My mother, Sally, turned 75 on September 21st. A milestone! She married my father at the age of 18, and birthed me smack dab 9 months later, still at the age of 18. I, of course, don’t remember this, but I’m told I was practically born in the car before they arrived at Watertown Memorial Hospital.
Apparently, I was very eager to get out into the world.
But certainly not to become a wife or mother at the age of 18. I graduated from high school at 17. At 18, I was just starting college, and marriage and motherhood were the very last things on my mind.
On my mind was compiling change with my friend Sandie so we could put enough gas in her 1972 green Pontiac LeMans to make it to the Lucky Lady in time for 99 cent pitchers of 3.2 beer. We’d get there early for happy hour, buy four pitchers, save a table, and let the beer sit there and get warm for all of our friends coming later.
But, I digress. This really isn’t about how our brains work. Or perhaps it is. Perhaps all those pitchers of cheap, warm beer, along with the wine choices that have come since, have impacted my brain capacity to this day.
All the same, this is what I meant. Sometimes we get stuck in old thinking ruts, regardless of how much or how little cheap, warm beer we drank in college.
My brother and I coordinated on a gift to be delivered to Mom, but I also wanted to send her a little package to unwrap along with my birthday card and letter. Mom used to love Erma Bombeck, so I thought she would enjoy a book from my humor writer friend, Dorothy Rosby, who happens to live in Rapid City, South Dakota.
I placed an order well in advance of Mom’s birthday and – even with Amazon Prime – was told the book may not arrive until after her birthday. So, I talked with Dorothy about her mailing me one directly. Then we both started wondering if the shipping from Amazon is so delayed because of the wildfires everywhere, and if her shipment might be as well. I decided just to forget it, and send Mom the book later, for no occasion, after it arrives from Amazon.
Can anyone tell me why it didn’t occur to either Dorothy or me sooner that I can just mail Mom my copy of I Used to Think I Was Not That Bad and Then I Got to Know Me Better? when another is coming to me from Amazon?
Like my husband said, it’s like looking everywhere for your glasses when they’ve been on top your head the whole time. It also reminded me of the time I forgot that ducks fly. https://laurahandke.com/simply-authentic-your-soul-voice-is-calling-the-stupidest-thing-i-ever-said/
The next Saturday Voice Lab: Improv & Technique is Saturday morning, 10/3, 10:30-noon. Just $20. Register here! https://laurahandke.com/
You can find the funny words of Dorothy Rosby here: https://dorothyrosby.com/
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Love Your Voice & Voice Your Love,
Laura
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)