Tag: crush

With the best of intentions

I weathered another round of what I assumed to be food poisoning. Tired of hanging out in the bathroom, I put on a brave face to hostess visitors, babysit, teach an English class, and drop by the neighbor’s with a plate of crepes.

But when holes were poked in my food poisoning theory, suddenly my bright shades of resiliency and selflessness took on a contaminated hue.

I had been so sure I could trace it back to those fried sardines…

I took a too-late day of quarantine to keep me from infecting the rest of the world. The next morning I dropped by the post office and the grocery store. On the way home, I noticed I was being dogged by the persistent admirer who, after a clarifying encounter months earlier, had vanished from my life. Until now. And there he was, looking bigger, older, and maybe even a little more unhinged than the last time I had seen him.

My intention to weave myself into this community’s tapestry put me in his way. Or maybe he put himself in my way. Or maybe we’re simply two clashing fibers woven side by side, which is bound to happen now and then in every community. Just wishing him away rather than confronting him probably was never the answer.

Why do best intentions sometimes sour?

My recent decision in the best interest of all turned out to be in the best interest of none… and involved a fair amount of straightening out.

I suppose it’s fanciful to believe that sacrifice can validate decisions. Still, why do some of the decisions we make, even at our own expense, turn out to be the wrong ones?

Maybe it’s because we don’t understand the big picture. Or because our decisions are not the only decisions affecting lives.

When we take a spill on our good intention bicycle, the true measure of resiliency and selflessness may be found in our ability to stand up, gently brush the gravel from the crevices of our knees and continue on our way.

And be grateful when others forgive our mistakes and miscalculations.

And thank God for the neighborly shopkeeper who is standing in his doorway to watch us safely home.

Photo by Dmitrii Vaccinium on Unsplash

That I’ll probably be a snowbird and other things you might not know about me

  1. It’s true. I’ll probably be the old lady who moves to Florida every winter. I used to scorn the idea, but as I get older, I understand that cold makes joints stiff. And that’s why I think I’ll be a snowbird.
  2. I only drink decaffeinated coffee because caffeinated coffee makes my heart race, my hands shake, my stomach growl. Speaking of being old…
  3. I don’t drive a car here in Spain.
  4. I’m scared of filling up with fuel at unknown fuel stations. (It’s good I no longer drive!)
  5. I was 27 before I tore down my guard enough to realize that my Savior loved me unconditionally. 
  6. People tell me I’m a lot like my grandma, which I don’t mind at all because she was a special lady. 
  7. I love to DIY (or would that be “DIM: do it myself”?), but often still use store products because, well, they often work better.
  8. I hardly eat bread. No, I’m not gluten-intolerant. I just don’t like it very well. I am my father’s daughter, I guess, because I would declare along with him that most of it is too “stuffy.” 
  9. I have a vein in my forehead that bulges every time I get worked up, for the good or bad. (My sister suggested I put this one in here; I think she likes my bulgy vein.) 
  10. I love plants but I have a hard time keeping them alive. I must have a toxic aura. 
  11. When I was little, I had a crush on Jimmy Stewart… until I found out he was no longer living. Come to think of it, I had a crush on Disney’s animated Robin Hood too…

That’s all folks. All of the rest of me is as expected and normal. 🙂 I wouldn’t mind hearing some of the lesser known youisms too!