Have I ever told you that I'm a Mormon magnet? Don't laugh...it's true. I don't mind, it's just kind of funny....considering I'm probably going to hell.

I like to consider myself pretty open minded. Living in Indiana, Florida, and New Mexico, I was exposed to a great breadth of people. I had one encounter with a Mormon before I moved to Arizona and it wasn't that great. I suppose I had formed a small opinion, but I try to judge each person in my life by their actions, no matter what anyone else has said about them.

I'm not a very religious person, but I respect other peoples beliefs and practices. I could easily say that Mormons are like belts in Karate....there are all different degrees. I have three in my everyday life. Two are outwardly blackbelts and one is inwardly a brownbelt....guess which one is my best friend at work? I don't pretend to understand how one is allowed to do things that the other isn't. I'm always getting the rules mixed up. It's a lot to remember. I don't follow many "golden" rules in my life, so why am I attracting people that do?

The thing is I keep attracting them. My Mormon friend is renting my mom's house, has a job at the same placeI work, and lord only knows what's next. I've been friends with her since 2002. The other two work with me. I take my lunches and breaks with them. One of them sits next to me and my job wouldn't be as fun without her. I have nothing bad to say really, but I have a hard time accepting how one can define themselves by their religion. The more that I think about it I have a hard time wondering how anyone can define themselves by any one thing (sexuality, religion, race).

One day I decided to tell them about the phoneme that is Nina. I was surprised by their response. They think that I exhibit the morals and qualities of a person that is most like a Mormon. It doesn't sound shocking if they were trying to recruit me, but in all honesty they aren't. What makes me like a Mormon? Is it the same thing that makes me like a heterosexual? How about a race friendly person? How about a good wife? A good neighbor? A good mediator?

I have to wonder if I can blend in with so many that are so different than me....isn't that a gift within itself? And what is it? And isn't a three enough for a Mormon posse?