The Finger

 
The Finger
Several thoughts pop up when I see little kids, barely toddlers holding up their middle fingers, especially at their parents or adults. It shows disrespect. I am doubly ypset when he child’s parents think it’s cute. To me it shows a lack of parenting skills and a total disrespect and an extremelly rude and uncouth behavior. It’s a gesture that I find reprehensible and a silent version of a word if used I lose great respect for that person. I’m not perfect, but have difficulty being restrained from saying something when I hear it being used. The word and the finger have become much too frequent in everyday language.
Now on a lighter note, one year my wife, kids, and friends drove to the Point in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was for the Fourth of July, Independence Day celebration of fireworks. As we were walking to a spot on the sidewalk, a friend was talking about the area, being a sort of tour guide. She was pointing at things. One of the things that she was pointing at was the homes on top of Mt. Washington. Just at that moment a stranger was passing beside her, so instead of her finger pointing at the huge Alcoa sign on the hillside; her finger went up the gentleman’s nose. She was so embarassed and began to make appologies, but the man laughed and said that his nose needed to be picked anyway. His remark only made her feel more embarrassed.
In a similar vein, our family was visiting Sea World in Ohio. The temperature was over one hundred degrees Farenheit and the walkways were scortching hot. As we enjoyed the shows we sought some relief from the unrelenting heat, praying for a bit of a breeze. We stepped into the penguin house and felt instant relief and blessedly cool. I noticed a thermometer on the wall and checked to see how cool it was inside. I was surprised to see that the temperature was only in the mid eighties. Just that small change was noticeable.
Later I was walking with my wife, Cindy Morrison Beck, when a large group of people were approaching from the opposide direction, I moved to the opposite of side of Cindy to allow the group to pass. Another couple moved on the side that I had been on. Cindy reached out to takke hold of my hand, but it wasn’t my hand but a complete stranger. Cindy and the wife of the stranger weren’t very happy. Cindy said, “Why didn’t you tell me that you had moved?”