I'm a Blogging Machine, but Not So Much

I think about blogging at least 5 times a day.

I actually wrote down my random thoughts that I "should" blog about in a single day on Monday.

8:59 - While waiting in the carpool line to drop off Hudson...Why is it necessary for there to be a cell phone police in the carpool line. Everyone here has a common interest - keeping our kids alive and healthy. How freakin' difficult is it to get off your cell phone for 7 minutes?

Hmmmmm. I should blog about that.

10:37 - At Publix while picking up some bread...Wow. I hate that people don't require their kids to have basic manners (i.e. Please, Thank you). Not that I ran into a kid, but I ran into an adult that was just plain rude. Jerk.

I should really blog about that.

12:02 - Picking Hudson up from school...Hudson gets in the car and tells me that a certain child in his class is really mean to him and that she yells at him. What?? Do I need to open up another can of whooptail on some little Nazi Toddler?

Geez. I've had some good thoughts today. I'm seriously going to blog on that one.

2:59 - Waiting for Hudson to go back to Speech Therapy...A little boy is throwing the mother of all tantrums while the mother totally placates him. Why do people think that their child had behavioral carte blanche just because they have special needs?

That's a great one. I'm definitely going to blog on this!

Fast forward to Thursday. I went to a friends office party. After a while I see a woman come into the room. I immediately recognize her. She is the same woman I see at all my friend's parties. I met her about five years ago and was immediately unimpressed. Dry, not inspiring, etc., etc., etc.

Frankly, I avoided her every time I saw her. My friend would always talk about how she was such a great person, so inspiring and I thought for years that my friend's judgment was "off." Am I the only person that is seeing the Emperor's New Clothes here?

Then last night at the party she comes in. I turn around and am face to face with her. "Well, heeeeeeelllllo there!" Ugh.

She clearly didn't recognize me (yay!), but it being "the season," I decided to do the obligatory "How have you been?" Hoping that she would not really tell me.

But she did. She is doing well. She then went on to say that she was looking for an ugly sweater and that she just couldn't come up with one. I note to myself...yeah, yours IS kind of cute and different, but, whatever.

We then did the small talk thing and she started talking about going to the Biltmore. I ask her if she was able to see it since they opened the new rooms...I've been dying to do that. She said that no, unfortunately her timing didn't allow it. Ok...I'm not that miserable talking to her...

I then said that I really wanted to ask my husband to go by myself next time we are there so that I can truly enjoy it. She says, "ASK?" I said "Yes, ask." Andy and I like to do things together and although this is probably not one of his favorite things to do, he would do it to be sweet, so "asking" him to do it alone is 1)out of respect of his feelings and 2) He brings in the money, so I want to respect his opinion. She was a little appalled, but kept her verbal feelings to herself.

But then the conversation took a turn. She started talking about how she's been divorced since the early 80's and that she loves it. Because, get this, she was an agoraphobic for most of her life until recently.

Huh?

She had spent her entire life at home (in general). She would leave to do important things like go to the dentist, but it was EXTREMELY difficult.

Her ability to get control of this painful issue (disease, problem?) began with a trip to the dentist. She was always a white knuckler. Always heavily medicated. She said that one day after the dentist she had a glimmer of hope. Just a tiny "maybe I could be ok?"

That inspired her to walk to the mailbox, which inspired her to walk around the block and so on and so on.

Over the course of the last two years she had slowly talked herself into living. One footstep at time, one panic attack at a time, she is living the life she had always dreamed of.

Her most recent trip was to London...ALONE! I'd say she made it through!

After listening to her story I was ashamed of myself. All those years ago when I met her she was going through a terrible emotional time in her life. She was struggling with something that I could not conceive of. And yet, I judged her. It was such a huge Aha! moment last night. Just as no one ever REALLY knows what is going on with me on any certain day, I should have never assumed that she was CHOOSING to be the person I perceived her to be.

I am hopeful that when I see someone that I believe to be something that I don't expect them to be, that maybe I should be the one to step back and consider that they could be going through something very deep that is not about the situation at hand. Or that maybe they are just having a bad day. Either way, it was a very poignant way of learning that the world doesn't revolve around me.

Sometimes. ;)