Sunday, August 21, 2011

What I've Learned

Some one once told me that life is basically one lesson after another--the trick is to pay attention and learn from these lessons.  For some reason I was thinking about this today and started thinking about all the things I have learned in the past few months.

The first thing I have learned is that friendships aren't always what you expect them to be.  Pablo Neruda (one of my favorite poets) once asked if man actually learns kindness or if we just learn the mask of kindness.  This "mask" applies to so many things in life.  I have learned that masks are apparent in friendships as well, we just can't see them at times. I have met some great women over the past several months and have made some new friends.  I have also learned who my real friends are and who just wear the mask of friendship.  Sadly, the ones wearing the masks are never the ones you would expect to be wearing masks.  As an adult, real friendships are important to me--and all the others just aren't worth my time.

Another thing I've learned is that I really like . . . no, love . . . Miranda Lambert's music.  I am not quite sure what it is about her.  I'm not the biggest fan of country music and the twangy stuff is some of my least favorite music, but I can listen to her stuff over and over again and just really enjoy it.

What else have I learned?  To pick my battles.  I am learning to do this more and more with my boys.  It makes life easier to let the little things go and focus on the bigger, more important things.  Yes, their room may be a big mess, but at least they are playing and using their imaginations and NOT sitting in front of the television.

I have also learned that the saying, "You are what you eat" isn't true.  I have been craving cereal the past few weeks and if that saying were true I would be a walking, talking cereal box and that hasn't happened yet.  (YET).

There are many more lessons to be learned--I just hope I notice them when they happen. ;)

Friday, August 19, 2011

Trapped In A Box

Today has been a busy day in our house.  The boys started another year of school this morning and after dropping them off I had to go have my blood glucose test done.  I have learned that in reality things never go like you think they will.  I knew it took an hour to do the test so I figured I'd be there maybe an hour and 15 minutes.  I guess I had a momentary shortage of brain cells.

It is funny to me how the waiting room in the lab is always full--one side full of pregnant women and the other side full of elderly people.  I signed in and found an empty seat, pulled out my Kindle, and began reading where I had left off in Tina Fey's Bossy Pants.  About 15 or 20 minutes later the young lady behind the counter called my name and asked me to come sign some insurance stuff. I answered all her questions, initialed here, signed there, and then she said, "You don't look your age."  What?  What did she just say? "Excuse me?"  She smiled and said, "I was saying that you don't look your age.  You look a lot younger."  I tried not to smile, I really did, but I couldn't help it. "THANK YOU" I blurted out.

Back to my seat I went, pulling out the Kindle again, and waiting.  Another 15 or 20 minutes passed when my name was called.  I walked to the back where I was handed the dreaded drink and told to drink it in under 15 minutes.  Ready.  Set.  GO!  I unscrewed the lid and took a sip.  It was gross, but not as horribly gag-inducing as the orange stuff I was forced to drink while pregnant with my boys. I drank it quickly, maybe in a minute if that, and she sent me back to my seat.  This is where the fun began.  I knew I would be there for at least an hour so I came prepared.  I brought my iPod with me as well as my Kindle.  Hey, I didn't have my kids with me so why not live it up a little, right?

Time passed and I looked at the clock.  WHAT?  It hadn't even been 10 minutes.  This was going to be a long wait.  People came and went. A young woman came in and her perfume immediately hit me. I thought I was going to sneeze and then I thought, "Why are you wearing so much?"  An elderly woman with a walker sat beside me and spent five minutes trying to open a Jolly Rancher candy.  I felt bad for her.  Her twisted fingers shaking and focusing only on getting that candy opened.  She smiled when she finally opened it and was able to enjoy it. This was around the time I noticed my tail bone was starting to hurt.  I switched positions and looked at the clock.  Thirty more minutes to go. Jeez.

I was reading my Kindle, which was resting on my stomach.  You know all pregnant women do that.  My third grade teacher was pregnant and she always rested papers, books, anything she had on her pregnant stomach.  The baby (my baby, not my 3rd grade teacher's) started moving and kicking--the Kindle would bounce and I would wonder if anyone noticed.

More people came and went and my tail bone continued to hurt. Finally, I heard my name.  I walked back and she said, "Which arm do you prefer?"  Now, let me take a moment to say that when people take blood from me they usually have to stick me two or three times before they can find a vein that works.  Sometimes they even dig, which doesn't make for the most pleasant pregnant woman. I said, "Wherever you think you can find one that works."  She laughed.  "Lady, I'm serious!"  She found one and amazingly it worked on the first stick.  She asked about my Kindle and we talked about how our husbands want iPads but they are too expensive.  Then, she was done.

Every friend I have who has had this test done in the past 6 months has failed it and had to go back for the longer, more brutal test. We won't know until Tuesday but I hope I pass it.  Sitting there for about 4 hours (after they do paper work, etc.) or longer--is REALLY going to make my tail bone hurt.

I'll let you know how it goes. ;)