A TWIST in the Defiance Stories!

It's outrageously unusual for me to FEATURE a business that is DEFYING the Governor's orders, but here it is!!

Tonight was such an AMAZING twist for me, personally. 

When I found out that AJ, the Manager of North Texas Tattoo Company in Hurst, who was featured in the Star-Telegram today for DEFYING Gov. Abbott's orders to stay closed because of the Bat Virus, had called in tonight, I was READY for battle!!

Well, YES, we DO TOTALLY disagree.  AJ says he served us in Iraq with the Airforce as an MP, and that YES, he was taught to follow orders, and does, but that this one goes a little too far.  

He says they're unfairly held to different standards vs. hair salons.  I told him that, just like like in the AF-when you disobey an order-there are consequences.

He says his whole family owns and runs this shop, and they really have no other alternative but to open now.  To which I say "When all your alternatives don't look good, you don't know all your alternatives".  

Basically, follow the order and pursue it through all legal means.  

We do agree on so many things: 2-1-1 is an absolute joke and worthless.  No one knows the Gov's orders on most things and when you seek them out it's absurdly nebulous.  Even I can't get clear answers from the Gov's people on my questions, and I have contacts through my media connections.  It's a cluster.  

BUT..I told him about my friend and his wife, how he works with a hotelier and his wife also works in the travel industry-both have been devastated-that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, and if you do, this kind of thing can happen.  

Later, I talked about how the last time I lost my job was 12 years ago, during our last economic crash-for 8 mos out of work-how hard it was and how much I GREW and LEARNED though that terrible process and how we were not put here to live blissful, painless lives, but that difficulty IS part of God's plan for all of us-in different ways and different times.

-whewh-

ANYWAY-WHY, though, am I celebrating AJ and his shop???   Because he doesn't hate me or think I'm the Great Satan, nor want me fired.  We disagree and I think he's wrong.  But because of his honest, truthful and non-threatening response, we were able to learn more about each other.  And I'll be damned if I'm not going to tell you to go to North Texas Tattoo Company in Hurst to get your tattoos ---on the FIRST DAY the Gov LIFTS his order ;)