1.11.2013

friday


What if I told you I was going through one of the hardest times of my life EVER? That might leave you thinking one of several things..."So what?" perhaps being the one that springs most immediately to mind, but there could also be "I just saw her earlier today and she seemed fine" or "I wonder what that's about" or "she should have a donut, I just did and it helped a lot".  But you might squash that last thought if it made you feel guilty. 

You could think, "drama queen -- living with her must be exhausting" or maybe "I bet her husband deserves a medal" or "oh yeah? I don't think you know the meaning of hard".  You might concoct ideas about what could be troubling me, ideas which might be even more complex and interesting than any of my actual problems. I wouldn't mind if you did that, particularly if it had some entertainment value for you, however brief... but then don't underestimate my ability to have complex and actual problems. 

The only thing I can say about hard times for certain is that you cannot go to your doctor and get a cast.  You have to fall off a ladder or slip on a just-mopped floor for that (which would require mopping), and then everyone feels sorry for you, calls, comes to visit, or even asks how you hurt yourself while you're limping through the grocery checkout line.  Even people who are not in the habit of caring about you one bit are made curious and sympathetic by a cast.  If only we could check them out at the library and slip them on as needed...now there's a useful idea!  And if you've ever been through a really hard time, you know exactly what I mean.

Now...what if I told you I was perfectly content, could not be happier, happy as the happiest clam anyone had ever eaten or even considered throwing in a pot of Friday chowder?  Equally possible, of course. So I will leave you to speculate. You were going to anyway.