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Friday
25 May 200110 55 am pdt [ learning about myself ]
Yesterday, all 5000 employees at Matthew's company had a 15 minute meeting with their superiors. Somewhere between 1000 and 1500 walked back to their offices, packed up their desks, and went home for good. Matthew sent an e-mail in the middle of the day saying that he "still has to go to work." I wasn't worried, but I know he was, so I'm glad we're pass that stressful event.
I called my Aunt Martha in Florida to thank her for sending me some clothes from her yoga studio and to catch up on her life. She told me she was going to Europe for six weeks.
"Bring me back something small and strange."
"What do you want?"
"Something small and strange; you'll know when you see it."
"How small and how strange?"
"I don't know. You'll know when you see it."
"You know, last time I went to Italy, Stephanie said she wanted a wallet. I asked, 'What color?' She said, 'Green.' So I got her a green wallet. Wallets I can do. I don't know about small and strange."
"If you see something that looks right, great. If not, it's fine."
As I was mid-sentence talking to her, Matthew walked in -- right in the middle of the afternoon. Apparently his boss suggested he go home early, since it was rather awkward around the office.
The sun was still high in the sky and I excitedly suggested he select an activity from the idea box. When I first gave him the box, he looked at two cards just to get an idea of what was in there. One was a coupon for a full body massage, which set him grinning, and the other was a request for him to teach me how to throw like a boy, which made him laugh at me.
Yesterday, the first card he selected invited him to give me a formula one lesson. He said, "I think you've had enough formula one for a few days." I bid him to select again. This fourth card suggested finding out what was happening at a local bar/club called Jupiter. He said that would be fun for the evening,, but we both agreed a good plan for right then was to locate a softball and give me a lesson in throwing like a boy.
He fetched his glove, and after asking each roommate that was home, we gave up on the idea of my having a glove. Then it took twenty minutes to find a ball, but finally we did. I suggested the park we discovered on a recent walk.
Yesterday I learned something new about myself. After a lifetime spent avoiding any sport involving a ball [it will hit me in the head], I discovered that I already throw like a boy. I can only throw about half the distance that Matthew can, but I can throw like a boy. He said that the expression "throw like a girl" refers to the way some female push the ball away, instead of throwing it. He said I don't do that at all. I'm so excited. Of course, I still know I stink at batting...
< May 2001
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