You know, I truly do believe that we are blessed to live in a country with freedom. We are free to say what we want, free to move about as we please, we can sing and dance when the moment strikes us and don’t need to worry about being told it’s wrong. Our clothing is generally dictated by the weather, unless you’re a teenage boy in winter climates, and then rumor has it all bets are off, but that’s a different story.

But just because you can do things, doesn’t mean you should do things. I mean really, have a little pride, for God’s sake. I don’t need to see the crack of your butt pouring out of your jeans. Do you not realize that’s an image now burned into my brain that I can NEVER unsee? And when it’s 30 degrees out in Minnesota, should flip flops be your footwear of choice? I actually saw a woman in her late 30’s going into Target two weeks ago with them. Slushy snow in the parking lot, and she’s wearing flip flops. (Full disclosure, my first edit had the typo of ‘flip slops’ which was wrong but probably not inappropriate for the conditions. What can I say, I thought it was funny.) It’s a little like a certain nameless politician in the news of late…yes, you can say what you want, do what you want. That’s what freedom is about, and it might be popular. But it also defines you, and helps me formulate my opinion about you. And right now my opinion is that your judgement is seriously flawed and that maybe, just maybe you’re a bit of an idiot. No really.

I actually had an employee once who thought that she was owed a paycheck for showing up. Not for doing any real work of course,  but that we had an obligation to her, a contract if you will, to pay her for the sheer privilege of having her on payroll. She also saw no need to be productive throughout the day, or to spell words correctly in spite of the fact that she had gone beyond a college education. What she had going for her was an attitude of entitlement, and she thought the world owed her everything. The other day I saw an interesting article posted from the Today Show on January 25, 2016, about the Life Skills Every 18-Year Old Should Have. Number 6 was my favorite, learning that things won’t always go your way. I thought about that former employee, and wished she’d have known that.

I was out tonight running errands, and saw another example of “just because you can” in action. Is there a guideline somewhere that makes stop signs when leaving parking lots optional? Is it the same one for right turn on red? I don’t mean the right turn on red that’s allowed after coming to a complete stop. This was the just roll around the corner turn. I was driving in a fairly populated suburb tonight (mistake #1) around dinner time (mistake #2, and before I’d eaten, mistake #3) when some idjit comes flying out of a Dairy Queen parking lot onto the road. What, no coppie, no stoppie? For real?  Then less than a minute later, someone else decided they wanted to just move into the turn lane by cutting over the solid white line. Apparently those are optional now as well. What is the matter with people? Now the whole mess of cars behind him slams on their brakes because he’s brainless and impatient. Here’s a novel idea to try. If you miss your turn, go to the next one, turn around and COME BACK! I know, I know, I can hear my friend Kelly now: “there you go, using logic again.”. Did I mention I HATE traffic? Oh yeah, that was a few blogs ago…

My absolute favorite though is clothing. Tight, tight, tight clothing. You know the kind I’m talking about. Not the sexy, maybe a bit much but almost flattering kind. I’m taking about the “two animals fighting in a burlap sack” kind, the “public nudity isn’t legal so I have my privates legal covered – sort of” kind. The kind that you SHOULD be embarrassed to be wearing in public and WHY DIDN’T YOUR MAMA TEACH YOU BETTER THAN THAT? I know, there are all kinds of variations in taste, culture, ethnic etc. I ain’t talkin’ ’bout that, don’t go there. I’m referring to the getup on someone – usually a female but could be a guy too, I’ll be fair – that is so bad even at the nastiest bar in town, the skank won’t talk to them. The perfect example of just because you can does NOT mean you should, really means you shouldn’t, and please, I’m begging you, quit it. Blech.

Time for me to ponder my list of should and should nots, hopefully make some good choices today!