So, if you just googled "how to be intimidating" or "what makes a person intimidating" and you've found this blog, welcome!
I have an idea for you...if you're looking to really be intimidating...
People are intimidated by those that have confidence in themselves.
You need to be confident in yourself...you can try to fake it, but that only lasts so long before you break down and just realize that you're not much of anything on your own.
We're all so messed up...what I mean is, everyone, every person is messed up in their own way or ways.
But, there is hope!
If you want to be confident, you have to know that you are loved and accepted no matter who you are and how messed up you are.
Jesus loves you. Y O U. Receive it. Seriously. Go read a Bible...start in the back half -- the new Testament, and read the story of what He did for you.
Then, you'll know. And, you won't need to be intimidating anymore.
Intimidation doesn't win...
Love wins.
(I originally posted several months ago about a search I was doing to try to understand how to NOT be so intimidating to people, and instead I found all kinds of advice on the web about how TO be intimidating. I blogged about it. It's gotten traffic. So, I figured, if you are reading my blog to learn how to be intimidating, I should share with you why I was searching to find ways to NOT be intimidating...)
Showing posts with label love wins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love wins. Show all posts
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Yard Sale!
So, Saturday morning, we awoke to find that our neighborhood was having its annual community yard sale.
We weren't notified this year (I'm not surprised), so we didn't participate. I think we might have this year if we had known, but not a big deal.
Except...
A few of the neighbors in the cul-de-sac did decide to participate.
Now, you need to know a bit about the "layout" of our street. Our house sits along the curve of the cul-de-sac, and a private drive is just off of the very end of the street -- there are 3-4 houses off the private drive.
Apparently, the neighbors in the private drive didn't want to block their private drive in order to set up for the yard sale.
So...
They set up in our yard.
In. Our. Yard.
All across our front lawn. Cars parked in front of our driveway. People smoking and dropping their ashes in our grass. Our grass...that Nick was planning to cut on Saturday morning.
So, you're wondering, surely the neighbors asked if they could hold a yard sale in OUR yard.
You would think so, huh!?
But, they didn't...!!!! (is your mouth hanging open in disbelief right now...it should be!)
Nick went out to ask what was going on. They said "We didn't want to block our private drive. Are you mad?"
Oh. My. Goodness.
Okay, I have to admit, I was LIVID. Really, I'm trying to do this Love Wins thing around here, but it's soooooo hard.
If they would have asked, of course we would have happily let them have the sale in our yard. We would have joined them...made for some neighborly good times in the cul-de-sac...
I just don't get it.
On a lighter note, in a purely beautiful moment of poetic justice...
Coco did her business in the small patch of grass between one of their sale tables and the driveway. ;-) Call the police on that...
We weren't notified this year (I'm not surprised), so we didn't participate. I think we might have this year if we had known, but not a big deal.
Except...
A few of the neighbors in the cul-de-sac did decide to participate.
Now, you need to know a bit about the "layout" of our street. Our house sits along the curve of the cul-de-sac, and a private drive is just off of the very end of the street -- there are 3-4 houses off the private drive.
Apparently, the neighbors in the private drive didn't want to block their private drive in order to set up for the yard sale.
So...
They set up in our yard.
In. Our. Yard.
All across our front lawn. Cars parked in front of our driveway. People smoking and dropping their ashes in our grass. Our grass...that Nick was planning to cut on Saturday morning.
So, you're wondering, surely the neighbors asked if they could hold a yard sale in OUR yard.
You would think so, huh!?
But, they didn't...!!!! (is your mouth hanging open in disbelief right now...it should be!)
Nick went out to ask what was going on. They said "We didn't want to block our private drive. Are you mad?"
Oh. My. Goodness.
Okay, I have to admit, I was LIVID. Really, I'm trying to do this Love Wins thing around here, but it's soooooo hard.
If they would have asked, of course we would have happily let them have the sale in our yard. We would have joined them...made for some neighborly good times in the cul-de-sac...
I just don't get it.
On a lighter note, in a purely beautiful moment of poetic justice...
Coco did her business in the small patch of grass between one of their sale tables and the driveway. ;-) Call the police on that...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Seriously?
Check out this un-signed letter Nick and I got in the mail today...
I re-typed it word for word here...it was typed, on plain white paper, no return address.
Seriously?
We have a dog. I've heard her bark about 3 times in her life. Someone is home about 90% of the time here, so she is rarely left here alone, when she might bark and we wouldn't hear it. I called a few of the neighbors tonight to ask if she has been barking while we're gone...no-one has heard her (that I talked to).
Who does this? Maybe the same people that told our nanny that she could no longer bring the kids to the pool because she is not a resident of the neighborhood?
This is one of those situations where we are SERIOUSLY challenged to live out "love wins" and to love our neighbors.
And, one of those situations where I'm reminded that "attacks" come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not surprised that we are being "persecuted" by our neighbors right now. Truth is, we don't know them very well, and have kept to ourselves more than we should have since we moved in. I don't believe this is any kind of 'karma' punishment, it's just that our neighborhood has proven difficult to "break into" the groups of friendships and seemingly life-long relationships that folks have with each other.
In any case, if we end up in jail for our barking dog, or whatever other rule they can think of next to accuse us of breaking, maybe a few of you will pool your money and post bail for us! ;-)
Dear Mr & Mrs Calcara,
On behalf of the neighborhood in which you live, we would like to inform you that we are getting ready to call the police on your barking dog.
Apparently, you don't know that you are violating an ordinance of Miami Township. But, you are.
We have listened to your barking dog for quite awhile now and we are tired of it. THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD IS!!!!!!!! In addition to the neighbors being tired of the noise violation, so are the golfers. We now are going to inform Aston Oaks Golf Course, and the Homeowners Association.
How about showing consideration for others. You live in a nice house. Have you any manners? Were you not taught to show respect for others? We respect you. How about respect for us?
Now we get the police involved.
Sincerely,
The neighborhood
I re-typed it word for word here...it was typed, on plain white paper, no return address.
Seriously?
We have a dog. I've heard her bark about 3 times in her life. Someone is home about 90% of the time here, so she is rarely left here alone, when she might bark and we wouldn't hear it. I called a few of the neighbors tonight to ask if she has been barking while we're gone...no-one has heard her (that I talked to).
Who does this? Maybe the same people that told our nanny that she could no longer bring the kids to the pool because she is not a resident of the neighborhood?
This is one of those situations where we are SERIOUSLY challenged to live out "love wins" and to love our neighbors.
And, one of those situations where I'm reminded that "attacks" come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not surprised that we are being "persecuted" by our neighbors right now. Truth is, we don't know them very well, and have kept to ourselves more than we should have since we moved in. I don't believe this is any kind of 'karma' punishment, it's just that our neighborhood has proven difficult to "break into" the groups of friendships and seemingly life-long relationships that folks have with each other.
In any case, if we end up in jail for our barking dog, or whatever other rule they can think of next to accuse us of breaking, maybe a few of you will pool your money and post bail for us! ;-)
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