Sunday, April 11, 2010

Even I don't know who I am

I've seen three people I haven't seen since last fall this weekend and one person who identified me, but I for the life of me have no idea who she was.

The three I know had that moment of "who is this? I know this person..." on their faces before their mind clicked and their mouths dropped open. Then a smile spread across their faces. It was nice. I'm going to admit I liked the reaction. So much better than, you know, people slamming doors in your face. But they brought it up, the change in my body. I didn't. And I like to keep things that way. I'm no stranger to knowing everyone before they know me. It happens when you were the editor of the yearbook or newspaper in school. You remember names, mugshots, stories, majors... No one remembers the freshman reporter who calls them up to ask for information about the Nursing Honors Society. :-)

Anyway, the first person to walk up to me and say, "You look fabulous" was to my embarrassment a person I didn't recognize from Westview School. We were there for dinner and the FunFest on Friday night as my friend Freak's child goes there (soon to be two children -- gah!) and she's very active in the PTA. And since I like pizza and games, and my child likes pizza and games, and we're both pretty wild about the Freak family, it was a no brainer night of Friday fun. Freak later told me that the woman who told me I looked fabulous was Mary Jo. Mary Jo, if you're a reader, I'm so sorry that I blanked on your face. But thank you for your compliment. Seriously. Thank you.

The other three were Ms. Hogan who works in the Special Ed department and used to work with me at Curves. Steve the Builder (who built my home), whose son was in the Tiger class with X-man until last summer when he moved up to All Stars, was the second. Our neighbor Hawkgirl, whom I adore and am so happy she just finished her PhD, was the third. When I saw the three I knew, I entered into conversations and just kept talking. It took a beat or two for them to register who I was. And all three of them said, "Loosey, I hardly recognize you."

They're not alone. On Tuesday I worked out at the gym and then sat in the sauna and took a shower there before heading to class. I had my glasses off and as I was turning to get something out of the locker I caught a glimpse of some woman's calves. "I wish mine would look like that," I thought. And then I processed that it was me -- in a mirror. I put on my glasses, blinked a lot, felt stunned and then went ahead getting dressed.

So, if you haven't seen me in a while and then see me out and about and I start talking to you like I know you and you have no idea who I am... it's okay. I apparently can't recognize my own body in a mirror.

That said, I'm heading out to DQ the night before weigh in. :-)

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