A Fairly Good Time: Take the Stairs

Take the Stairs

I've written at least a dozen posts in my brain over the preceding month or so, but there's a little problem. When I take the push to write, I don't appear to get the time. And when I have the time? I'm too fried to do anything but sleep or gaze blankly at QVC. (Or both . I often wake up to the midnight announcement of the TSV - Today's Special Rate for those in the know.

But there are a pair of posts that have variety of clung to my few remaining brain cells, begging to be written. So I'm going to try to squish them all into one. Bear with me.Take the Stairs

First, the style of this post: Take the Stairs. This was one of my New Year's Resolutions. (There were three. And in a remarkable triumph of storage and intention, I think all three and have really done them.*) When I made the resolution, I meant it literally: walk my ass up the f*ing stairs instead of slouching to the lift to my 4th floor office. Every day, every time I go in or out of the office. Because it's easy, cheap exercise and I find less lazy when I do it. But over time, that phrase started to drive on some larger meanings . take the high road, don't slip into the "lazy" old patterns; don't take shortcuts, if you're going to do something, do it right. Take the stairs. And for the about part, I've done that, especially in my relationships. Oh, I've stumbled more than a few times. But I've learned a lot, too. And each time, it gets a little easier to be gracious to exH, to be rational and good with P, to plow through work stuff I'd sooner not do, to be kinder to those coworkers I'd prefer to strangle, to be patient with Beauty and Boo. Practice makes . perfect-ish.Do You See What I See? I had a moment last week that I consider may have really changed my life. I know, sounds dramatic, but in only one conversation, I suddenly began to wonder how I see the solid world. So here's the backstory. A couple weeks ago, P and I went to NYC for the day for a work meeting. L, a fellow who lives in New Orleans, came with us. Here's what you want to bed about L: she's very pretty, super-stylish, and is surviving with one of P's closest friends. She and I are friendly, but not close. She and P are friends through his friend. In the years leading up to the trip, P and I had been below a lot of blackmail and hadn't seen each other much. So that's where we start. Here's how the trip went from my perspective: P was glad and friendly with L, even a touch flirty, perhaps. He just talked to me, but seemed to pay attention to L's every word. They chatted about P's friend and reminisced about some crazy parties the triad of them had been to. I was fairly quiet most of the day, feeling like a third wheel. When we got back, I dropped L off at her hotel, then took P home. He didn't invite me in and I left convinced he was done with me. But here's the twist. The following night, there was a company at the position and L and I got to talking. She asked how things were with P. She mentioned that he seemed so "glad and relaxed" around me and commented that she was thrilled to see us so happy together. What? Since I'd had a few gin and tonics, I poured out my face of the NYC trip. She was genuinely stunned - she hadn't seen it my way at all. To her, we seemed fine - great, even. She said she'd never seen P so happy. Is it possible that I'd had it all untimely? And if so, how many other scenes like that had I completely misinterpreted? I started thinking back to all the times I'd been in like situations, wondering if just possibly there was another way to see things. Have you ever seen this optical illusion? If you see at it one way, you'll see an old lady; look again and you can see a beautiful young woman.

Is it possible I've spent my life only seeing the old hag and wanting out on the beauty? Stay tuned for another brand on recent revelations. Right now, I want to stay out the latest TSV! *The former two were to moisten my face every night (gross, I know, but I never used to do it and now I do! and to "grow above" all the crap. I'll make myself a C there.