A glimpse

I've recently had a glimpse of a few things:

I broke my toe and then yesterday managed to mangle the rest of my left foot. Handicap bars have become very important to me. I am glimpsing oldieville and I don't like it.

The husband is working on some different assignments. This involves asking me to type things, set up computer documents and being prepared for him to bop in and out during the day. I am not emotionally equipped for this. The oldies were together 24/7. This is not my plan with any person on the planet.

My father had a health scare and thankfully it has been resolved. For a moment, I saw the little girl who reaches for her daddy's hand and experienced the fear of him not reaching back. We sat in church yesterday and we held hands.

My aunt, who sings in the choir, began rolling her eyes when someone was speaking too long. I had a glimpse of Wild Bill.

I took a long, hard look in the mirror yesterday. (It was easy to do because I was crawling in my closet and could not escape.) I did not see my mother's beauty, but I caught a glimpse. I did not see my Aunt Connie's artistic talent, but there was a blip. I did not identify with Aunt Judy's ability to make us all laugh, but occasionally that comes through in me. I do not have my Aunt Cess' talent for tolerance. I do not have her writing talents. But, I see her in me.

Inspiration comes in all forms. You might need a nudge, a blip or a reminder. Or, you might need to look in the mirror and see a glimpse of what you could be.

Friends versus Acquaintances

From the Oxford American Dictionary:

Friend: A person with whom one is on terms of mutual affection and respect.
Acquaintance: A person one knows slightly.

I'll add two more:

Relative: A person who is related by parentage or descent or marriage.
Stranger: A person one does not know.

Wouldn't it be nice if relationships were this easy to define? I have relatives who are friends and relatives who are strangers. I have acquaintances that I trust more than some relatives. I have friends that are sometimes strangers. I have friends who know it all. I consider some of my friends in the relative category.

The husband and I spent the weekend with friends. We all know way too much about each other but there's a level of trust there. We also know (or know about) each other's children and parents.

The words "trust" and "love" didn't show up in any of the definitions. Guess we get to define that for ourselves.

Wacky Relatives

If you show me a family that doesn't have some wacky relatives, I will come to your house and polish your floors. We all have them. Let's stop pretending.

My cousin (in-law) called me a Yankee recently. I haven't decided if she's right or not. I'm not sure it can be defined. I land in both camps.

In the husband and my extended families, we have our fair share of wackos. Yankees get stoic and pretend it's just a phase. Southerners prop them in a chair, put a drink in their hands and encourage the stories. (They usually include a slice of pie.)

Many years ago, we had a relative visit us. The husband pulled me in the kitchen and said, "She's a little affected, isn't she?" I said, "Yes, but the stories are great."