I find myself with a rare dilemma....it's 4:00 a.m. and I can't seem to shut my mind off enough to sleep. Generally this only happens when I'm extremely stressed about an exam. I know I'm going to hate myself in the morning, but I decided to just give up and blog for a while. Maybe that will relax my mind.
I have noticed this propensity I have for enjoying people that others would rather avoid because they are strange or misfits. Upon some self-analyzing, I think they tickle my fancy because I know what it's like not to fit into the mold of what is considered "ideal" or even "acceptable" in the Mennonite world, and I certainly am considered an oddity in my present world where most people haven't even heard of Mennonites. Not that these people don't accept me for who I am. In fact, I think they do a much better job than my home church does. But I digress...
I thought it would be fun to describe some of these people I find so fascinating. First there is M. Now she's a real case. She used to live in California and was a respiratory therapist. From what she describes, she was one of the top in the country and was highly respected in her field. Of all people who should know better, she smokes like a freight train and doesn't care about the consequences. She so perfectly typifies the poem "I'll Wear Purple If I Want To" which speaks to the premise of doing exactly what you want and not caring what people think because you've reached that age when it just doesn't matter to you what they think. She loves the weather and has spoken of trying to get a job at TV station's weather department. Her TV is always tuned to the Weather Channel or to some CNN-like breaking news story. Everybody thinks she's a cooky old lady, but I like her conspiracy theories, etc.
Now P. is this mountain lady who lives in her own realm too. She talks with the back-woodsy Southern drawl. She thinks the Amish (pronounced with a long
a) are just the bomb. She loves their produce and their food. She is truly what you would call uncouth--the kind of person who will eat straight out of the bowl at a public buffet and gross everybody out. She thinks everything is her business which drives the other supervisors insane. They want her to just mind her own business and not theirs. The only thing about her (and several other people I encounter on a regular basis) that I really dislike is that she likes to get up close and personal. That in itself isn't the bad part; it's the fact that she is a chain smoker and there's nothing as revolting as having foul smoke breath breathed into your face. She'll come up and lean on my shoulder speaking directly into my face, "Miss Sara, how much mail we got?"
Of course there's K. who has earned the nickname "psycho chick." Even on her medication, she can be quite volatile. She's almost been fired twice for screaming at somebody who has upset her while on the workroom floor. She has absolutely no threshold of emotional restraint. I can't seem to keep myself from making her one of my projects. It's quite challenging to try to calm somebody down who is about to blow a gasket, knowing that if she does, she will lose her job. I can usually see it coming so I'm thinking, "Ok, Sara, divert....divert....divert...." I must say, my classes in Psychiatry have come in handy at my job. Go figure!
Then there is the gang I call "my guys." They are not the odd ones...they are the popular ones. Especially one of them. The girls just love him, and I've seen him get swamped with attention from them. Yet, he's one of the most good-hearted souls I've ever encountered. The problem is, he and his gang are just too full of vim and vigor to be cooped up all day. They love to cut up and talk, neither of which go over well with the supers. So I try to reign them in with threats and cajoling when I know the tolerance of the powers that be have reached their limits and give them slack when I think they won't get in trouble for it. I warn them of the error of their ways, and they keep my life interesting with their capers. Of course, they love to serenade me with the song "Sara."
Working with so many different people (once I counted 350+ which I could name first and last names), there are many more I could describe. But that would take a book. However, I must speak of the Motley Crew since I haven't written about them before.
The motley crew consists of 6 women--myself, and 5 co-workers. I call them the motley crew because we really are an eclectic group. Having such a limited social life with working 40 hours a week and generally taking 12-16 hours of classes, I accepted the invitation to join these ladies for lunch. We so thoroughly enjoyed it the first time that we now make it a practice every week. We don't all make it every week, but there are always at least 2 of us available. These ladies are so unlike me, I'm amazed they even want me around. But I get my fix of laughter for the week, so I keep going. The language isn't always exactly what I've been taught is acceptable, but I think they do make an effort to restrain themselves. However, any topic is game with them and it can get a bit risque.
The most consistent one is S. She loves it because she cares for her mother when she isn't working and loves to be able to get out. She's been married a few times and has decided that is enough for her. She's a country girl with a history.
The one who started it all was L. She's the one with "the Attitude" and the mouth to go with it. She talks like she comes from the hood. She has a black boyfriend whom she just had a monster fight with. When she's upset, can she ever talk smack. But behind all that attitude is a good-hearted woman who is very loyal to her friends. She would be the kind of girl who would fight for her friends--literally and especially verbally. She's not afraid to say anything. She's the comedy relief of the group too.
R. is a black girl with a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor. She hates when people stare and doesn't mind telling them so. We really do look like an odd group, so you can hardly blame them for taking a second look. She's a hard worker and very dependable.
M. is a very religious sort and has recently become engaged. She's very jolly and loves a good laugh. She can be a bit gullible as I found out when she found herself the victim of a financial scam which ended up involving the FBI. She literally lost all her money and almost lost her house.
A. is a piece of work like I've never encountered before. She's a massive hunk of a woman...over 6 ft tall and built like a football player. She's got a booming voice to match which can be quite mortifying as she says the most outrageous things which cause heads to turn and gawk. You can't help but laugh hysterically while cringing inside with embarrassment. She recently got married to the father of her two children, but she informed me the last time I saw her that he walked out on her after a fight. Like L. she's fiercely loyal to her friends and would not hesitate to wade in with her fists flying to defend them--in fact, she's been known to do this before. Her life is one huge drama after another. As she says, "The only good egg in her family is her brother who is in prison in Pensacola, FL." Oh yes, she's a Morman.
So despite our differences in moral values, we enjoy each other's company and even have some serious conversations at times.
