Yeah...I'm a flake.
And I have been for years. I admit that it's gotten much worse since the stroke, but part of my brain works perfectly well and others parts, not so much. I can contemplate the theory of relativity but I can't remember why I opened the refrigerator. Was it for food or was I going to clean it? I don't know. For some reason, if I go back and continue what I was doing before I opened the stupid fridge, I'll remember almost immediately.
My father would have you believe that, as a woman, I'm simply relatively feeble minded. He implied his "women are idiots" thoughts for as long as I can remember and even refused to send me to college because, "I have 3 sons, I can't spend money on a girl, you'll just get pregnant anyway." I screwed him on that one by being the only kid out of 6 with a college degree that I obtained as a single mother. I like to choose my battles carefully so I let his chauvinism slide but I must admit, when I DO do something stupid, or something he perceives as stupid, he acts surprised and disgusted. It is my firm belief that he, and other like-minded men, lose the right to bitch about a women's behavior once they make it clear that they consider us less rational, bright and capable then themselves. In other words, once you accuse someone of being a dog, you can't lose your patience when that dog barks.
One way or another, I've been branded a flake often in my lifetime. I think I'm actually some sort of savant. I can be the first one done with a test in metaphysics for which I receive an easy A but I forget the words to the Happy Birthday song.
According to my daughter, I'm telling the same stories over and over again. I informed her that she should be glad I repeat myself over months. My 79 year old father can repeat himself 4 times in one day. Actually, the stories are the least of my problems. My daughter has rules that I am not familiar with such as being shoeless. I wear shoes and socks (unless I'm wearing sandals) all day long. I always have. I put them on in the morning and take them off at night. She takes her shoes off every time she walks in her door and leaves them behind a couch. She's done it for years so it comes quite natural to her. But it has been much longer that I've been wearing shoes so I might take a while to train. Old dogs DO learn new tricks, it's just takes a while.
So...little girl, be a bit more patient with me. Say something like, "Ma...shoes?" That's what I would have said to my mother (before she DIED). The disgusted "I don't know why you don't get it! JUST TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES! How hard is that?" doesn't help any more than a gentle reminder would.
Love you!!!
My father would have you believe that, as a woman, I'm simply relatively feeble minded. He implied his "women are idiots" thoughts for as long as I can remember and even refused to send me to college because, "I have 3 sons, I can't spend money on a girl, you'll just get pregnant anyway." I screwed him on that one by being the only kid out of 6 with a college degree that I obtained as a single mother. I like to choose my battles carefully so I let his chauvinism slide but I must admit, when I DO do something stupid, or something he perceives as stupid, he acts surprised and disgusted. It is my firm belief that he, and other like-minded men, lose the right to bitch about a women's behavior once they make it clear that they consider us less rational, bright and capable then themselves. In other words, once you accuse someone of being a dog, you can't lose your patience when that dog barks.
One way or another, I've been branded a flake often in my lifetime. I think I'm actually some sort of savant. I can be the first one done with a test in metaphysics for which I receive an easy A but I forget the words to the Happy Birthday song.
According to my daughter, I'm telling the same stories over and over again. I informed her that she should be glad I repeat myself over months. My 79 year old father can repeat himself 4 times in one day. Actually, the stories are the least of my problems. My daughter has rules that I am not familiar with such as being shoeless. I wear shoes and socks (unless I'm wearing sandals) all day long. I always have. I put them on in the morning and take them off at night. She takes her shoes off every time she walks in her door and leaves them behind a couch. She's done it for years so it comes quite natural to her. But it has been much longer that I've been wearing shoes so I might take a while to train. Old dogs DO learn new tricks, it's just takes a while.
So...little girl, be a bit more patient with me. Say something like, "Ma...shoes?" That's what I would have said to my mother (before she DIED). The disgusted "I don't know why you don't get it! JUST TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES! How hard is that?" doesn't help any more than a gentle reminder would.
Love you!!!
posted by Meg Kelso | 3:38 PM
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