I’M JUST SAYIN’

I have a friend who is fond of ending a story about the ironies and disconnects of life with a delightful throw-away line:  “I’m just sayin!'”

Life in 2013 is filled with so many stories that deserve that line and the look of complete frustration that accompanies it that I’ve decided to initiate a new category of this blog for  stories about the disconnects and travesties of our lives.  Here’s the first entry.  (Feel free to share one of your own in the comments section.)

I was speaking with a couple of male friends yesterday about life in general and  we got around to the tragedy unfolding in the Philippines because of the Super Typhoon (see my earlier post:  Prayers for Aibie on Nov. 8).  I was commenting on the difficulties of the relief efforts  because there are no buildings standing for storage of food and water and because the roads and bridges are washed out or littered with tree limbs.  So even when those desperately needed supplies are available, the relief agencies can’t get them to the people.

Smiley in Bow Tie (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I finished speaking, another man came up and asked one of my friends if he had any luck at a sale on bow ties at a particular clothing store.  I listened in amazement as they began discussing their quest for  cheap bow ties.  One of them asked, “How much does a regular bow tie cost?”  The answer was, “Oh, a good one can cost at least $60 or more!”  At that point, I smiled and said, “Well this is where I’m going to have leave this conversation.  We were just talking about people in the Philippines dying because of the scarcity of fresh water –  and you’re talking about $60 bow ties!”

Now, I know that these men are very social – justice minded and I don’t want to put them down, but . . . I’m just sayin’!