Happy Monday!
I've been so busy today that I didn't plan on blogging. I finally got a chance to come up for air just in time to watch Part 2 of Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things. She did Part 1 on Friday, and it was, as usual, amazing to watch. But today I have a bit of a rant.
Some (very few) of Oprah's favorite things don't dazzle me, but most of them I'd LOVE to take home with me! But what makes watching this particular show fun for me is watching how happy it makes the folks in her audience. For 25 years, she's been bringing joy to people's lives...and Oprah is truly blessed because she is always giving. When you give to others, the blessings come back tenfold - which is why I believe she is highly favored.
But some folks don't like to see other people happy. Sure, I watch these shows wishing I was in the audience. I could use a new Coach bag, an iPad and some glittery Ugg boots. I don't NEED those things...I just WANT them. But most times, Oprah fills her audience with single mothers who can't treat themselves to fun things, new things, or expensive things. They're people who devote their lives to charity, or are teachers, or first responders like firemen or policemen - or they are people who have served this country. Most times, the people in the audience are people who do for others selflessly, and Oprah is simply giving back to them.
Which is why I don't understand how anyone could hate on that. The two co-workers I sit in between turn to The Oprah Show daily - and it seems that they have something negative to say about Oprah DAILY. They scoffed when she gave away cars. They huffed and puffed when she sent her number one fans to Australia on a plane piloted by John Travolta. They scorn the women in the audience who cry once they realize they're on the always envied Oprah's Favorite Things Show...knowing FULL WELL that they TOO would be acting a fool if they were lucky enough to get a seat in Harpo Studios. Oprah could give me a stick of gum and I'd be excited!
But why is it so hard for some to be happy for other people - especially people who could use some cheer? It's not like her audience is filled with rich folk, or her celebrity friends. They are people just like you and me. Lucky people :-)
What I find even more puzzling is their reason for hating. I asked them what their issue was with this show. One says, "Oprah is just gluttonous."
huh?
Clearly the one has no idea what the word "gluttony" means. If anything, Oprah is the opposite of gluttonous...which means to keep everything to yourself. This is a woman who gives millions to charity, builds schools for the poorest of girls in Africa, built an entire neighborhood in Katrina ravaged New Orleans and spoils her fans with cars and gifts. How is that gluttony? Clearly this woman is a moron.
The other one says to me, "She's just showing off her money, and throwing it away."
Again I say....huh?
If they knew anything about anything, they'd know that most likely, Oprah didn't pay for a damn thing. Just saying the word "iPad" from her mouth, Oprah knows that the Apple folks will gladly donate 200 of them for her audience in exchange for the publicity. When Oprah built a new home for a mother who had no arms, she must have said "Sears" and "Home Depot" a dozen times. Do you think Oprah paid for any of those appliances? Hell no...because they were happy to just be featured on her show. When Oprah spends her own money, like she did when she built those homes in New Orleans or her school in Africa, trust me...you'll know it. But for some Uggs? Child please.
What you put out into the universe comes back to you - whether it's positive or negative. What misery must one be living in that she can't be happy for other people? Why is it so hard to enjoy watching other folks be happy? Why be jealous of people who give of themselves day in and day out? Are they that unhappy in their own life that the mere sight of other people smiling and laughing and crying for joy makes them sick? I feel sorry for for my coworkers sometimes - because their contempt for others shows how truly unhappy they are in their own lives.
Today, at 4 pm, they both muttered as they turned on their tv's, "Oprah, again?"
Umm...that's where she's been for the past 25 years - who were you expecting to see? The Grinch?
And that's why they turned on their tv in the first place...to see what Oprah was doing today. If they can't be happy while watching the joy she brings to others, then why watch? We work at a cable network for crying out loud! - There are at least 200 other channels to turn to...so change the channel! Perhaps they can't help themselves from watching...hopefully the joy is contagious...as Oprah gives her audience...yet again, a shiny new 2012 Volkswagon Beetle!
-b
