Wednesday, July 30, 2014

I'm COLOR blind, stupid

Why is it that when I divulge to people that I'm partially color blind, they always ask me if I can drive. Or hold up 3 fingers. Or ask me if I can see what they're wearing. Seriously?

For some reason, people don't process the word COLOR and only focus on the blindness. Well, my vision is actually 20/20. And I can read really well. I just can't see variations of reds and greens.

And this challenge didn't sneak up on me in the middle of the night, so don't ask me how it makes me feel. I was born this way. I feel like Anasthia. . What else?

Now, that I know my kindergarten teacher was wrong -- I'm not stupid -- I feel like this challenge just adds to the list of what makes me unique.

But to the person that asked me if I divulged my color blindness when interviewing for my current position. . Mmmmm. No. Did you divulge that you see color like the majority? I wasn't hired to be a graphic artist, the question never came up in conversation, and I think you may have been the kid my kindergarten teacher was really referring to.

Monday, July 28, 2014

My Day One Chick: Granny

I was discussing my loyalty for my sons' grandmother with the man I love. "If she called in a favor," I said, "I'd deliver." And he was insulted because my sons' grandmother is also my ex's mother. And his concern was that I didn't feel that way for his mother.

When we really got into this conversation, although I realized he was angry, I was actually really excited that we had discovered a topic we felt so differently about. . because we tend to agree on everything.. so this was an opportunity, at least I thought, to create some alignment on yet another topic.. Well, we never got there. I don't know if we ever will.

Here's the background.

ON MY SONS' GRANDMOTHER:
There are not enough words to express how deeply I love this woman or the many, many, many reasons why. But I can definitely scratch the surface with the things that are most important to me.

When I met Granny, she welcomed me into her home and her life so freely. . so completely. I felt a bond with her from the first moment we met. She's so generous with her love, it rains down on you so hard, you can't NOT love her. And then, the fact that I love to eat, and she loves to cook and bake. . and does it SO well.

Maybe what just sealed the deal with me and Granny was our connection to my mother. When my mother came into town, I brought her to Granny's house when I went over there with the kids. And my mother just LOVED Granny. They talked and laughed and Granny showed my Momma, the center of my world, the same love she showed me. . The same love she shows everyone. Then, when my momma died, and I felt so orphaned and alone, Granny accompanied me at the funeral - the hardest day of my entire life - and has been my rock since then. Because the loneliness I felt that day always creeps back up on me. And somehow, Granny always knows when it's just completely unbearable because she calls me and tells me she's thinking about me just in time.

Granny is my Day One. And she's been by my side for TWENTY years. Me and her son broke up over six years ago, and she and I are still close. Yes, if she calls me, I'm going.


ON MY BOYFRIEND'S MOM:
The love I have for my boyfriend, spilled over to his Mom way before I met her. This woman is gorgeous, classy, smart, and loving, but she is a Momma Bear. She's not gonna let any old thing be with her son. So, when she thought I was any old thing, she did what a Momma Bear does.

Thank God for understanding, time, and my boyfriend's IMpatience, she and I have come full circle. I love her. I do. And I make sure she knows it. And her love is deep, and boundless, and true, so to be in her favor, truly makes the whole ordeal of getting to know her and earning her respect, well worth the process.

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I guess the issue I have with my boyfriend's unhappiness is that he's trying to apply a One Sized Fits All mentality to a situation that really doesn't fit. I can love them both. They're so different that I have to love them differently. My relationship with Granny is 20 years in the making and my relationship with his mom is still pretty new, but forged in fire.

My relationship with Granny at this point has nothing to do with her son. . or even her grandchildren. She is my friend. . and to be honest, the closest thing I have to my momma who is no longer here. I will NEVER forsake her. You just don't do that to someone who's been so true.

We probably won't ever talk about this topic again because it generated so much fire. And it's one of those things that I think my boyfriend has to see in action to understand.