The Award is In! I've Been Declared "Special" Now Three Years Running!

I’ve never really seen myself as “different”, but I’ve known for quite some time – because there are people out there, in life, who like to point these things out – that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.

I got an e-mail from a cousin who we’ll refer to as “Colleen” – because her name is Colleen – the gist of which was that I should “hang in there, sunshine, because you’re special”. There was then a picture of some goofy-haired gnome-like creature doing a pixilated dance on my computer screen.

And you know? It was just the kind of recognition I needed.

It’s not easy being this “special”.

You may ask yourself: How do I do, what I do, as well as I do it?

Well, first of all, as a U.S. citizen, a taxpayer, a mother, wife, and part-time professional golfer (not really) there are times one must cut corners.

For example, I sometimes wear the same socks two days in a row just so I don’t have to do laundry; and you don’t want to know how often I wash my sweaters. Because I don’t! Ha! Ha!

Wait – is that because I’m special or because I’m lazy? Or maybe I’m just dirty?! Ha! Well, since the laundry room is two flights down, I’m going to go with lazy… Oh, yeah. And special.

Lazily special.

Several times a week, I meditate, under the guise of “zoning out”, sometimes sitting zombie-eyed in front of the TV for hours. My family sees it as a test of their patience. I see it as a test of my powers of concentration: after all, it’s not easy drowning out their complaints! Where’s my dinner? Why is the cat on the roof with the binoculars? Why are you wearing my socks? But you tell me: How else do I rebuild the inner fortitude it takes to keep up this hectic lifestyle?

I require frequent hot baths, real cotton sheets, and take-out food, sometimes all at once.

I sometimes pull the pots and pans out of the kitchen cupboards just to see if I can fit in there. (I can.)

The family calls it “special”. I call it “research”.

In closing, I’d like to thank my cousin Colleen and all the others who have recognized my “specialness” over the years. It’s not easy keeping my cock-eyed view of the world fresh; but with your love and encouragement, I’ll continue to find a way.

Thank you.