Blessings, affirmations, grace, and reflection

There is a girl at work who I innocently made a remark to that was not critical in my opinion. As a matter of fact, often when I speak with her it is on the obligatory chit chat level, so it couldn't have been that serious. On two occasions she has retorted, "that sounds like a judgment."  The first time she said it I let is slide and wondered why she said it. I might have even asked her. The next time she said it however, I was confused and upset. I shut down the conversation at that point because that was definitely a conversation killer. I think it is interesting that she would say something like that because she wouldn't say that if I was complimenting her on her eyeshadow or $200 rain boots.  Yet, she took what I said without malice as a judgment. I would have preferred if she had inquired as to my intention rather than make a blanket statement of that sort. It then makes me the "bad person" and I have no idea why she is then judging me as this bad pers...

When did it become "fun" to tear down others?  Or has it always been? Nowadays if someone doesn't criticize something it was boring. We have become so critical of everything! People's weight, hair style, marriage choice, shoes, vocal ability, you name it we can tear into it. Perhaps I am romanticizing, but it seems back in the day we glorified stars and celebrities. They could do no wrong. They would be on stage loaded out of their minds, and we still loved them. Now, let them crack a note and we are all over them like peanut butter on Wonder Bread. Chaka Khan was a mess, but we loved her messy little self. Yet, Jennifer Hudson can do no right. Whether she is a size 3 or a size 33 they will always criticize her for something, anything, everything. Why? She was a girl from the Southside of Chicago with a dream. She had an opportunity. She made the best of that opportunity. Why do we insist on splashing her with haterade every chance we get? She is doing all of the th...