While at my friend's farm, I chatted up my friend, and a friend of hers. The friend, Liz, and I talked about all manner of things about family, life, theology, pursuit of health, both physical and mental. I hit upon briefly about going to visit my mom after lunch, and what that involves. And how I've been in therapy since 2009, and had gastric bypass, and work actively towards trying to have a different narrative for my life than my mother's life.
I was just being me, and I felt safe. Joanie and I are of the same type of people. Takes a while to vet people. We both have reached each others' inner sanctum. So I share. I'm not always so forthcoming. I much prefer to people watch and hang back. But I've known Joanie for a few years, perhaps 7?10? I've lost track. And I've met Liz before at previous years' shearings, but usually there's more people, more activity. Hell, this year, I even got a small bit of chitchat out of the professional shearer during a rare moment of downtime during the shearing of the herd.
Liz gave me a huge compliment. Honestly, I don't know if she knows how big of a deal this was to me, but she complimented me on all the progress I've made on my road to well being.
Sometimes I think a good lot of outsiders when they hear the things I have to say, typically bristle because they don't know the burden of having a parent in ill physical health who is verbally and emotionally abusive. Sometimes I feel like I'm too critical, when I don't embellish. I just matter of fact say things as they are. But things are so awful, it surely must seem like hyperbole or criticism or negativity to outsiders.
To have Liz, a friendly acquaintance, an outsider of sorts, to validate me, my progress, MY PATH I have chosen to be on, well? To oversimplify or overstate the obvious... IT IS NICE.
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