*Disclaimer: I don’t have kids and don’t see any in the immediate future. This is purely conjecture meant to make myself feel better.
I found myself yesterday at the final street fair of the winter, the last gasp of “snowbird” season. It’s the biggest and best in my humble opinion. It’s also special to me because it was going on when I moved down here four years ago. So, yay me — four years in Florida and I hope many more.
Anyway, you don’t see a lot of kids down here. If you see a stroller, there’s usually a dog or two in it. If they aren’t in a purse. And the few that ARE on leashes are in dresses with tiny anchors or ladybugs or sunflowers on them.
It’s appalling. And yet, I seriously want a just-above-teacup-sized pup that I can put into obnoxiously adorable outfits.
Anyway, the rare kid I saw (parked in strollers outside the over-21 area where people like me were gulping our salvation) pretty much had a vocabulary of two words: No or OK.
And I realize, that’s kind of my world too. But it’s time to reverse it.
I’ve spent a lifetime saying yes to every work request. But when it comes to personal relationships, save for the whole TG saga and maybe a few others that didn’t invade my soul quite so terribly, I tend to say no. No time, no energy, no effort, no way I can fit that in because other things take priority.
Time to reverse it.
Time to say YES to dates and flirts and texts and calls. Yes even more often to friends! Within reason of course — I’m still pretty fucking tired and, judging by the amount of money I spend at Total Wine, drunk. But more NOs to everyone who gets a wild hair.
Sure, little kids who say no end up getting cajoled or forced into doing what doesn’t appeal to them. But for that glorious moment of FEELING in control, I’d sell my soul.