I Told My Therapist About You

I saw this pigment print this morning over at 20x200 and it made me laugh out loud. Then it made me think about all of the random connections that we make in our lives, why we make them and when. There isn't a one of us who haven't met the right person at the right time or stumbled into the right distraction just the very moment that you needed it, and then certainly, if we all had therapists we'd tell them right away. Which reminds me that I recently dealt with a parent who asked, quite defensively, if I was the type who thought that everyone needed counselling. Since I stifled my first reaction, which was to say, "No, just you, I simply told her that most people could use the right person at the right time, and if that's what she meant, then yes.

It's important that you share things, and maybe even more important, that you share them with the right people. I don't necessarily mean big stuff either, nope...I mean anything. It's not a small thing that you choose to let someone into your world, not a little thing at all. Sometimes we dismiss the seemingly fleeting or inconsequential connections when, in fact, they're the most important ones. The big stuff happens with much less frequency than the little junk. All that small crap matters...a friend's blog, a random email, a simple fun idea, a kind word, a laugh...those are the things that fill up our days (and hearts). It's important to pay attention to that stuff. I think parenting has helped me with that.

With Zoey it's the little stuff that is happening every day, all the time, that matters most. People talk about first steps and new teeth, first words, etc...and those things are big but none of them rank high in my heart in terms of Zoey moments from this first year...none of them. My newest favorite is how Zed has learned to squeeze my neck when she hugs. I love it. She wraps her arms around you and squeezes as tight as she can. It's enough to make your heart explode. It's such a little thing to a lot of people but not to me. It's full of emotion and meaning and connection. The little stuff...

I'm still giggling at that print, and it reminds me of all of the people (who don't live in my house or sit on individual limbs of my family tree) whom I've felt particularly connected to, despite distance and logic, across this entire year - MaryAnn, Beth, Kev & Aimee, Betz, Barb, Dustin, Joe, Serree... Right place, right time...just like I said. Sometimes all you did was say the right thing, sometimes it was much more. Either way, if I had a therapist I'd tell 'em about it. Right now this blog is my therapist. It only just struck me now. In that case I've told "my therapist" about you time and time again. It always feels good.

It's not that I have all that much to go in search of therapy for, but it's nice to dump and divulge and etc...embarrassing etc...on a regular basis. This blog has certainly made me more aware of things, connected me to people in ways I might never have found otherwise. It's probably also labelled me a sap but so be it.

Speaking of therapists...Ever catch that scene in Reign Over Me where Sandler dumps all of his baggage on Don Cheadle right there in Liv Tyler's waiting room? Wow...heavy. If you've never seen that movie you're about two years too late so get on it. You won't regret it, and if you do then go away and stop dropping in here.