the perk. #28

Posted on 13 October 2016 by what sandra thinks

the perk.

number twenty-eight.

I have random days when I feel pretty good. I actually feel ‘normal’. It seems that I have no control over when these days happen… or don’t happen. I’m sure someone will think it’s all under my control… and maybe someday it will be. But that day is not here yet.

Today has been a good day. And it’s about 7pm as I type these words so I hope to hell I’m not jinxing it. I even had the dreaded Mr. T appointment this morning… which, honestly, usually makes me anxious as fuck. Which really is a poor choice of words because fucking does not make me anxious. In fact, quite the opposite. Clearly I need more of that in my life.

But I digress…

the foot.         

I accomplished something. It will sound like something incredibly pathetic to refer to as an ‘accomplishment’. But for me, it was…

I have phone phobia. No, not one that prevents me from satisfying my Candy Crush addiction (do I have a problem if I’m on level 1370?). My phone phobia is talking on the phone. More specifically, making phone calls. Incoming calls are doable. Outgoing calls… eek!

I can call my mother. No problem. Pretty much any other phone call feels impossible for me. Can I email or text instead? Good. Done. I have to call? Kill me now. I won’t even order a pizza… unless I can do it online. So… it’s pathetic… and when I make a phone call, it’s an accomplishment.

I have a foot injury from years ago that started bothering me a few months ago. I even asked my GP if she could recommend someone… 3 months ago… and she did… but I never called. I figured the pain would get better. No big deal. But… a couple of weeks ago, it got worse. I was starting to have trouble walking. I had to do something.

I made the call. And a few days ago, I went to see the guy. And he was awesome. And the pain is almost completely gone. Hm… I should have called a long time ago. I know this all must sound ridiculous to you… it was just a phone call.

the good sister.

A few weeks ago, while talking to my mom (yes, on the phone), I mentioned, in a stream of other thoughts, that my kids wanted to sign up for something that we just couldn’t pay for at the moment due to my unemployment. Of course, this made me feel like a horrible mother. Days later, unbeknownst to me, Mom mentioned this to my sister D. [D is a year older than me… never married… except maybe to her work.]

Last week, D texted me. “Sign the kids up for whatever they want and I will pay for it.” Then I cried. I know she can afford it and I know she loves to do things for them. But this is incredibly generous. And I was so touched that she would offer this.

And now… my kids are on their way to fulfilling their dream of becoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (And yes, they bow to me…)

karate.

wave

☼ Perky is not just a mood, it’s a way of life. That I hate.
©2016 what sandra thinks

About what sandra thinks

Sandra is a writer, sometimes blogger, poet, artist, emotional disaster. She thinks far too much and sleeps far too little. Sandra lives in the Northeastern U.S. but dreams of an oceanfront home in Italy, but she would settle for a non-oceanfront home in Italy. She loves books, brutal honesty, coffee, and the color black. She hates insincerity, beer, whipped cream, and facebook. And she is uncomfortable talking about herself in the third person.
This entry was posted in the perk, weekly perk, writing and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

70 Responses to the perk. #28

  1. Deb says:
    13 October 2016 at 8:36 pm

    This is beautiful! I am like you when it comes to making phone calls. And also love being an awesome aunt. Hope your kids have fun.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. thesarahdoughty says:
    13 October 2016 at 8:40 pm

    Phone calls are a pain for me too. My days are either really bad, bad, or borderline. Today was borderline. Tomorrow will probably be bad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. sonofabeach96 says:
    13 October 2016 at 8:52 pm

    That’s terrific for the kids! My boys do Tai Kwan Do. They’ll love it…and be able to kick ass when need be!! 😃

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. ladieswholunchreviews says:
    13 October 2016 at 9:09 pm

    Sounds like a lot of good things happened, that’s wonderful! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Kay says:
    13 October 2016 at 9:12 pm

    Good for you and that’s so freakin’ awesome of your sister! You are loved, and you had a great day! 💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. VictoryInTrouble says:
    13 October 2016 at 11:04 pm

    Aw, I’m glad you’ve had a good day. I completely get the phone thing. Totally. I have to psyche myself up to order food. Texting is my very very good friend. And yay for your sister. I have a lovely sister too, who seems similar. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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    • what sandra thinks says:
      13 October 2016 at 11:41 pm

      I’m so afraid this post is going to jinx me and I won’t have another decent day for weeks! I really thought everyone was going to think I was a freak for the phone thing! It’s kind of comforting, in a way, to know I’m not the only one with this issue. I managed to make the foot appointment… but who I should really be calling is a recruiter to help me find a job. I have not broken through that roadblock yet.

