Monday, December 27, 2010

Crazy People!








Crazy People... the world is full of them! Now when I say crazy people, I am not referring to my brand of 'crazy' which means laughing at my mistakes, having the strong desire to make other people laugh, or finding humor in the silliest of situations. I am talking about people who are "FULL, BLOWN OUT, CRAZY!"


I am often very naive and accepting when it comes to making new friends, and I guess some people would say 'THAT IS CRAZY'! But I love people, and I always attempt to look for the good in people. Somewhere along the line though, I missed being blessed with the 'NUTTER' radar. You know, that radar that is supposed to go off when you meet someone who has that Jeckyll/ Hyde personality! Oh my, if I could purchase a 'SPOT A NUT JOB' radar somewhere I would buy it!

Have any of you met a person on Facebook that you just seemingly 'click' with. Well, I found a person JUST like that on our local Facebook news site, and we became Facebook friends! Oh, she was nice, fun, intelligent, seemingly having the same values as I, the same positive, humorous, fun outlook on life that I have! Did I mention that I met her on 'Facebook'? Well, the friendly posts turned into friendly inboxes, which turned into a friendly first meeting, which turned into a few friendlier get togethers, which then turned into an 'exorcist, head spinning, foaming at the mouth like, chaotic drama! I had NO clue that one person could fabricate, insinuate or create such DRAMA in one's life. AND I could not believe that I had allowed myself to be sucked into the mouth of well, a DRAMA of MASS DESTRUCTION. Oh, I stepped in to console and conjole, and 'be the friend' that one should be when these dramas creep up. I gave advice, prayed for her, sent cards, yes I even left numerous texts and voice mails, because for some reason my friend did not like 'talking on the phone'! Maybe that should have been my first clue?





As usual, when life hands me one of these learning lessons, a 'crazy lemon', I look at if from every angle to decide: what can I do differently next time? And here is the conclusion I have come to. First of all, you don't have to accept every friend request that someone sends you on facebook! WOW! What was a brilliant, Oprah, 'a-ha' moment that was for me! Secondly, the truest friends you will meet are those whom you meet in PERSON. You may meet them in a place of common interest, or in a gathering of common friends, a place of worship, or a club of shared hobbies. Not on a facebook site! And thirdly, if a person can only communicate via texting and facebook... there may be an issue. Now there are some exceptions to that rule, I have found, but they are very few and far between! (those of you that are the exception to the rule know who you are- xoxo)

So as I sit and ponder my 'true friends', I can honestly say, that I am blessed with many. And to those who have given new meaning to the phrase 'You are one card short of a full deck', I say hasta la vista baby! Life is too short to live your drama! The phrase, "save your drama for yo' mama" has taken on a whole new meaning.

This has been a hard lesson to learn, but I can sit and laugh now, from my 'drama' free zone. The long and short of this lesson; Pray for guidance when seeking new friends. Pray that you will be equipped with a 'lunatic radar' (I have found that the 'Hershey Kiss Tin Foil Hats' that the actors wore in the movies "SIGNS" work fabulously at deftlecting the crazies!). Look for the 'glaring' psycho' signals that are amazingly obvious to most, but may slip by you if you believe there is truly massive amounts of goodness in all mankind. Don't be afraid to ask your 'true' friends to look out for you, and to warn you, lest you slip though the cracks of someone else's duplicitous drama! Beware of the 'crazies' my friends, for they ARE out there, and they DO have plans to rob you of your joy, your time, your passion, and your happiness! BUT with prayer and counsel from true friends you can avoid the pits that I have blindly fallen into. In all seriousness, the most important lesson I have learned is as follows: you become like the people you choose to surround yourself with. I don't know about you but I choose to surround myself with people who love life, and who are living their lives joyfully, honestly and to the fullest. That is what I want for my life, so from now on that is what I seek for as I choose my friends! Luckily I have moved on without any damage, but with a much wiser outlook on the meaning of a 'true friend'. To my true friends, I love laughing with you and sharing your joys and good times as well as bad times. To those wearing a drama queen tiara... I am sorry there is too much life left for me to live and too much fun left to be had!

Living laughing and loving from a drama free zone!

My NOT so Crazy Christmas!











I woke up to a chilly Christmas morning, It was is so easy to remember in the not too distant past, 2 little sets of feet running to say, "SANTA WAS HERE! LET'S GET UP"! Well on THIS Christmas morning, with 2 much older children still asleep in their beds, I was the one excitedly waiting for THEM to 'nonchalantly' drag themselves up and say... time to get up? But there IS a secret...






Christmas Eve night, as I sat wrapping the 'two hooligans' gifts, I could hear a noise from upstairs. It was the above named 'hooligans', now 18 and 20 as they were sitting in Wes's room talking and laughing... not punching and screaming, but actually getting along, and it hit me: THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT CHRISTMAS!






As I sat in bed, on Christmas morning, in peace and silence and serenity, I was mentally shouting, "SANTA WAS HERE KIDS! GET UP!" I am realizing, that while times have changed, the joy of Christmas will never change. We may just express our feelings and attitudes a little differently as we age and experience life and its changes.






As it turned out, the day was peaceful, magical and different in a CRAZY sort of way that I never expected. The Easton household set a new record as it took us over an hour to open up the gifts we had purchased! We enjoyed just sitting, talking and reminiscing about Christmases past. It was a day when my heart actually embraced and rejoiced in the changes. It was a day when I said to myself, I am getting older, my kids are growing up, and I am just fine with that today.






Now I sit here with another week of vacation ahead of me! Plans? Oh my yes! Plans for relaxation, crafting, family, friends. And, I am spending time reflecting on this past year of craziness; a year of lessons learned, victories achieved, and personal growth in abundance. I embrace the New Year coming, in the way I always do, with excitement and a twinkle in my eye, knowing that there are MANY crazy and fun adventures ahead. I can hardly wait! My newest, craziest, most exciting thing planned? Changing my diet and fitness habits. I don't plan on eating like a rabbit and running to the gym every day, but I plan on trying a Vegan diet, thanks to wisdom and encouragement from my Vegan guru and wild and crazy friend Gwen! I plan on taking walks around my lovely neighborhood, and working up a sweat as I enjoy the scenery of the bay which surrounds me and magnolia lined neighborhood in which I live. And I plan on spending time each day reflecting on my blessings and thanking God for using my 'crazy' life to help others realize how truly sane they are! ; ) Or at least bring a smile to someone who may actually read my silliness.






Last night, I took a little Facebook quiz! "What will 2011 bring for you?" I laughed with pure joy and happiness as I read the following prediction: "Patti got HAPPINESS!! 2011 will be a very happy year for you,and you will have many laughs and good times!" I expect nothing else! NOTHING LESS! As I am often heard saying "I have a mental party going on at all times!"









I pray that each one of you, experienced your own Christmas magic and love with your families this year, and I pray that as you look ahead, you will find a year full of blessings, fun, joy, much laughter and and good times. God's blessings to you.






With love and laughter,



Patti