Wednesday, December 12, 2007

"You have a lot to celebrate."

Another thing I have in common with Mama is the tendency for complete strangers to approach me and engage in long and often personal stories. I’ll never forget the time we went to the swimming pool store to get chlorine and ended up staying an hour as the woman working there told Mama about her daughter who had tried to commit suicide. But I digress…

Oliver and I were making a hasty dash to the bathroom at Costco when an older woman stopped me to ask me about him and the baby I’m expecting and my family at home… and on and on. Ever since Tyler once asked me, “Don’t you know that most people in the world are lonely?” I’ve tried not to brush people off and sincerely answer their questions and not just tried to end the conversation and move on (again… maybe that’s why they continue). Anyway, her husband came out of the adjacent restroom and “rescued” us and she ended the conversation by saying, “Have a wonderful Christmas. You have a lot to celebrate.”

Don’t you love it when a stranger throws something out that makes you think for the rest of the day? I must admit, that today I had been indulging myself in a bit of self-pity. Every errand that has anything to do with food feels like a slow method of self-torture to me. I was picking up snacks to send to Tyler and his crew in New York and feeling pretty miserable. Which led me to think about how long it has been since I’ve felt “normal.” Which led me to realize that, although I’m not throwing up anymore, I’m not having any relief. I used to feel my “best” first thing in the morning for about 5 minutes before I got up, but I am finding increasingly that I go to bed feeling awful and wake up the same way.

Anyway, I’ve spent the rest of the day thinking about how much I have to be thankful for. I have 3 amazing kids and by the looks of it… the fourth is going to be another healthy one. I have a wonderful husband who works crazy long hours to take care of our family. I am surrounded by a lot of love and patience at a time is my life that just isn’t very fun. I have a lot to celebrate.

4 comments:

Leslie said...

i talk to strangers a lot, too. people here are so friendly that i find myself even starting the stranger conversations sometimes. it's mama's influence rubbing off on me, to be sure. :)

Anonymous said...

I am actually one of the crazy people who talks to strangers (well, out here you're crazy. Down south, it's normal). Dad talks to strangers lots, too.

Even though I don't know how you do it with Tyler being gone so much, I do know that you have a wonderful family and make people happy. You and Georgia are my "bright spots" in living out here. You do have alot to be grateful for.

Anonymous said...

Mom and I were just talking about this the other day when I was in Chicago. This happens to me farely often as well, though the things the strangers tell me don't often give me anything useful to contemplate. I'll have to tell you about the guy from eastern Europe who came up to me and talked to me for an hour about how having both a CNA liscense and a degree in Criminal Justice would make him "a force for society to reckon with." He thought it would help him deal with people who wanted to "make an argument with him." I spent most of a day reasoning that out.

Anonymous said...

I can't spell "fairly". Good thing I pay all this money to go to college.