Dear Anonymous Internet Troll

Dear Anonymous Internet Troll:

We hope you are having a good day. No, we really mean it. 

If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be reminded of our mistakes and shortcomings. Yes, we have all made mistakes in our lives and none of us is perfect.  However, most of us have learned from the mistakes we have made and have accepted whatever shortcomings life has dealt us.

It is because of your constant reminders that we have something to strive for. Your persistent gay bashing, fat shaming, and ethnic slurring posts serve as the fuel in our pursuit to better ourselves. For that we thank you.

Our hope is that, in your perfect world, you will never know what it is like to regain the trust of your family, friends and community. We hope that you will never know what it is like to look yourself in the mirror every morning knowing you have disappointed so many just for being who you are. Finally, we hope that you are able to garner the support and friendships that we have up on top of that perch of yours.

Again, thank you and have a good day because we know the rest of us will.

Sincerely,

The rest of the human race

Confessions of a List Maker

I am a list maker. I make lists to remind myself to make lists. There is always a pen and scrap of paper within reach just so I can jot a reminder down. I experience a unique sense of euphoria each and every time I cross something off one of the lists. 

There are multiple active lists in a variety of places; on my desk, in the car and on my person; in one pocket or another. There are the grocery lists, the packing lists, and the to-do lists. There are also the laundry lists; which in my case are the damp clumps of paper pulled from washing machine; you know, those lists shoved in a pocket that were not removed before starting the wash cycle.

Then, of course, there are the virtual lists. The email contacts, the Facebook friend lists categorized accordingly - close friends, family, acquaintances, pages, etc., the Google circles and the Twitter followers. Even my online calendar is set to pop up on my smart phone in the list-like agenda format.

Now that I have gotten this off my chest, I can cross it off my list.