Monday, March 16, 2009

Eccentricities 2

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. —AndrĂ© Gide

As I alluded in my February 2 post, “Eccentricities,” I possess peculiarities that to some might seem absurd. The more mature I become, the less bothered I am that others see these features. In general, I think about everything I do and consider my actions’ impact on others. My neighbor, Bette, is the same way. I suspect we’re oddballs is an otherwise less contemplative world.

Grocery shopping, for example, is a three-hour affair. As much as I like the good folks at King Soopers, I try to make my shopping trips every three weeks. After a half hour total drive time and one hour to shop, it takes me an hour and a half to put everything away. The step most shoppers probably neglect is cleaning the newly purchased items.

Before anything is allowed into my fridge, freezer, or cupboards, they are rinsed and/or wiped—packages and all. I carefully scrub and rub my fruits and vegetables, so when the time comes, all we have to do is reach and eat. Since I have to clean the food anyway, why not do it all at the same time and keep the fridge smelling and being fresh?

I also Murphy Oil Soap my hardwood floor. A sidestep I make is on the carpet. Over time, carpet has a way of looking worn and dirty on the high-traffic areas. The reason it looks worn and dirty is because it is. To slow that process, I don’t permit shoes past the foyer, and I step to the side of frequently trod pathways just enough to reduce wear and tear.

What’s really strange about this behavior is that I’m not the only who’s thought about it. A hundred years ago I was at a play. One of the main characters was an older, eccentric woman, who, by play’s end, had all the characters walking around the high-traffic area of their carpet, not on it. Vindication!

I’m also timely. As a student, I started class on time. As a salesperson, I met others on time. As a friend, I knock on people’s doors when I say I will. When people want something done, they know they can rely on me. I’m dependable and honest.


Lately, though, I wonder if I’ve behaved differently. Do you know the phrase, “Treat people the way you would like to be treated”? Well, I must have done something out of my normal character, because I’m seeing unreliability and lack of respect from some I’ve considered close friends. What have I not done to be a good friend, I wonder.

So today I began interviewing friends in a quest to uncover areas in which I need growth. My daughter just says, “On your chest.” Friends who frequently see me and have known me for a decade or two said I have maintained my good character, and that it is not me who was changed.

I think some people just hate who I am. Time to go to the toilet and contemplate further.

copyright © 2009 by Auntie Eartha. All rights reserved.

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3 comments:

  1. You seem to take cleanliness to an almost obsessive degree. Is there some kind of study indicating germophobes live longer?

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  2. They do live longer and with no sexually transmitted diseases!

    Now, what can I do about the dog's Fritos-smelling feet? and the cats' feces-smelling butts?

    I like lying on the carpet, so not having shoes treading on it pleases me. I've seen guys spit on streets and walks, and as you know, the deer defecate everywhere. Certainly Auntie will live much longer without E. coli infecting her life as it did those kids in Highlands Ranch who ran through elk poop.

    Hope you're running healthily ; )

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  3. HOLY CRAP i Fing love your pic!!
    storys ok too.
    ;)

    ReplyDelete

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