Skip to main content

Day 144 - Visiting

I walked into my hometown, childhood church today, and my god, is it ugly.

Despite the fact that I drive the hour to my hometown about once a month, I haven't been in that church for several years. Honestly, it's entirely possible I haven't been in there since my mom passed about 12 years ago now.

And whew, have they made some choices.

The time around a death is always so dichotomous. It is in no uncertain terms mournful, somber, and emotional. And yet, there is always at least a little bit of relishing in the family and friends gathered around you. It is equal parts laughing at the nicknames each party had (like Munchkin and Aunt Ancy), while tearing up because no one has called you that in two and a half decades. It's admiring the pictures of them, and giggle-snorting at a picture that involves your uncle wearing the shortest soccer shorts that have ever existed. It's being an Uber driver for your aunt that's in from out of town while still not having enough time to talk. It's hearing stories from before your time, and knowing that, depending on who is telling the story, they're only about 75% true.

I can't say I'm always well-behaved in funeral homes. I rolled my eyes, made snarky comments about some relatives, and laughed so hard that my sister and I were heard down the hallway. But, no matter the family member, that's how they were, too. I've talked before about coming from a big family, and I don't recall any of my family members being "quiet." Some are certainly more boisterous than others, or swear they are RIGHT all of the time, but even the quieter ones need to speak up to be heard. Maybe this is why I'm comfortable doing public speaking.

I also found myself sharing every opinion that came into my head. I look awful in that picture. This meatball is dry. Wow, this pizza is really good.

Why did they paint the church this color? It looks awful!

The other thing about family is that they're always your cheerleaders. So many of you are following this blog, and I appreciate it. I hope I can share this week that I finally have a job offer and I won't be unemployed any longer! And in case those future employers are also reading this, just know you'll be disappointing not just me, but at least 20 people who saw me this weekend and told me they're rooting for me.

And do you really want to disappoint my grandma like that?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 66 - Revelation

I’m not sure what triggered the conversations. I talked to 3 women last week who had all been diagnosed with ADHD late in life. One of them was my sister, and that’s important, because guess what ADHD has? A strong hereditary link. The other two were girlfriends - very different careers. Children at very different stages of their life. Different ages for their diagnosis. And while the wording was different, the message was the same - probably time for you to get evaluated. Actually, I think when I told my sister “I think I have ADHD,” her reply was something close to “no fucking shit.” You know, lovingly. There’s an episode of How I Met Your Mother where the sound of glass shattering plays whenever someone notices an annoying habit of one of the other characters. I tend to hear it in my head when I feel a lightbulb moment, and this past week has been nothing but glass shattering in my head. Why did I stay up until 1am in high school to type out my chemistry labs when no one else was do...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 120 - Dessert

I'm feeling a little off today. Not just because I'm still dealing with the congestion from whatever this sickness was from over the weekend, but because I'm still unemployed. I think I just don't know what to do next. I had an interview yesterday for a departmental supervisor at a local store, but it didn't go great. I was very out of practice for the interview, which was a surprise to me, and the interview was weird. It was clear that the interviewer had a script that needed to be read and answered in order. None of my jokes landed, and they were funny. I'm funny! Or at least witty. And when I asked some follow-up questions about one of their questions, they didn't have an answer for me. It made me question if I even want this job, and that's the first time that's happened so far this job search. I've also only had 4 interviews (out of 80+ applications), so I guess I haven't had a lot of say in what position is right for me. Today, I was, a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 1 - here I go again

In first or second grade, I found a book in the school library of rhymes and old wives' tales about weather predictions. It was things like "Red sky at night, sailor's delight.” I was hooked. From that point on, I wanted to study the weather. In second grade, I begged my teacher to let me do the weather report for the classroom at least once a week. I was obsessed with a book about how to conserve water. I studied maps, and went to Lake Ontario with Dad to look for waterspouts (I'm embarrassed to say that despite the fact I've spent most of my life on the Great Lakes, I still haven't seen one.) In 4th grade, the dad of one of my classmates worked in the control tower of our airport. This was pre-2001, so he arranged a tour for the class. We got to see some pretty cool things and overheard pilots talking. This drew me in, and by the time I watched a special about the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta with my dad, I was so sure I would work at an airport. In ...
Post a Comment
Read more