For Those Who Feel The Need To Share All of Their Banal Details Part 3 — Page 151

Can you go out anywhere, Elphie? You're in an exciting city!

She's 12. I suppose we could go somewhere. I've been out all day, but that's okay. The only thing is, it's going to be dark very soon, so it's not like we can go to Central Park or something. And I have limited funds.

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Because she's bored. And I abandoned her for 2 hours earlier.

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Wow Elphie, I guess you're lucky with your sleep schedule. You don't have to deal with being exhausted from getting up earlier than you're used to...well, at least to the degree I have to sometimes.

You could always do games. It totally depends on her age, but let's see...there's treasure hunt, where you pick a random thing to be treasure, and then write a bunch of clues and hide them throughout the house. Like...clue #2 is in something wet could be a sink, and then in the sink is a paper that says clue #3 is somewhere you sleep, etc until one says the treasure is, and then the person finds the treasure and wins. I used to love that game, but that's probably for if your sister's on the younger side.

If it's hot, you could always play tag with your hose. That's fun.

I very randomly decided I miss my slip 'n slide.

Or, if all else fails, get her started on a computer/internet game...snood, spider solitaire, diamond mind, text twist, etc. Those things are soo addicting, she can waste hours on there.

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I always did the treasure hunt thing with my brother.

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No cards, SweetQ. These people are boooring.

Those are some good ideas, wrq. However, there is no hose on the 11th floor of this building. We're not at home.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

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I find that kids find people our age, I assume you in the 17-25 year old range. cooler than the older adults. So what about catching up and talking? Though, that normally only works on cousins and stuff.

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Updated On: 7/9/06 at 08:39 PM

Well, no wonder you're bored. There are so many better things to watch than my super sweet 16!

Ahh, cards. One of my best friends used to always come over and all we would do is play cards. To this day, sometimes when we go to each other's houses, we'll get out a deck and play.

I wanna be a kid again, mommy...

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I was just about to do something and now I have no idea what it was.

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*Warning-Long Post Ahead*

So, I just got back from a Catholic retreat in Stuebenville, Ohio. This weekend, I was told, would change my life forever, for the better. That's why I found myself rather puzzled when I wasn't as excited as all of the other kids there, who praise God like they're on drugs or something. I really wasn't getting into it. Then, last night, we went to Adoration, which is basically a Catholic ritual where you worship the Eucharist. Strange, I know. I'm still trying to figure out why we do it. Some people collapse, it's kind of freaky Since it was so much quieter there, since there wasn't any music, I was finally getting a chance to do some real thinking and was getting into the "mood", I guess you'd call it. I was feeling spiritually enlightened, you might say.

Then, the leading priest stood to say prayers for the youth. My eyes were closed and I heard him begin to speak (quoting this, I wrote it down in my journal last night), "Whatever problems you're facing, God can help you overcome them, whether it be drugs, alcohol, addiction to pornography, attraction to a member of the same sex..." My eyes just snapped open and I stared at that priest, as angry as I've ever been in my entire life. This man, who had just been preaching love and acceptance, had just equated love with an addiction to drugs. The hypocrisy of the entire place just made me feel cold and awful.

I'm now faced with a dilemma that I always knew existed in me, but that has now been brought to the front of my mind. I'm debating whether I should stay in the church to bring change, which has always been my stance, or whether I'm growing too far apart from it. I can't bear to live a religion where I'm always afraid that something I'm going to say is going to cause me to become an outcast. In conclusion...I'm very confused. And also tired. Did I mention that I slept on Astroturf for the last two nights?

*big hug for Atrias* Your dillemma really struck me; you're so bright and intuitive, and something like that is incredibly difficult, I'm sure. I'm not sure if you're asking for advice or just venting, but if the latter, I suppose the question is whether the risk of saying something that causes you to be treated as an outcast is worth the potential good you might be capable of doing. If that's always been your stance, stick to your guns for as long as you can.

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