Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Clarification Interlude


This morning I ran into a colleague while having an oil change. I told her I was “pretty excited” about something, I don’t even remember what, because I was just chewing the fat, mmmkay?

“Well, obviously you’re a pretty hyped up person,” she informed me.

And here all these maniacally stressful years I’d thought my hard-won (let’s not call it fake, hey?) positive attitude was coming across as, I dunno, mellow cheer.

Also, my Very Strict Writing Group Overlords have cautioned me that lately Full Spectrum Mama has been sounding a bit “breathless” and overly full of “We Can Do This” attitude, leading to an overall impression that I “have things figured out” and am a “Good Sport.”  Knowing me as they do, they dared to question this state of affairs.

I had a chance to ponder their impressions the evening after our last meeting, as my car overheated on the highway and the Full Spectrum Family’s 3 hour trip turned into 6-plus hours with a special bonus of three roadside diarrhea incidents and one potential car-repair-bill-induced panic attack.

The only Good Sporty part of that whole story was when we finally got to the convenience store and I let the kids pick ANY donut, even though it was well past Dinner Time.

I’m horrified by the possibility of a random reader falling upon this blog and feeling alienated and, possibly, inferior because I come across as a Pollyanna of competence, wisdom and equanimity. Because, do I really have things figured out? No.

So I’d like to clarify.

The following pie chart roughly illustrates a more realistic model of Full Spectrum coping techniques:




Love,
Full Spectrum Mama



8 comments:

  1. Isn’t it bizarre how one is perceived by others? I’m constantly shocked to hear how “direct” and “rude” I am in the workplace. Here, I thought I was being all warm and fuzzy and clear, so that no one around me had to endure any queasy feelings of uncertainty about what I could or would do for them.

    Love,
    Your friend at the nexus of Laughing Ruefully & Crying Secretly, with a side of constipation. ;) xoxoxoxo

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    Replies
    1. Very important insight, Anonymous - AAAAAALLL pie slices meet and relate and can change into each other at any given moment ;)
      Thanks and love, and Good Luck!!!
      FSM

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    2. ...and what, exactly, does "all hyped up" mean, anyway?

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  2. Laughing maniacally! ANY donut? See, you do have it all under control! : )

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  3. Personally, it would have been 3 chocolate glazed for moi, but I allowed for a pink heart-shaped cream-filled and a plain with chocolate frosting, which I felt was very liberal.

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  4. I <3 U, FSM! Miss laughing all kindsa ways with you!
    Xoxo,
    Kiki

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  5. I forgot, as suggested by a reader, "Yelling at Top of Lungs." Apologies. Definitely a wedge.

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