TheBanyanTree: Religion--a Story

[Julie Anna Teague]

There is this woman who comes to my house about once a month--right up to
my front door, along with some young acolyte, rings the bell, usually in
the middle of the afternoon during the one hour of the day I have solely
to myself.  Jesus H. Christ, who is ringing my damn doorbell in the middle
of the afternoon, I think, before I remember that it's probably her. She's
a Jehovah's Witness.  By all rights, this woman should bug the crap out of
me.  I generally hate intrusions.  I want to do my yoga and have a few
minutes of silence.  I rarely agree with anything in the tracts she gives
me.  I sometimes put them in the bathroom and every now and then I read
some story in them that is somewhat interesting while I'm otherwise
indisposed.  Sometimes I just throw them away and feel slightly guilty
about the wasted paper. Sometimes, no kidding, there are tiny points of
intersection between her world view and mine.  I could tell this woman to
bugger off. I should just slam the door in her face, damn it all!  My
time, what about my TIME!  Or not answer it!  Hide!  Delete!  Run! 
 
But the weird thing is, I sort of like her.  I like her face, it's kind
and peaceful.  She shows up at my door every month, never staying longer
than a couple of minutes, smiles, asks me how I am, asks me about the
kids, chats about the flowers in the garden, hands me the tracts and tells
me that we can find heaven right here on earth (a fact I do heartily agree
with in fact), and leaves.  It's not a bad interaction.  It makes her feel
good, I think.  She's doing her thing.  I am smiling and listening and
agreeing with myself to disagree and that's OK.  I consider myself very
spiritual but don't associate my beliefs with any organized religion. Or
it might be more accurate to say that I hold beliefs from some parts of
many organized religions.  She and I are in most ways extremely opposite
kinds of humans.  But when she walks away from my door, we are both
smiling and there is more love and acceptance in the world and isn't that
what we are both really going for here, through our diverse methods?  Me
with my yoga and her with her tracts, and both of us having some brief
positive connection with another human being?

Julie

p.s. One thing that really bugs me is when We (Tree folks) use the royal
We to express opinions held by Tree folks.  We are a diverse bunch.  And
in no way should anyone feel free to use We for Me, or the words "most" or
"many"  to form a quorum of anonymous opionion. Most or Many of us are
extremely kind, tolerant folks.