So I was eating lunch with some co-workers the other day, and one (we'll refer to as Chim Chim because that's just cute) was stressing over her mother's diagnosis of dementia and what they're going through. Other ladies began to tell horrid stories of their own families' struggles with different relatives and such. It was sad as hell. Chim Chim was quietly listening, her head lowered, and I was getting desperate to make her smile, to lighten things up, to just stop the sad.
So I did what I do best, and got inappropriate.
"When I was a kid, my mom took a part-time job at a nursing home. She used to take me as punishment. Then she quit and I took her position." I left out the part about my first day, when I locked myself in the back office and bawled my ass off. I couldn't deal with shit like that, so I decided to make it awesome. "I had soooo much fun with those folks. One dude thought he was a mobster, and some lady thought I was sleeping with her husband. It was like the ultimate pretend game."
Chim Chim looked up and said, "Angie, I wish I could do that." Before I could ask, "What? Play pretend? We can, dude--you be Luke and I'll be Yoda and you can give me piggyback rides down the hall to the potty" she said, "I wish I could just . . . embrace life like you do."
I nearly choked. I've never had anyone put my lack of social graces in such a kind light before. And I've never thought of myself as one to embrace anything besides the toilet after too much drinky drink.
And she smiled again.
That felt awesome.
So I leave you with this: Be kind, be happy, be crazy, be inappropriate, be awesome.
It ain't that hard.
That's what she said.
So I did what I do best, and got inappropriate.
"When I was a kid, my mom took a part-time job at a nursing home. She used to take me as punishment. Then she quit and I took her position." I left out the part about my first day, when I locked myself in the back office and bawled my ass off. I couldn't deal with shit like that, so I decided to make it awesome. "I had soooo much fun with those folks. One dude thought he was a mobster, and some lady thought I was sleeping with her husband. It was like the ultimate pretend game."
Chim Chim looked up and said, "Angie, I wish I could do that." Before I could ask, "What? Play pretend? We can, dude--you be Luke and I'll be Yoda and you can give me piggyback rides down the hall to the potty" she said, "I wish I could just . . . embrace life like you do."
I nearly choked. I've never had anyone put my lack of social graces in such a kind light before. And I've never thought of myself as one to embrace anything besides the toilet after too much drinky drink.
And she smiled again.
That felt awesome.
So I leave you with this: Be kind, be happy, be crazy, be inappropriate, be awesome.
It ain't that hard.
That's what she said.
