about me

Practically imperfect in every way. Start with a lot of silliness. Mix in some insecurities and a handful of awkwardness. Add a pound of naivety, innocence, and child-like wonderings. Blend well. Half-bake and top off with a sprinkle of imagination and dollop of dreams. It’s the recipe for me!

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  • "Moral of the story: Do not look at the gap. The gap is the mind-killer. Remember how Wile E. Coyote never fell down until he saw the chasm? It’s just like that." --Taylor "Tei" Lindstrom, Rogue Ink

dumbass quote

  • "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps. And I believe that our education like, such as South Africa, and, the Iraq, everywhere like such as. And I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children."

    --Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen 2007

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  • Jacob: "I need to operate on my frog, but first he needs some amnesia."

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Copyright © 2004-2006 Kerrie Lee. All rights reserved.

A Cluck-Cluck or a Woof-Woof?

April 18, 2006

Sometimes I’m so concerned about offending someone or hurting someone else’s feelings that I end up inconveniencing myself. Though I guess being inconvenienced is a lesser concern than offending someone, right? What I’m talking about is my inability to tell someone how I really feel, particularly those door-to-door people.

Today’s example–Jehovah’s witnesses. They’re always very nice, and not very pushy. They just like sharing their beliefs and leaving those little booklets, and sometimes those little booklets have an interesting article or two inside. But, I’m not comfortable with religion being shared door to door like that. They think it’s their duty to bring religion to me, but I feel it’s my right to seek religion on my own. Is it too late to tell them I’m no longer interested in receiving their visits?

I’ve tried to politely refuse service with other door-to-door salespeople. When a simple “no thank you” doesn’t work, I usually make up excuses. Or rather, lies.

“We don’t have carpeting.”

“I need my husband to help with that decision.”

And my favorite…
shrugging helplessly while holding a telephone to my ear

I don’t like lying, but I don’t like being inconvenienced either. Maybe I should just tell them that. “No, thank you. It’s too much of an inconvenience.” Though my own reaction to that is that I’m pretty darn lazy to complain about the inconvenience of answering the front door. Or maybe I should just get one of those little red signs that reads: No Solicitors. Do you think Jehovah’s witnesses consider themselves solicitors?

Why am I (and many other people) afraid that admitting how I feel is automatically rude or hurtful to someone else? I should be able to tell someone when I dislike their use of pet names. I don’t like being called “cutie” or “sweetie” or “hon” by people that don’t have my permission. Why does that make me the bad guy?

If I’m not interested in your vacuum cleaner demonstration, your frozen foods, your lawn service, your coupon books, or your religious pamphlets, why does that mean I’m unfriendly?

Being a friendly chicken is easier than being an honest bitch.

CATEGORY: Uncategorized

10 Responses to “A Cluck-Cluck or a Woof-Woof?”

  1. Danny Haszard Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 7:26 pm

    Up close and personal Jehovah’s Witnesses can be wolves in sheep’s clothing.

    Think about this-When the devil comes knocking on your door he may not have the ‘dark goth look’.They could be smartly dressed and wielding the Christian Bible.

    I have Jehovah’s Witnesses family in the usa who practice the Watchtower JW enforced ritual shunning that i have not seen or heard from in 15 years.

    The central CORE dogma of the Watchtower is Jesus second coming (invisibly) in 1914 and is a lie.Jehovah’s Witnesses are a spin-off of the man made Millerite movement of 1840.

    A destructive cult of false teachings, that frequently result in spiritual and psychological abuse, as well as needless deaths (bogus blood transfusion ban).

    Yes,you can ‘check out anytime you want but you can never leave’,because they can and will hold your family hostage.

    The world has the Internet now,and there are tens of thousands of pages up from disgruntled ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses like myself who have been abused by the Watchtower cult.

    Jehovah’s Witnesses are often a mouth that prays a hand that kills.The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.
    —-
    Danny Haszard former Jehovah’s Witness X 33 years and 3rd generation http://www.dannyhaszard.com

  2. D.T. Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 7:29 pm

    True. But dont think of it as rude behavior. Think of it as, a way of getting the word out, that you do not want them coming to your door. I hear chocolate laxative brownies work the best!

