i love humans.

it's funny, the way that my attitude and situation can change in a matter of minutes.  or seconds. 

i have been tired lately.  working hard, traveling, and playing angry birds in bed on my new iphone until far too late at night.  lack of sleep predisposes me to less-than-typical mood swings.  here is what i have noticed over the past few days:

i'm walking through the mall and step into jcrew.  i'm worn down from the day, my eye make-up is slowly creeping down my face, and i just need to spend a little money as a pick-me-up (bad habit).  i am wearing a distinctly non-jcrew designer dress, and one of the female associates stops me.  "you look beautiful.  i love your outfit.  the whole darn thing."

i.love.humans.

i'm hungry.  i am waiting in line at the grocery store self check-out, wishing i could go ahead and crack open the plastic container of fruit i selected.  as one of the kiosks becomes available, a 40-something businessman walks up.  and then right in front of me toward my spot at the open self check-out.  this dude jumped me in line, thought his time was more important than mine.

i.hate.humans.

i'm sitting at my desk, and my phone rings.  it's been a busy day, i'm in the middle of a project, and i pray that whatever someone is about to ask of me will not take me too far off task.  i pick up the phone.  "hey, sunshine!" says the friendly voice of a colleague.  "hey (friend)!" i say.  he proceeds to share some good news with me, and thank me for helping him get our foot in the door.  he then sends a note to my boss, cc'ing me, calling out our joint success and thanking me again.

i.love.humans.

i'm on a flight to newport for a wedding.  my flight lands after the first leg of my trip, a little later than scheduled.  i'm ready to get out of the plane and make a sprint to the ladies room.  my connecting flight boards in about 10 minutes, from a different gate on the other side of the airport.  a couple from the back of the plane starts shoving their way forward, throwin' elbows and shouting that they have a connecting flight that is about to board.  they seemingly could care less for everyone else on the flight who also has a connection.

i.hate.humans.

i make it to my hotel in newport around 1:15am.  i am exhausted, covered in airport musk (you know what i mean), and ready to hit the sack.  my handsome cousins run down the stairs and embrace my boyfriend and i in big happy hugs.  they waited up for us, and we haven't seen each other in a year.

i.love.humans.

after visiting with my cousins upstairs at the hotel, around 1:30am my boyfriend and i quietly walk down the stairs.  the woman who checked us into the hotel blocks our path at the bottom, points her finger, and yells "i don't know what kind of establishment you think this is, but if you don't be quiet and go immediately to your room i am calling the police and you're out of this hotel.  and who is sitting in the hallway?  get her out!"  i respond in a calm voice, let her know that she's talking to the wrong people, i am not responsible for anyone else who may be making noise in the hotel nor am i aware of or responsible for whomever is sitting in the hallway.  it's not my hotel, and i am not a representative of everyone in it.  she repeats her threat, and eventually lets my boyfriend and i return to our room.  livid, i sit down at the computer and work until 2:30am writing a pointed letter to hotel management.

i.hate.humans.

i woke up this morning and headed to the office.  on my way, i dropped into a local grocery store to snag my favorite protein bar.  i'm checking out when an elderly couple on a pair of walkers calls out to all of the grocery store ladies.  they have purchased them all breakfast, and want them to stop to enjoy it!  my check-out lady whispers to me, "they come in here every day, have been for years, and sometimes they bring us gifts and meals.  aside from church on sundays, we see them every day...same time.  if they ever don't show up when we expect them to - which i'm afraid may happen in the next year or so - we'll know that something is wrong.  we will be sending someone to go check on them."  i think of the sweet couple, at the end of their years, and the grateful staff at the grocery store.

it warmed my heart.  it made my morning.

i really, really do love humans.