After taking a couple of days to rest from overdoing it, I am back on my grind today. While going through a box that I never unpacked from my original move (because nothing inside it was overly important), I found a ton of missing CD’s. I reorganized that box for its intended purpose, took the CD’s out, and I’m boxing up music. I added some songs to my media library since I will be putting the majority of my music into storage initially. You know how there’s always that one song you miss? I was happy to find a few. But I’m also debating tossing things I don’t want to move with, heavy things that seem kind of pointless, but then I have a moment where I think “Shouldn’t you at least have the opportunity to go through all of this stuff before deciding to toss it or not? Okay, so it’s a few extra boxes and it will take hours to go through every single item and make a decision, but if you’re throwing away solid memories, maybe it should wait. If you’re questioning it, then now is not the time to toss it.”
How is it that “stuff” emotionally neuters us at times? In life, we build memories and sometimes, memories captured are difficult to part with. The more I pause, the more I feel like nothing is getting done and I’m working on a very tight deadline.
To add insult to injury, I have absolutely no clue how this move is going to take place. I’ve had two “helpers” back out in the last few days. No explanations, just flat-out back out or say one thing, and then say they couldn’t or wouldn’t help. I need someone to drive a 26 foot truck, so I asked the one person in my life who is a professional driver. It’s not like he has someplace to be the following day. I’d never ask someone to take off from work to help me move, but naturally, there are going to be kinks along the way. I was then left with the second task: I need to transport Cat and Kitten and all the delicate items in a separate vehicle. I legitimately need help. I can’t take them and leave them in a situation they’re not familiar with and them come back and do everything else before I have to be out, so I am frustrated and more than a little pissed off. Ultimately, I have no choice but to keep packing, but not knowing with solid certainty where I’m going due to these issues is upsetting me greatly. And yes, I have thought of so many options and no one is willing to say “I can help you out that weekend, it’s not a problem.” Mind you, they’d all come to me in a heartbeat for the smallest thing, but my asking for help is somehow wrong. Note to self: Trade family members into slavery. Buy Porsche Cayenne with the money you make from the trade. (I’m only partially kidding.)
The larger insult that I was slammed with the other day was basically being told that I don’t have enough friends. It was an incredibly rich statement based on who it came from, but it pissed me off nonetheless because it was thoughtless, insensitive, and rude. How many “friends” does one need? Do I need a fucking sorority house to satisfy someone else’s idea of how I should be, or am I good with just a few close friends?
I do not grant friendship easily. My friendship is a genuine, loyal, breathing organism. It is fully committed and quite frankly, most women don’t know how to be friends like that. I don’t need falseness in my life and I don’t need to be a joiner to be a good person and be content. Anyone who thinks I need to change the core of who I am needs to realize that Fibromyalgia is with me 24/7. Eventually, people stop asking you to do things when you can barely get out of bed and do the most basic things for yourself, so why would I want to put myself in the situation of opening up to absolute strangers who haven’t earned their place in my life? I’m a grown woman, and the last thing I need in this world is to be told how to be or that there’s something about me that needs to change because it’s imperfect. I have two words as an answer: FUCK THAT.
I am who I am. I am ENOUGH. Anyone who disagrees needs to mind their own business, keep their opinions to themselves, or get the hell out of my way.
I only apologize if I’ve truly done something wrong. Being myself is NOT wrong.
So, to the person that feels I need to be “changed”, I strongly suggest you take a good look in the mirror and change some of your own behavioral patterns. I don’t change friends daily the way you change socks, and that is a quality to be admired, not disrespected as you did. The fact that you look down upon it is quite sickening.
The cherry on top: I’ve had a migraine since yesterday afternoon. I was legitimately in bed before 4:00 PM. At some point, my body will inform me that it needs more rest and I am going to do my best to give it what it needs. Unfortunately, moving and self-care don’t exactly mesh well. 😦 I’d love to just lie in bed and read a book today or tomorrow. I am going to try to squeeze in chapters of Trigger Mortis here and there before I leave. Worst case scenario: I’m unable to finish it.
