(no subject)

Years ago, my sister had a friend who hated me. Yeah, someone who hates moi? Shocking, right? ;D But she thought I had everything, everything she wanted, and there was nothing I could have done to make her not hate me. The funny thing was that I didn't have what she thought I had, and I had never said I did.

But I did have fun, and I had a lot of great friends, and I dated a lot of cute boys and was in graduate school, so evidently that was having everything in her mind. The fact that I never had much money and held three jobs didn't make her radar since she was so sure I had this charmed life. Charmed, no, but it was a good one and I made the most of it.

I think most of us, at some point, harbor a suspicion that things are just easier for some people. Everyone has the friend who can always afford the things that are necessary--and the things that aren't--whose children are Gifted and Talented, who travels far and wide and whose house is neat and tidy and just generally has everything work out smoothly. I wonder how often they only share the good parts, or if there really are that many people whose lives are seamless.

I have often joked that in my next life, I want to be one of those people, who doesn't fall out of attics and get maimed or have crippling anxiety. But you know, I wouldn't really trade what I have for all the things.

It's funny, how perspective works. I have some friends who are elated for me about the baby (which Jason has dubbed Z3-PO, which I rather like better than Tres), and others who give the impression of pity that I have to do the whole infant-in-diapers thing again, depending on where they are in their own child-rearing. "Better you than me," I've heard, while in the other ear someone says, "I wish we had another." (For the record: you don't have to pity me, even if you wouldn't have another child for all the tea in China. I'm good.)

Do the people who inspire jealousy in others know, for the most part? Do they only share the best things, the I-always-get-the-good stories to present that image of perfection, or because they don't like to air dirty laundry or insecurities? I'm curious. I'm pretty sure these days I'm mostly in the middle, inspiring neither jealousy nor pity most of the time. We just go along and do what we do, after all, and hope that by this time next year we'll know how it all worked out. I don't feel much jealousy, either, honestly. I hope that most people are happy and get to work out the things they want and need, but I admit that there are some people whose nonstop good news does occasionally provoke a good-natured eyeroll, pretty much because how GREAT can EVERYTHING be ALL THE TIME? But I don't begrudge that; it's just more amusement.

What do you think you inspire in others? And do you usually feel like one of the lucky ones?

Things the children say.

1. While we were on the way back to Mary Ann's from Disney, P and I realized Big Ez was talking to his (ten-dollar) balloon. He said to it, "You are a big and shiny balloon now, but someday you will fade, and turn into a POP. That's okay. I still love you."

2. They are assembling a LEGO catapult. Every time Anya says where a piece goes, Ez says, "Inconceivable!" I imagine you can guess which movie is back in the "favored" rotation.

3. Ever the thoughtful one, Anya was listening while we were talking to travellight about Disney last night at dinner, and when I said, "I don't think we'll be going back for a very long time," she offered to let Susan take her some time instead. Generous, no?

4. I said something to P about going on an overnight field trip with mrs__smith and her family. Monster suggested that the grownups stay in one hotel room and the kids in another because she and Gabriel can babysit the younger boys. Yeeeeah, that'll happen.

5. While we were standing in line for something-or-other at MK, Monster started getting a little sassy about not wanting to share the water-fan-squirty-bottle-thing. I said, "If you don't cool it with the sassy mouth, I'm going to take you over to that place where they make you into a princess, and I won't let you out until you're covered in glitter and dressed like Tinkerbell." She covered her face and started saying, "No! Nooooo! It's fate worse than death! NEVERRRRRR!"

One day later she initiated negotiations on when she can get her ears pierced, because suddenly that is Very Important. WTF?