Word of the Day: Drama
This kind of fungus growth reminds me of castles, which are perfect setting for drama. They have proved extremely difficult for me to photograph and, when I was out in the woods with the dogs today, I thought I would give it my annual try.
I know people around whom drama swirls continuously, people who seem to exist at the center of a whirlpool. Sometimes you can catch them creating it.
I had a drama today, my own personal drama in which I’ve played a starring role many a time. Here's the basic outline: I make an overture to someone I thought was near and dear, am rejected, feel tremendous hurt, then retell the scene to someone nearer and dearer, garnering sympathy for myself as well as an ally who agrees that the behavior I experienced was hurtful. I catch myself writing that story too!
When dramas are repeated over and over, one does have to question how they are being instigated. Maybe I had more of a hand in creating today’s drama t than I can admit to myself, like the occasional student for whom crises materialize on the way to exams. I completely and utterly believe that he really did have a flat tire on the way to school. I also know for a settled fact that another crisis will befall him just before the next exam because by some mysterious process these students are agents who create crisis.
I better quick tell the story, such as it is, before my readers accuse me of “vague-booking.”* I went to walk the dogs up at Maia’s. She was by herself and I could tell she didn’t want to chat, so I took the dogs out back and returned an hour or so later. I yelled, “bye Maia” through the open window and went towards my car. She came out on the porch and said she wanted to remind that she didn’t want anyone to drop by on Sundays. “I am sooo sorry,” I said, stunned that she was mentioning a stricture she had imposed almost three years ago when Liam and I had just moved over here and were still walking her dogs about twice a day. I experienced her rebuke like a slap, like being batted down. Eventually I got angry about that as I didn’t feel I had done anything to deserve it. She could have straightforwardly said that she was enjoying a day of solitude and the company of her dogs and not to take them with me, that we would catch up another time. And I felt hurt. What I wanted was simple, I think: I wanted to be greeted with happiness that I had arrived (I almost never just drop by anymore and haven’t for many, many months), not be rebuffed as though I had been greedily trying to get a piece of her.
Well, it took me about three hours to figure that out and to recover my equilibrium (and to recognize that there are extra people temporarily staying with Maia and that she is currently overwhelmed by the "crowds"). I ended up driving into town for canning lids rather than getting them close by. I ended up in Wal-Mart buying cleaning supplies that did wonders for the inside of my toilet. Joe, who played the above-listed role of nearer and dearer, joked that I should get upset more often, especially when I detailed my plans to shampoo the carpet.
*Reference there is to Facebook status posts in which writer alludes to great calamity, indignity suffered, emotional upset or other major life events without telling the reader a single concrete detail.
I agree with @homeschoolmom Lisa! They have the problem, not you! There are always people in the world that don't think like you and are consequently difficult to understand! This is an amazing type of fungus and does look like a fairy castle with lots of turrets!
Great capture and story! It's especially relevant to me, as I have to constantly remind myself not to create my own storms (aka drama) And I love the Facebook reference - I've never heard it called vague-booking (a term I will now use) but it drives me crazy!
I love it when I need to visit a place annually to get 'that' shot which escapes me. I think you 'got it' this time. == I'm so sorry that happened to you. Of course you would be hurt! After you have cooled off a bit (and cleaned the carpet), maybe set up a time at her convenience to go to her and talk about it - that you did not want to intrude.... 1:1 sometimes reveals that THEY are having some sort of drama in their own lives and it spills over.
July 16th, 2015
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
