No running this weekend. I have an excuse though ---- all the trails were icy because we had freezing rain. Even though that is true, I still didn’t want to run. I’m just burned out and need a break. Also, I think my mini Florida trips during the week have made me into a wuss with the cold weather. I’m now used to running in the 60s and70s 3 days a week so I’m dreading the 40 degree temps. I would typically consider 40s to be comfortable (for winter). I suck.
I had a great weekend though! I met with my friend Asad and his future wife Hudeida. Asad and I work together at Thomas. He is one of our Application Engineers so he’s my go-to-guy with all my idiotic technical questions. Asad is a valuable asset to our sales team. As long as we can qualify a lead and determine there is a need with a prospect, Asad takes over and manages the technical discussions and leads us to a close.
Asad and Hudeida just started dating 2 months ago! He lives in NYC and Hudeida lives in VA. They were set up on a blind date. They are both Pakistani so it is very important to their families that they marry a Pakistani. Well, this is the first Pakistani that Asad has ever dated. He didn’t have high expectations going into the blind date but it turned out great. Now they’re scheduled to get married in June! Yes, this June!
Their relationship is definitely unique. There is a formal process involved with the meeting of the parents. This meeting takes place over several steps so it’s not just the typical let’s all go out to dinner and meet. They also don’t have sex until they’re married. Okay, I must admit that is stunning to me. I know people out there practice this but I don’t know anyone that has. I’m not judging people if they practice this belief. Anyways, I started thinking about how this is such a “foreign” concept to me. I’m so not used to it that I have resorted to saying and thinking rude things…. For example, On Sat morning, Steve was on his way out the door to officiate a high school wrestling match and he asked me what I was doing during the day. I respond, “I’m meeting with the couple that isn’t having sex until they get married.” He looks at me and says, “The engineer at your work, right?” Well, Steve put it much nicer. After all, that’s what Asad should be known for. Not whether he is having sex or not.
Then when I was at lunch with Asad and Hudeida, I asked Hudeida why she wasn’t going to Puerto Rico with us (we have our National Sales Meeting there next week). She said her parents won’t let her. I respond with, “Can’t you just tell your parents you are going to a law conference (she’s an attorney)?” I’m now asking her to lie. I’m used to lying to my parents so it doesn’t phase me that lying is not good. My parents are just like their parents. Really strict. Really conservative. They never let me date until I got out of college. They would die if they knew I wasn’t a virgin – they think I’m still a virgin. So obviously I had to lie about a lot of things to my parents. I don’t believe I lied about anything that was detrimental to myself or to others but it’s still a lie.
So after I asked her to lie to her parents, she looked at me and politely said, “No, I can’t do that.” It dawned on me at that moment that she has so many easy outs here. She could have sex, she could go on the trip. She doesn’t need to tell her parents any of this. However, she puts her family above her wants and needs. I admire her for respecting their culture and their religion. I also admire Asad for respecting her wishes too.
Things I’m grateful for….
1. I always enjoy seeing my friends meeting “the one” . I see positive changes and differences in their lives. I see a spark that I haven’t seen before and it’s neat to see how my friends make certain choices to be with someone because that person makes them so happy.
After Steve’s match and my lunch, we got home and cleaned out all our closets. Right now our closets are only filled w/clothes that we wear. Yippee!
No comments:
Post a Comment