Are you ready for some football?!

[Image credit: Idea go]

I may not make any friends with this post — and I may lose some — but if you know me, you also know I don’t like football.  Or baseball.  Or golf or tennis.  But I digress.  Last year we were invited to a Super Bowl party and I declined, sending a veggie tray, spinach dip and beer bread in my place.  Later that evening, I learned I was a pitiful rookie when it came to game time etiquette.  Apparently, it’s not all about the game but rather socializing around the eats and drinks, the premium commercials and flashy halftime show.  So this year I plan to join a few of our neighbors — a batch of homemade lemon (picked from my tree in the backyard) bars and my favorite spirits in hand — to enjoy a bit of camaraderie that the universal language of sports brings out.  Don’t ask me who’s playing, but I can tell you sub sandwiches and chili will be served.  May the best team win!

What’s your favorite part about Super Bowl Sunday?

When actions speak louder than words

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

I’m a writer, so words are my life. It’s funny how many times I am unable to appropriately express how I’m feeling or what I’m thinking, but I always take what others say as literal. And when actions (allegedly) don’t match up to the words spoken, I get confused and hurt. But maybe the problem doesn’t lie with the speaker; rather, it’s how I interpret what is said through my own filter of understanding. Instead of jumping to conclusions or reading more or less into a conversation, perhaps I should paraphrase what I think I heard and ask for clarification as necessary. Of course, it’s important my actions coincide with my words, as well. Or perhaps I simply need to speak less and listen more.

Do your actions speak the same language as you do?