So, I stopped in to Basha's tonight to grab two quick things. Not two slow things, mind you, but two quick things, LOL. Anyway, there were two lines open, and both slammed. I got in the shorter one, and ahead of me was a Mexican-American family, with their little boy running around the display of wind chimes, gently ringing them. It wasn't disruptive, or annoying as some kids are in that same circumstance, and it made me smile—he was just enjoying the sound of the chimes. Then I saw that the woman ahead of me had been waved through by the boy's mother, because she had one thing.
I thought that was nice, but when the woman saw what I had, and waved me ahead of them with a smile, I felt it too generous.
"Are you sure?" I said.
"Si", she said, indicating their groceries with a wave of her hand. "Mucho." It occurred to me that instead of saying "Tengo mucho," as she might to another Spanish-speaker, she was actually dumbing down her language so I'd understand. Finally I relented, and thanked her - slipping ahead of her.
"Muchos gracias, Senora," I said.
"De nada," she said with a smile. Then she spied a guava or some damn fruit I didn't recognize and held it up to her husband, saying something rapid fire I didn't catch, but I got "Porque No." as she handed it back to him, and like every husband ever being scolded for picking out bad produce, he went to exchange it.
She smiled at me again. I checked out, thanked her again, and went on my way. I called them Mexican-American because even if they are Mexican, and illegal, I would be happy to have people like that as my neighbors, and as American citizens. In fact, I'd be happy to trade a few of the white, lazy, rude, no-account assholes that I seem to run into every day for a family like that. It gave me great hope for America, even as hard as things are right now, and I hope it gave them hope as well that I was nice to them.
This country is about freedom, and diversity, and it always has been. We have two sides at the moment, thinking they are both right, and both about freedom. If you take someone else s' freedom away, then you are in the wrong. Your freedom is not more important than anyone else's. Your beliefs are not more important either. Get over it. Shake your neighbor's hand and ask them to have a beer with you. You might be surprised at what you learn.