  3. Oz Says:
    April 18th, 2006 at 9:39 pm

    Don’t get me started on JWs. Ack! They come knocking around here 2-3 times per month. Doesn’t seem that bad, does it? Once every other week more or less, right? But let me tell you, it adds up. That’s about 25 times per year. I’ve lived here for almost 8 years. That means they’ve knocked on my door 200 times. And each time, I’ve said NO THANK YOU. Get the hint, people. Before I had a baby, it was annoying (to say the least). Now that I have a baby, who seems always to be sleeping when they knock–causing the dogs to bark, causing the baby to wake up–I find their continued attacks on the sanctity of my home to be INFURIATING. Last time they came around (waking Ella), I finally said to them, “What do I have to do to get off of the list? I’m not interested! I’ve told you hundreds of times! I’m not interested! Do not knock on this door! You make my dogs bark and you wake up my baby. So again, DO KNOCK KNOCK ON THIS DOOR!” I swear to you, I said those exact words. They promised that they would respect my wishes and not knock anymore. We’ll have to see if they are true to their word….

    I know that wasn’t really the point of your post, but I had to vent!

  4. Whimsy Chick Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 9:13 am

    So maybe I need to get over it and let them know I’m not interested, huh?

  5. Janet Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 10:33 am

    I’m like you only there’s an easy solution I’ve developed that works wonders.

    I don’t answer the door, or the telephone to people I don’t know.:)

  6. Whimsy Chick Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 11:03 am

    Janet, I still don’t answer the telephone if I don’t recognize the number. I used to avoid answering the door, and would go so far as to hide in another room until they went away. It’s much harder to avoid the door now that the boys are old enough to stand at the front door yelling, “Mom, there’s someone at the door for you!”

  7. Fyse Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 12:27 pm

    I have to say I don’t generally give people at the door more than a sentence as I shut it again, but I try not to be overly rude. It does make me feel bad though, cos I’ve been on the other side. On my gap year I spent three months selling TV and internet packages door-to-door in Australia. I was paid exclusively on commission, and it REALLY sucked at times…

  8. Whimsy Chick Says:
    April 19th, 2006 at 12:32 pm

    Close the door while I tell them no…. Why didn’t I think of that? It’s almost too easy.

  9. Anonymous Says:
    April 21st, 2006 at 8:10 pm

    I’m Jehovah’s Witness, and if you’re not interested in receving us in your home, just kindly explain it to the people visiting you.

    And please don’t think it’s offensive to us, we are used to people asking us to be on our way.

    It’s saddening that many people don’t want to learn about the Bible more, but if you absolutely don’t want us visiting you, then express that to them. Ask them if they can put you on the list of people who don’t want to be visited. I don’t know if the Witnesses in your area have that arrangement, but I know some do. (Although you might get one visit per year, this is to ensure if the homeowner is still not interested or if there is a new family living there.)

    A word of advice: Don’t trust what you hear about Jehovah’s Witnesses from other people. The truth is that there are many disgruntled people out there and they want to make everyone think how horrible we are by telling half truths and even lies.

    If you ever have any doubt or questions, seek out your local Kingdom Hall and request that someone pay you a visit to set your inquiries straight, you can even let them know that you are not interested in being a JW, just that you want a first hand understanding of what we believe and why. They’ll gladly accept to visit you.

  10. The Sister Says:
    April 25th, 2006 at 8:50 am

    I tend to hide on the other side of the door. The dog just barks and I wait till people go away. I have the tendency to buy or believe whatever comes to the house and then Jeff comes home and gives me the “you did what” and I try and return or get out of whatever it was I signed up for. In the matter of the JW’s I would explain that you have studied religion and that you are happy in your current beliefs and ask if they could skip your house from now on. After all it is better than hiding or feeling guilty.

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about this blog

It’s the spark of an idea that hits me unexpectedly. It’s the silly wonderings I have after a whirlwind of thoughts. It’s about creativity, inspiration, and imagination. But sometimes, it’s just about eating noodles.

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