Janice Dickinson, was famous enough in her own right to merit a headline. Yes, Cosby is the famous one, but does a woman have to go missing to make headlines and put her name before the public?