Check on Your Single Friends

This is a tough time for all of us.  Businesses are closed, restaurants only open for delivery and carry out, people are at home and teaching their kids.

But us single people, in all seriousness, check on them.

I’m mostly an extrovert but like to have times alone to refresh, rejuvenate, but when at home for too long…I go crazy.

I’ve been trying to put myself in the shoes of a family and, at this time, I am a bit jealous.  You have someone to talk to, to play games with, to have movie night with…and then there is the other part where there are probably more conflicts than usual because you have no where to go.  But, if you want to get away from someone you can go for a walk or to another room or the backyard…

When you’re home alone…that’s it.  You can play solitaire all day long but it’s not the same.  You can talk on the phone but it’s not the same…honestly, this is rough.  I’m used to human interaction on a daily basis, I work in sales and human interaction is the gig.  I have my co workers, my Lions Club family, my dear friends…and now nothing.  I mean, I have my cats but they aren’t great conversationalists.  I have the phone but it’s not the same, video is awesome but still not the same.  I’m trying to make due with the technology that we are blessed to have.

The other part is that, should I get sick with this virus, who would be here to take me to the doctor should I need to go?  Who would call 911 if need be?

These are things that run through my mind, these are the things that keep this single person up at night…

So those of you that are shelter in place with your family, and they are driving you crazy, be glad you have those beings…that you can hug them, you can talk to them, you have that human interaction.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday!

I LOVE football and love the Super Bowl…although it has a tinge of sadness as well with the football season being officially over.

Why do we love Super Bowl?  It’s a grand finale of a season, you get together with friends and there’s TONS of food.  Which is awesome because I love food and used to love these gatherings but…

I know I’ve talked about social food anxiety and Super Bowl parties are a great example of why.  You are at a party with amazing food and you have no idea what’s in it and if it is gluten free (yay!) someone stuck their gluten filled cracker into it…not gluten free anymore.  So you end up eating carrots because you KNOW you can have those.

And that’s not the worst part, I can deal with there not being anything for me to eat, I “pre game” a lot and no one should have to create their party around ME.  It’s my responsibility to figure it out for myself.

But the worst part is the looks you get from people, the “there’s food in the kitchen” and politely saying “thank you” without telling people your total story and, making them feel bad.  When you do tell people, because the look is sometimes a sad one that you aren’t partaking, you get a look of “I’m so sorry” or them scrambling to create something special for you.

Both make me feel like a heel, like an outcast and I know people don’t intend that but it’s what happens.  I also know that this is something I continue to try to not let bother me, because it’s my life and will be the way it is the rest of my life.

That being said, get a ton of food, eat everything in sight and go 49ers!

Anxiety

I didn’t know what to title this.  Nothing earth shattering came to mind so I made it simple:  “Anxiety”.

The last of the year is always a busy crazy one in my business.  We work hard to secure annuals, to get our clients the best deal we can with incentives galore.  This year seemed harder than normal, more rushed, and it was hard to enjoy the Christmas season and my birthday but I worked hard to do so.

So I was anxious, very much so, and when I went in to talk to my doctor for my annual, I told her that I was anxious.  I felt myself not being able to breathe, not being able to sleep, crying and shaking.  So I tried a med.  It made me so nauseous.  I quit the med and worked out more, which kind of worked.

I had a great Christmas with my parents, relaxed, enjoyed…and then work started again.  And the Sunday before I went back to work I found myself at home, crying uncontrollably, shaking and not being able to breathe.  Anxiety.  Panic.  When I should have called my friends, I didn’t.  I didn’t want to be a burden, I didn’t want to bother, I didn’t call the people I SHOULD have.

I’ve had these conversations lately.  My friend had a bad day and I say “You should have called me” and the following would be the answers:  “I didn’t want to burden you, I didn’t want to bother”.  Why do we have to feel like we shouldn’t bother the people we trust and SHOULD lean on.

The following came up on my Facebook the other day and it’s so appropriate:

It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn’t heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore’s stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.

“Hello Eeyore,” said Pooh.

“Hello Pooh. Hello Piglet,” said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.

“We just thought we’d check in on you,” said Piglet, “because we hadn’t heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay.”

Eeyore was silent for a moment. “Am I okay?” he asked, eventually. “Well, I don’t know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That’s what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven’t bothered you. Because you wouldn’t want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now.”

Pooh looked at Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house.

Eeyore looked at them in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“We’re sitting here with you,” said Pooh, “because we are your friends. And true friends don’t care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are.”

“Oh,” said Eeyore. “Oh.” And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.

Because Pooh and Piglet were There.

No more; no less.

(A.A. Milne, E.H. Shepard)

And that, folks, is why we have friends.  For the good days, the bad days, the anxiety, the doctor appointments, the troubles with kids, the troubles with spouses, the troubles with work…and the days where everything is going right, the days when you get the promotion, the day when your child graduates, the day when you get a new house.

Friends are to be there in ALL times of life.  I need to take a lesson from Pooh and Piglet, be there when it’s not requested.  I need to take a lesson from Eeyore and ask for time even if I’m not in a good place because friends help you to a better place.

You’re Single?

