Hope Yancey

I was at a social event recently, trying to enjoy myself with a plate of food and conversation, when it happened. One of the other guests made what I found to be a racially charged and insensitive remark in reference to another group of people. I really thought it offensive, and I was taken aback. My mind raced, trying to determine if there was some benign way to interpret what I’d overheard, something that would let me off the hook, release me from having to speak up. Try as I might, I could think of no such thing.

February is a short month at 28 days, and it puts us that much closer to March. It can be dreary, though, as we tire of cold weather and wait, sometimes impatiently, for the start of spring. If there’s snow and ice, the month seems to drag by slowly.

I completed all three semesters of practicum and internship experience in graduate school in the career services office of a large, urban community college with a diverse student population. I enjoyed interacting with the many types of clients who came through the doors of the office seeking resume help, interview preparation or a more formal and comprehensive program of career counseling utilizing personality tests, interest inventories and in-depth discussion.

Soap operas: Their outlandish storylines and the antics of the characters have made them objects of ridicule over the years. They’ve been pigeonholed as women’s entertainment, although I’ve known men who’ve watched, too. “Washboard weepers,” the shows used to be called. I’m a longtime soap viewer, dating back to childhood. I’m not much of a celebrity chaser these days, so I’m sheepish about admitting it, but I can remember standing in line at a local mall to meet one of my favorite characters from “Guiding Light” when he visited for a promotional event at a department store … many years ago, of course.

A couple of news stories have been on my mind lately. One, of course, is the tragedy in Arizona, currently reviving debate in the media over permissive gun laws and sparking new discussion of the role of political rhetoric, as well as some discussion, to a lesser degree, about access to mental health services. I read accounts that bystanders intervened courageously to bring an end to the attack.