      I have 3 sisters… this one who is generous and has the means to be… another who is lovely in other ways… and the one who is a nutball and doesn’t speak to me. Ah, well, 2 out of 3 anyway… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Miriam says:
    13 October 2016 at 11:25 pm

    Aw, Sandra, sounds like you had a great day. I’m so pleased for you … here’s hoping it leads into a happy Friday and weekend. Yay for nice sisters. Your boys will love that. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Meg Sorick says:
    14 October 2016 at 9:50 am

    I’m glad you got your foot looked at. Foot pain sucks. And not being able to walk? Creates a whole new set of problems. Hooray for good sisters! And hooray for the karate kids! They are going to have so much fun being Ninja Turtles! 😀 Glad you had some good stuff happen, girlfriend! xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. Al Lane says:
    14 October 2016 at 10:11 am

    How (for once, refreshingly) perky… so, are you Master Splinter?

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. theturtle says:
    14 October 2016 at 5:59 pm

    Yay! Good things are happening and more will come 🙂
    Just an aside : my sister absolutely hated talking on the phone , and one day when she really needed to work part time got this opportunity to work for an airline answering phones which she almost didn’t take because she thought she really couldn’t do it! Guess what , she built her whole career from that temp job and she is now country manager for an airline reservations network 🙂
    Turtle Hugs

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. theturtle says:
    14 October 2016 at 6:04 pm

    And loved your ninjas photo 🙂
    (argh i m almost giving myself a heart attack trying to comment on this tablet 😦 )

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. gigglingfattie says:
    14 October 2016 at 7:45 pm

    First of all, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that chair that looks like a coffee cup but a chair? OMG adorbs. I think I need one in real life.

    I am so with you on the phone thing. If it’s for a personal call for me (doc, dentist, interview, etc) I get so anxious about it. If I know it’s going to be a high tension phone call (I paid off my credit card, they said it was all done forever, but I still got bills?) then I am a nervous wreck But if I’m making calls for a job I’m fine. Even if it’s to call and yell at a vendor I am totally fine. It’s strange.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • what sandra thinks says:
      14 October 2016 at 7:50 pm

      At my last job, I always emailed people… never called unless I absolutely HAD to. I had a manager once tell me that having more personal contact with my colleagues would be good, but I know you don’t really have it in you. I thought that was great because he wasn’t going to pressure or punish me for it… he know I struggled with it. I was better if someone called me… but I always kept my ringer on very low so no one knew my phone was ringing except me… so I could ignore it if I didn’t feel like dealing with it… and then if there was a voicemail to deal with, I’d email the person back instead of calling. LOL

      The chair is something I saw on a “free for personal use” graphic site, but I wasn’t totally happy with it, so I edited it a bit. Plus it was yellow… which I hate. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      • gigglingfattie says:
        14 October 2016 at 7:59 pm

        Yeah I much prefer to email or text. Even with my family. If I’m expecting a call, I get anxious about it. Like I have a call coming in 2 hours and my body is already starting to react. My stomach is feeling a little tight and my heart is getting a little fast. But it’s like a job interview so that makes it worse. lol. It also means I should PROBABLY get out of my pjs, slap on some makeup and put on my hair…..gah energy use…

        Liked by 1 person

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  13. magarisa says:
    15 October 2016 at 12:52 am

    Congrats on pushing through the fear of making phone calls and calling “the guy” about your foot anyway. It doesn’t matter at all whether anyone else considers making calls to be no big deal; to you, it IS a big deal, end of story. I’m so glad your foot pain is almost gone!
    How awesome of your sister to pay for your kids’ martial arts training. 😀
    I will wait as long as I need to for the next instalment of Secret Admirer. 🙂 Don’t rush!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • what sandra thinks says:
      15 October 2016 at 1:06 am

      Oh… your comment made me smile. You’re so kind… so nice to me. 🙂
      I really think the excruciating pain helped me make the foot doctor phone call. I’m worried about what kind of pain I’m going to need to be in to make job-hunting calls. I haven’t overcome that one yet…
      I wanted to finish my Secret Admirer post tonight… but it’s after 1am so that’s not going to happen… 😦 I’ve missed a week before… but this is week 2! 😦

      Liked by 1 person

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      • magarisa says:
        15 October 2016 at 2:12 pm

        I find it easier to make phone calls to strangers when I’ve prepared a rough outline of what to say. As for Secret Admirer, you’ll continue writing when you’re ready…easy for me to say, but I’ve experienced the anxiety of not being inspired to write, wondering if I’d ever be able to write again. It’s tough to ride the ups and downs of this “journey”. I empathize!

        Liked by 1 person

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  14. KatieComeBack says:
    30 October 2016 at 10:42 am

    I hear ya. My ex and I would skip dinner rather than be the one calling to order food! I get so much more accomplished now that ordering, scheduling appointments can be done online.

    Liked by 1 person

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