On the plus side, I am truly grateful for the people who have stepped up and assisted in both large and small ways, regardless of the miles between us. That means so much to me, to have that level of support. Sadly, I wish it was a team of ten people at the moment helping me with all this crap instead of a handful making me feel like crap.
Life, my friends, is not for the faint of heart. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
copyright © 2015 by Lisa Marino & Blackbird Serenity LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


You need to be changed, huh? What an asinine thing to say, and I can’t imagine ever saying that to anyone. I wish I were that perfect… no, wait a minute, I’m glad I’m not. Like me or not, just don’t dance around and offer me cookies if I promise to live up to your gold standard of friendship.
Hang in there and stay strong. You know who you are and you’re better for it. And the best of luck with your move.
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Yeah, and let me tell you how hard I’m going to be working on that! I have plenty of insane thoughts and opinions that sometimes come out of my mouth, but I try not to be vicious or cruel. This was a total put down, and it was meant to be one. I know the other person probably thought they were being “helpful” by informing me of this, but really, it was better left unsaid.
I think the fact that I know who I am is why people continue to try tearing me down. I have to consider the source when people say stupid shit to me.
I’m doing my best. Moving sucks. 😦 It’ll be whatever it’s supposed to be, I have to have faith that it will work itself out.
Be well.
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I’ll tell you who you should be but it’s for your own good? Yes, I’ve been there. In fact I moved to a different country, left everything behind eight years ago. I still feel like a stranger in a strange land, but it was a fresh start, fresh job, fresh everything. It’s still a struggle some days, but I don’t regret the decision. I’m often reminded of the saying, “no matter where you go, there you are”. I’m still the same essential me, still working on the core of who I am. The older I get, the less I care how people interpret me. I’m still considerate and polite, but my bullshit tolerance is extremely low.
And moving really does suck. Have faith, it really will work out the way it’s supposed to.
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I don’t grasp the cruelty behind saying shit like that to someone. I am probably quicker to anger than some, but if something is inappropriate or unnecessary, then I’m the first to say so.
I think we all do what we feel is right in the moment, even if it means uprooting our life to another country. It’s never going to be a smooth transition from what we’re used to, but I think many of us go through life and realize that we need a fresh start, a new job somewhere far away, etc.
I haven’t cared about how people interpret me in a very long time and I don’t foresee that changing, but catty, unnecessary comments are still annoying when a person is supposed to love you.
I know everything will work out as it is supposed to, I just detest the uncertainty of it all. I remember having a clear vision and plan, and the plan took a shit on me, so I am feeling very much as if the floor has been removed from under my feet at the moment. I will get back on track though, one day at a time.
Thank you so much for your kind words and support. 🙂 I respect and appreciate it.
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You’re welcome. Struggling is something we all endure, and it ain’t easy if there’s no one to listen or empathize. I think it builds a resolve, sometimes bitter, sometimes wary; a kind of scar tissue on the skin of who we are and who we will become. My own past has taught me to be self-reliant. All this to say, I have empathy for those who struggle, physically or otherwise. Life is a shared experience, and we can either neglect it or share it. I don’t come across as a warm and fuzzy person to most people; I don’t show my wounds to anyone, because experience has taught me most people don’t want to know. That’s fine, I have no chains to hold them, or a soapbox nailed to their floor. But I’m stronger than I was even a year ago, or yesterday. And I’m not cold or detached. Just… quiet. I am who I am, like it or not. Just listen for a moment, I want to say, and you might hear who I really am.
And that’s why I listen. There may be voices in the wilderness, but I think there are also ears that listen to them. There’s too much fucking deafness in the world.
And I think that’s the most I’ve written about myself in years. Fiction’s a hell of a lot easier. *whew* 🙂
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