Zany Mama A to M

I will admit it. I love the “101 Things About Me” lists that many folks have on their blogs. I find them completely fun and very interesting to read - I mean, you just can’t get those kinds of minute details about someone ordinarily, even by reading their blog.

So here are my own minute details – nicely organized in a handy A-Z list. (Well, actually today is an A-M list, but the N-Z list will follow shortly).

Asthma. The chronic medical condition which rules our household. Zane has severe asthma, and we have, for the past two years, had to take multiple trips to the ER between September and March – his most difficult months. Zane’s asthma doctor, a nationally recognized expert, has told us that Zane is in the worst 3% of his patients. Yippee! We don’t excel in much in our family, but apparently illness is our forte.

Biracial. I am a black-white biracial woman. In case you’re interested, my mom is white and my dad is black. They got together in the early seventies, when folks were oh-so-tolerant of interracial relationships and broke up for good when I was five.

Cats. I grew up with cats and love them. SRH grew up with cats and loves them. We got two kittens 4 days after we got married and another one a few years later when we –idiotically - made a trip with my mother to the local cat welfare association. We adored our cats, but after Zane’s third trip to the ER in two months, we heeded the doctor’s advice and gave them away. SRH is still very sad about it. I don’t miss the cat hair.

Dancing Fool. I love to dance and will do it anywhere – at home, in the grocery store, while waiting for my food in restaurants. In public places, I may not full out bust a move like at home, but it’s enough to embarrass SRH on a regular basis. This may be why I do it.

Expressive. I do not have a poker face. When I’m feeling something, everybody in the room knows it. I laugh a lot. I cry hard, and I love my family and friends ferociously. And while I don’t believe my dancing could not be characterized as interpretive, I do think it’s expressive.

Food Allergies. The other medical condition which runs our lives. Zane is currently allergic to dairy, egg, peanuts, and tree nuts. In the past he has been allergic to soy, tomatoes, and potatoes, so we have to watch these in his diet as well. And for the first year of his life, he was allergic to any and all vegetables. We have gotten amazingly creative with cooking in the last three years. That and we’ve lowered our standards.

Gall Bladder. I have one although they thought they might have to take it out when I was 9 months pregnant. However, getting rid of the 6 lb. 10 oz. mass that was kicking it on a regular basis seemed to resolve the issue. (Hey, give me a break. “G” is a really hard one. I am neither graceful nor particularly generous, though I try to be both).

Highly sensitive. I read this book, The Highly Sensitive Person, and it rocked my world by how “right on” it was to my personality.

Intense. Here’s the thing. I completely don’t get this one, but my friends have said it enough that I tend to believe them. Oh sure, I can get really focused on something to the exclusion of all else. And I tend to be a little overly-critical and hard on myself. And, oh yeah, I have been known to starve myself for 15 months straight so that I could nurse my son who is allergic to everything. But I wouldn’t call that intense, really. I think I’m just focused and goal oriented.

Jumpy. I have a hair-pin trigger on me. Did I mention that I was highly sensitive? Don’t walk up behind me or make a quick movement, I’ll jump out of my skin. It’s part of my charm. My intense charm.

Kind. I really do try hard to be kind in most situations. Many years ago, I made a mental list of the characteristics of women whom I admired and aspired to be like, and I found a common thread: they were all incredibly kind. So I try. I don’t make it on many days, but I put in the effort.

Listener. I am a really, really good listener. I’m such a good listener that strangers regularly tell me their life stories in the grocery store, at restaurants, and on airplanes. It’s a skill I cultivated when I was a psychotherapist, but I have to admit that I got a little tired of listening to folks after doing it for eight hours a day, five days a week for a few years. So I changed professions, but I’ll still occasionally listen to my friends and family.

Married. I’ve been married 9 years to the love of my life, SRH. We met in college and have spent almost our whole adult lives together. You will see him around this blog. I like to give him a hard time.