Author: abby mumford

convos with strangers

conversations with strangers #19

abby mumford

i am still talking to strangers.

i was sitting at the bar with two fellows who are kind of coworkers, but kind of not. the details of that don’t matter here. the point is, we were having a meeting to discuss an upcoming event which we are planning. because we were at the bar and because it was a thursday night, we got off topic.

coworker 1: i used to have season tickets to the patriots. *proceeds to talk about the glory days, which were full of as much glory and gore as you’d expect of 25 guys with football tickets.*

me: i’ve only been to one game, but it was an awesome one. actually, it was [another “coworker”] who invited me. i was probably the eighth person he asked, but that means seven people before me said no and i got the green light. [two other coworkers] went with me. so fun!

bartender: now there’s a positive attitude.

me: well, it’s true. i’m just happy i got to go. it’s the only football game i’ve been to and it was a complete blast.

coworker 2: with the motley crew you went with, i’m sure it was nothing but trouble.

me: you have a point there, sir.

the meeting eventually got back on track after further discussions of the other boston area sports teams, but what struck me was the bartender’s interjection. it was a quiet night at the bar and the three of us were a very random and lively crew, but it never occurred to me that he was listening in and that he might be the one to initiate a conversation or that i might be the one labeled as the stranger.

 

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feelings

happy birthday, brother G

abby mumford

i mentioned january was a big month for us mumford kids and i wasn’t kidding.

TODAY is brother G’s birthday.

he’s the eldest of us and he’s forged the path to adulthood (all the way across the country!) with maturity and class.

brother G as the big bad wolf

and it’s that humor and grace i try to emulate on a daily basis, because, i mean he stole all the math genes and i have to work with what i’ve got. i can only hope that i’m 1/4 as successful as he is because every day, he charms a smile out of those he interacts with whether it’s coworkers, friends, his wife, or his kids. they’re all happier when he walks into a room.

and THAT is one of the most important successes in life.

happy birthday, G. here’s hoping i get more real life smiles instead of :) (digital ones) this year. (here’s to june!)

 

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feelings

newton’s third law

abby mumford

i happened to be in the kitchen when my mom was reading about the cookies. hearing when she laughed (and when she didn’t) was illuminating. i was sort of disappointed when she failed to laugh at my favorite pic (the one of bro-in-law T’s cookie) until i asked her why and she informed me she had skipped right over it. it wasn’t because she didn’t like it, but rather because she’s still learning how to work her new iPhone.

watching a reader’s reaction while they’re reading my writing was new to me. people have commented to me post-read and i LOVE that, but it’s not quite the same as witnessing it firsthand. probably because the latter is more raw. the reader doesn’t have time to form a politically correct opinion or decide which words will soothe my writer’s ego. i am thankful for the chance not to have smoke blown up my arse even if the reaction wasn’t 100% what i wanted.

it means i have to work harder.

and then, later, i came across a reaction i wasn’t expecting, nor do i think i was supposed to see. i picked up sister E’s phone (to try out Siri) and was blown away when i saw her background picture. it was of a page from THE SCORPIO RACES, which is one of my favorite books from 2011. she had read it over the christmas break (because i gave it to her) and i gathered that she wasn’t in love with it like i was. that’s fine and dandy and that’s why there are a jillion books out there in the world, each for a separate kind of reader.

but i can’t help but think that she tried just a bit harder to like it because i did. that she took a picture of the page in an effort to find out what made it so irresistible to me. maybe it’s egotistical of me to think that. maybe she really did love it like i did. but maybe she just loves me, and that’s some kind of wonderful.

 

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feelings

happy birthday, sister J

abby mumford

january is a big month for the mumford kids, as we ALL have our birthdays this month. (don’t even think about making an inappropriate joke about my parents here.)

TODAY happens to be sister J’s birthday.

she’s two years older and light years wiser, so there’s no way for me to wish for her what i had on my 33rd birthday because i’m not 33 yet. i don’t know what that year will hold for me, nor do i know what this year will hold for her. sure, i can guess at a few of the big events, like say, introducing bubba mac to the family in march (or february or whenever he decides to make his appearance) or moving to a new location, but the small, daily events that shape the days that make up the year?

i don’t know what form those will take.

i certainly hope they’re full of laughter and love and baby steps and no allergies and cards and holding hands and hugs and phone calls and family dinners and siblings who get along and darla and patience and tough love and independence and snuggling and giggles and growing up and quiet moments and loud bursts and tears of joy and quick recoveries and prayers and books and sunshine and mommies and daddies and new faces and familiar voices and kisses and journeys and learning.

because those are the moments that force their way into your heart so that you are never the same, but better, bigger, stronger, and more capable.

i guess this year’s version of “happy birthday, sister J” is a wish that year 33 reshapes her heart.

 

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