runlikejoy

Displaced Stay At Home Californian in rural N. Carolina

The Many Faces of Joy

The Many Faces of Joy

Friday, June 27, 2014

Denial

I have had a difficult time coming up with something interesting or uplifting to write about.  As a writer I would like to pick my own topics and write about what I want to write about but as a writer I have found that if it includes sensitive people, family members, relatives, people that are unable to read something written about themselves or anything less than positive then I might get the cold shoulder or the silent treatment.

Human beings are really strange.  We love to judge and tell others what is not working, what they are doing wrong and what we don't like about them (to others, not to their faces) but we don't want anyone to know we are doing that.  There is this human component that keeps us from blurting out what we do or do not like about other people.  We only tell them the good things.

If a dog runs up to another dog and sniffs and doesn't like what they see, they don't play nice-nice until they walk away - they bare their teeth, growl, bark and snarl and sometimes attack the animal they do not like.  If we act like dogs we are called (and I refer to women) bitches, snarky, catty, opinionated, judgemental, grating, confrontational and all sorts of other not so nice words that are not very complimentary of women.

I have found that when I was in my 20's I could be a real bitch.  When I was in my 30's I could be a real bitch too.  But having children has mellowed me some.  Partly due to not wanting to invest a lot of energy in stuff that I think is stupid and not wanting to get sucked into dysfunctional family stuff and staying out of it.  But when that dysfunction lands in my living room and stays here for a pretty lengthy period of time it is really hard to ignore it. (have I mentioned that I do enjoy complaining at length instead of being a bitch?)

I will say this:  the dysfunction isn't welcome back.  Somehow and sometime soon I will have to address that but it isn't welcome back and it isn't something I want anything to do with.  I've been in therapy for years to work at identifying my problems and fix them and so should you.  If you are not willing to do so - I'm not willing to be around you. 

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Love

I was watching a movie with someone I love very much.  During a particularly moving part of the movie two men who were very much in love kissed on the lips.  The person I love made a disgusted sound of distaste and it shocked me and upset me. And for a minute I got really angry.  And then I got really sad thinking that someone I love so much could be so bigoted and closed minded.  And it made me not want to finish the movie.  But then I realized that we can love people a whole lot but not love the way they are or the way they think.  And I was able to finish the movie and still love the person I was watching the movie with. 

I guess that makes me a grown up.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Diving

Today I got to watch my youngest child dive into the swimming pool over and over over.  She was so careful about the placement of her feet, the way her hands were held, one on top of the other, the way the other foot was out to the side to steady her and how close her feet were to the edge of the pool.  It was amazing to watch.  Both of my children swim really well and enjoy the water as much as they can.  I usually have to force them to leave the pool even if their eyes are bloodshot and their feet and fingers are raw from the bottom of the pool.

It took me a really long time to learn how to swim.  Of course my siblings learned really quickly so it seemed even longer.  I'm not sure if the reason it took me so long was the trauma of my father drowning or the even bigger trauma of being thrown in the deep end of by family members who would say that they were sure I would learn how to swim once I could no longer touch the bottom.  Regardless as to the reasons why I was slow to learn to swim, my kids were fast to learn as they were not hampered by any pool or water related trauma as children.

And I am a strong swimmer now even if I prefer to sit by the side of the pool with my floppy hat, stylish coverup and sipping my drink while I chat it up with my new N. Carolina pool friends.  Hey ya'll!


Thursday, June 5, 2014

Paycheck

Tomorrow is my last day at the little job I do.  I started freaking out a little a couple days ago because I thought about my last paycheck and I wondered what I was going to do when next month came and I didn't get a paycheck.  I realized that no matter how agonizing, how painful, how mind numbing the job, I am willing to do just about anything for a paycheck. 

One of my first jobs was the summer after my freshman year in high school, I worked at the housekeeping department of the local college in my town.  I cleaned the dormitory rooms and bathrooms, made beds, vacuumed, emptied trash, a total disaster.  The only real saving grace was the manager that ran the housekeeping department, a lovely lady by the name of Nancy Morgan.  She was a hardcore bible thumping, preaching, hellfire and damnation kind of lady and I decided in every way I was going to be her black sheep.

Every morning before we were allowed to clean rooms we had to sit through one of her worship ceremonies that included reading a devotional and having a lengthy prayer.  I informed her early on that I was an atheist and opposed to all things that had to do with religion and religious observance.  I would roll in to work 5 minutes late, act hung over (or at least what I thought hung over would look like) and pretend I'd been out all night partying, dancing, drinking and more (remember I was only 15).  She could not have had more fun preaching to me and I could not have had more fun getting her goat.  The work was terrible, the pay was miserable but the interaction with Nancy was heavenly.

It has always been a big priority to me to enjoy not only what I'm doing but who I'm working with.  And because of that I have been able to turn some of the worst jobs, (custodian, dishwasher, cleaning houses) into some of the most fun.  The jobs might not be that fun but I'm the girl to make them fun.  And with that in mind; I'm not sure where I'm headed after this Friday but whatever I find to do I am going to make sure I enjoy it as much as I did that summer I worked with Nancy.