People

I have a "gift". People talk to me. Random, total strangers tell me their life stories. I don't do anything to invite these people to talk to me, they just do. I never know how to cut them off, even if I'm in a rush, so I just listen. I figure that if they need to talk to me (for whatever their reasons) they must not have anyone else to talk to. Or, who knows, maybe they just talk to everyone. Sometimes I walk away from these listening sessions in awe, and other times I just walk away dumbfounded scratching my head. Mainly it's the later of those two.

I seem to be on a streak these days. Over the past week my off-site customer told me all about the last ten years of her financial woes and work problems (for hours)...my dental hygienist told me about her divorce and dating life of the past 30 years and a recent cab driver I encountered spewed monk-like wisdom about marriage, love and life for the entire ride while inquiring all about my marital and life statuses.  

Today's story occurred while I was shopping for a few household items. Upon check out, the cashier asked me why I was buying cleaning items on a Saturday night because I should be out filling up my dance card instead. Feeling the need to somewhat defend my apparent pathetic-ness, I muttered a weak reply of something like, "I'm recovering from wisdom teeth removal and my head is killing me...". He quickly shared his own wisdom tooth story, stories of recovery, life, God, healing and well, I lost track of what else he said because all I really wanted to do was get in my car and cry out of frustration due to the nagging pain in my head. He eventually put his hands on mine and quoted the Bible in efforts to "put some healing" on me and said he appreciated me. I'm not sure as what? A customer? A fellow wisdom tooth removal recipient? A person who wold listen to him? 

Whatever the case, these experiences at least gave me something to focus on instead of my nagging headache, if only for a moment or two. Fingers crossed for a better feeling day tomorrow!

Wisdom

Back from a quick work trip in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania (that earned me kudos and a big thank you that went all the way up to our division Vice President!), and already moving on to the next thing...like getting my wisdom teeth removed. The procedure went well, and fast, but I had to be numbed with Novocaine twice and that needle was not fun. Especially when your DDS accidentally pokes your tongue with it. 

So far, I'm in almost no pain and hope it stays that way. I'm medicating with Advil and Amoxicillin for now, and hoping to stay away from the heavier drugs prescribed. There's some slight swelling, but it's not very noticeable. I have to go out for some "soft-food" groceries at some point, but for now my life looks like that of an old man's nightstand...

Wisdom in a Bag

Lynnsanity

Last Saturday I got a text notification stating that a $19,000.00 transaction was declined on my debit card. I still haven't gotten to the bank to investigate it. I did shut the card down (again), but if the charge is from who/what I think it is the culprit added too many zeros to a processing fee of what should have been $190.00. Hopefully, I'll get to the bank this weekend for answers.

Although, this weekend I'm not sure how I'm accomplishing anything, much less getting to the bank. Things that are on my list? Kids stuff, friend stuff, pick up race stuff, run 5K, birthday party stuff, and oh yeah... breathe. I just don't know how to balance it all, deal with the logistics of distance and not let anyone down or feel guilty about how I spend my time. This on top of having to prep for more work travel next week is causing a lot of tension headaches and jaw pain. 

Oh, and did I mention I'm finally biting the bullet and getting two wisdom teeth removed? Yep, after putting it off for over 20+ years, the left side third molars have got to go. While there is no pain issue, the bottom molar has a lot of loose gum tissue around it (which is normal), but I cannot keep it clean despite any amount of brushing, rinsing and flossing. To avoid infection, the tooth has to be removed. And since you can't remove just one, the entire left side has to go. I'm really not looking forward to the surgery or the recovery period. 

Dealing with all this has left me with more roller coaster dreams (see Joker for reference). Only this time, I was trying to climb the track outside of any train car, and then somehow found myself magically in the train car of the ride as it went careening towards the ground. At least this time, I kept all hands and feet inside the ride.