Mantra of the Day- Treat everybody like they are somebody

I’m never going to feel like I’m one of the cool kids. I don’t have a bestie that I can call up to go have brunch on a whim on a Sunday (unless you count my corg)…

That’s the face of someone that loves you… and the food you’re holding. Screw it, there’s love involved, ok?

… and I don’t have a hotly active social calendar that books weeks in advance. I don’t have anyone in my life that I talk to every single day, who knows my every thought and feeling.

Please understand, when I say that, I’m not looking for any kind of sympathy or fake feeling of inclusiveness, and I’m not trying to be manipulative. I enjoy my circle of friends and the interactions we have, and if I’m a little solitary by nature, well, there’s a lot of reasons for it. It took me a long time to learn to open myself up to folks and just be me, and it took me longer to spot the signs of when I’m being used.

And, let’s face it, I can be something of an acquired taste.

My point being, when this mantra came up on my to highlight my day list, I decided to keep it around a little longer than a day, because I like the frame of mind it’s putting me in. I don’t interact with a ton of people (a phrase which should handily cement the crazy hermit lady hiding in her house image I’ve got going), but the ones I interact with deserve my attention and care. They deserve to know that they are important to me, that I’m hearing them and that they matter.

And you know? While it doesn’t change my perception of not being one of the cool kids, it makes me feel pretty damn good about being me. It’s breaking down some more of those barriers of shyness and hesitancy, and letting me show a little more of me underneath. Yes, I can be very polished and corporate appropriate- that doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s ridiculous that we don’t have George Jetson cars with it being 2019, and I think we can laugh about that a little bit before we dive into an agenda. I’m noticing that I enjoy being around people a little more, that I’m getting a little more out of every interaction.

Maybe what I’m saying is, making everybody feel like somebody means I feel more like somebody, too. And for me, that’s a pretty neat thing.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised my Bree bestie that we’d go watch our favorite chick flick on the couch.

It’s Armageddon.