So I’m back…I think.  And whether I’m writing this for others to read (I hope) or it’s journaling, either is fine.  And, not all posts will be about gluten free so if you read these for reviews, etc., that’s great but I’m going to explore other topics in my life as well.

Something has gotten me thinking over the last couple of months and is something that has appeared over my lifetime:  Why am I single?

There are a few of things about being single I want to focus on for this post.  The first thing is that question I dread hearing:  “Why are you single?”  Sigh…well Karen (sorry all Karens out there, I know your name is used a lot these days so I will jump on the bandwagon) there are probably two reason for me being single.  The first is that I like being single, I can do things on my own time without asking someone if we have plans, etc.  I like my TIME.  But the second is that I’m un-dateable.  NOW, before y’all get all riled up, it could be true.  I’m not a good dater.

Here’s why:  I’m in sales.  Every day I’m prospecting, cold calling, doing meetings to see what needs are and, hopefully, selling them on not only my products but ME.  In order for someone to do business with me, they have to trust me.  Dating is like that.  You prospect for that guy you want to go out with, you contact them (or they contact you), you go on a date to see if there is compatibility and then you have to TRUST each other and build that.  It’s like work for me to date.

The third, and even worse thing, that I hear is “You’re beautiful and smart and funny…why don’t you have a boyfriend?”  Which is code for “what is wrong with you?”  No, I don’t have seven toes and no, I’m not a serial killer.   I don’t know why I don’t have a boyfriend because if I could answer that question…I would have a boyfriend.  Probably because see the first point:  It feels like work, like a job, to date.

The thing that goes along with that is that, honestly, I don’t think I’m beautiful.  Now, don’t go thinking that I think I’m Quasimodo because I know I’m pretty but I hear things like “beautiful” and “stunning”.  I can hold my own but it surprises me when I hear that.

So I am single.  And a good part of me LIKES being single.  That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t LIKE to have a boyfriend.  Right now is not the time and when the time is right it will happen.

And, by the way, Quasimodo had endearing qualities, looks aren’t always the only thing that attracts.

These last few weeks

It’s been a crazy week and few days and I’m sorry I haven’t written.  I have some blog posts ready to go but these last few weeks have been something else… I love cats and most recently (April 2016) adopted …

Take me out to the ball game!

As you’ve probably already noted, I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan. I bought my tickets and I was ready to go to the Cubs/Rockies game in Denver, all that was left was to start singing “take me out to …

Review: Pampered Chef Pizza Crust

For those that don’t know it, Pampered Chef makes a pizza crust. Yes, that is correct, a pizza crust. They have a limited pantry in the catalog of items you can purchase like spices, etc. Now they have a couple …

The Salad is Gluten Free

Today I went to a luncheon at a local restaurant.  As a group, we had checked to see if they would have gluten free items for us at lunch.  We were told (twice, by the way) that there would be a gluten free option.  When I arrived, I spoke to the owner and asked about gluten free options and the answer was “The salad is gluten free”.

Now, if I had a dime for every time I heard that, I would be pretty well off.  Lettuce is gluten free.  What a concept.  I bet next you’ll be telling me that carrots are.

The problem was that it was so non chalant, like I didn’t matter as a consumer.  I explained to him that two of our membership had inquired so that we could make sure anyone that needed to be gluten free would be taken care of.  He responded that there were gluten free menu items but only the lettuce salad would be gluten free so I asked about the dressing, which was.

My issues were as follows:  1.  If you tell a group that there will be gluten free options, please stick by that.  I realize that salad is easy but it’s not the lunch I pay for.  2.  Don’t be non chalant about it.  This is something real, not something that I choose to do, and would much rather eat like a normal person.

All in all, this isn’t the first time I’ve had a run in with this place and will try to go there as little as possible.

Review: Smart Flour Foods Pizza

It was a long week.  We had our annual Lions Club carnival and then four days later I was on a bus to Denver for a quick two day legislative trip.  On the way home the last thing I wanted to think about was cooking dinner and settled on picking up a frozen pizza and settled on Smart Flour Foods pizza.

I needed something with a little protein, so I chose the uncured pepperoni variety. They do have two other kinds, and I know one of them is cheese, but I don’t really remember what the other kind that the supermarket had in stock was.  

I like the fact that it had a short term baking time. Just 11 to 13 minutes. When I took it out of the wrapper, it reminded me of the old school Totino’s pizzas. Very flat and not much to it.  It baked very quickly which I was very happy for.  

When I came out, the outer edges of the crust seemed very done but the underneath part still wasn’t very crispy, and I really like my pizza crispy! So I don’t know if I should have baked it longer, but I was afraid that it might burn the edges.

The taste was fine, nothing spectacular, and really did remind me of that old school Totino’s pizza! The problem is that for $7.99, the price is way more than it should be for a pizza of that type. 

Next time I will spend a little more money and go for the Conte’s pizza or the Udi’s pizza. Or just go all out and find a gluten-free place that delivers.

Social Distortion

I love the band Social Distortion.  There is always a song for each happening in life and, although this may seem like it will be a band tribute, it isn’t. I’ve had some experiences in the past few weeks that …