This is a close up photo of Karen Klein's purse. She is the elderly "Bullied Bus Monitor",and most people have by now seen this week's viral video sensation. Like many others I was shocked beyond belief by what I saw in this video. I sent her a message (she may or may not read or respond to it, but I felt it had to be said). This is part of it:
"When I saw the video, I saw my own memories of being bullied on a school bus in middle school (but not nearly as badly)! I saw a later grown up me being bullied in a workplace for years for "failing to lose the weight" after giving birth to my first child. But going much deeper (outside myself) I saw my own daughter, my mother, my sister... I saw just about every woman I know going through something similar at one point or another. Like anyone else who has seen the video I wanted to reach through the computer screen, knock some punks flat, and give you a hug. (And I'm really not a violent person at all). But things have a funny way of working out, and I'm sure you could have never seen your week playing out the way it did. I keep the parents of those children in my thoughts as well, as lots of blame is being hurled at them. However I believe those kids may be more of a product of social, cultural, and media influence than a bad upbringing. I am debating on letting my oldest child watch this (she's only 7) as a lesson on bullying and the damage it can do. I wish you the best, and I admire and thank you for your grace."
Back to the purse... printed on it were various uplifting sayings and quotes (here are just a few):
Live Love Laugh/Embrace Change/Pretending to be a normal person day after day is exhausting/Life is all about how you handle Plan B/Wonderful Wacky Women/Uplift/Embrace Change/Expect Miracles/Live with Integrity/Why be a queen when you can be a Goddess?/Inspire/Dare to be Remarkable/Don't Play It Safe, Make Waves.
Ironically these lines of positive affirmation and peace were one of the many things targeted by bullies in a ten minute spew of negativity and hatred. She said in the video to the bullies “I try to live by some of these words, I try and it’s really hard,” referring to the words on her purse. Well, I believe she is doing a fabulous job of living out these phrases. Apparently a lot of the world thinks so too, given the $618,565.00 donated to the fund in her name so far (as of this writing).
In a interview with Karen a newscaster shows this close up of the purse that those kids were bagging on her about (bad pun intended). It's an awesome purse. I'd totally carry it!
Love and Light,
*Winter Phoebe Daswon
