The one where I admit I cry...30 Days of Books- Day 6

I think this might come in handy if I ever find myself in a job situation where I'd hear these phrases.

source

Makes me think of the funniness of Americans saying "Have a nice day." We most times mean it. I mean it when I say it, especially to bus drivers. I will go out of my way to make a bus driver feel better just so the next batch of riders don't have to be jerked around due to poor/fast driving. Asking someone "how are you today?" here seems to not be a throwaway salutation like it is back home. No one here responds with "Fine" or "Just fine." Nope, they think about your question and answer it.

What other throwaway salutations can you think of that I can use in the shop? I'm running out of phrases and I  "cain't ree-lie on mah charmin' ack-sent all thuh tie-m".

Oh the perils of language, I heart thee. Today, I said to two customers as they were leaving the store, "Thanks for coming in!"  The daughter turned to her dad and asked him, "What did she say?"

Day 6- A Book That Makes You Cry

Have read this sucker three times now since last August.

There's lots of books that make me cry. Nicholas Sparks, Cecilia Ahern... you are like my contact and my eye is like my eye and I've got my eye on you. ಠ_ಠ

Because I heart this book so much so, I pick The Help. I cry at the end. Abileen's and Mae Mobley's relationship, to me, is the most poignant of all delineated in this novel. Most likely, it's because kiddo's the same age-ish.

And there's a good underlying theme that I want to teach kiddo for when she's a grownup... no matter what circumstances we find ourselves born into, we all start out the same... We want to grow up with love and respect for ourselves and others. We all want to be recognized. We all want someone to tell us that we are kind and smart, to help us start believing in ourselves.

Here's an obvious statement: children aren't born hating the world and those who live on it. Hate is a learned behavior, a cultural phenomenon. And I think it is slowly, gradually on it's way out. Take for instance the case of the Texas (whyitalwaysgottabeTexas?) teacher who taunted a Muslim student the day after OBL's death, "I heard your uncle died", and "I bet you're grieving." A different student, a friend of the girl's, witnessed this and took steps to address the situation. And the two girls, friends, are of different creeds... and it didn't matter. You can read about it yourself here and see the news video also.

What I took from The Help is that norms are the lines that form uncrossable boundaries between each of us...those of status quo, of belief systems, of beauty standards...they're like monsters in the closet. The lines exist only in our heads. And I'm all for stepping over the line.

I'm looking forward to the movie adaptation. What book makes you cry?