Wait, So I’m Not Fabulous?

Recently I have had a few situations that have made me question my fabulousness (or lack there of)…here are my top 3 from this week:

No. 1. My new friend Lisa and I (we survived the taekwondo retreat together a few weeks ago – It’s Not Me, It’s Definitely You) were at yet another event at the taekwondo school the other night.  Her husband was also there, but he was sitting in a different area.  When the ceremony was over, everyone gravitated over to the potluck food table, but I chose to stay back by where we had been sitting, waiting for the table to clear out a bit.  While I was standing there, I saw that her husband John, who I had only met briefly once before was walking towards me like he was going to say something to me.  As he was quickly heading towards me I was thinking “Wow, his wife must have told him such great things about me, so much that he feels compelled to come over and say hi to me.  Or he’s one of those people that isn’t afraid of small talk, unlike me.”  Either way, as he got closer I extended my hand and said “Hi John, good to see you!” with all sorts of enthusiasm. He politely shook my hand, said a quick hello while looking at me and only “sort of” recognizing me, and then continued on his way past me to pick up his wife’s tote bag that she had left behind. Apparently the energy in his step was far less about meeting the author of this blog and was more about getting his wife’s bag and getting the hell out of the dojang!

No. 2. Yesterday I brought my kids to the mall to get new sneakers for the start of camp. When we walked into the store the salesman, in his black and white striped referee uniform, looked at me and smiled and gave me a “how you doin’ today?” I took it as a compliment, as I was feeling pretty good in my summer dress. After about 30 minutes of the kids trying on sneakers, and him being very attentive, we went over to the register to pay. So that the kids didn’t fight over who would carry the bag, I asked him to put each kid’s box of sneakers in separate bags, so that they could carry their own. “One step ahead of you” he says to me as he hands the bags to the kids, “and I’ve got something for you too.” I thought, “Oohhhh…for me? I must look really good, because I didn’t buy anything for myself, what could it be?” as he goes back behind the counter and tears the receipt off the register and hands it to me “here you go ma’am.”  Wow, didn’t see that coming.  Ouch!

No. 3. I have been working pretty hard at this blog, and I’ve gotten some great feedback which keeps me motivated, but I have learned that I have a lot more to learn, especially when it comes to attracting new readers. Every time someone signs up on my website to receive my new post e-blast, I get an e-mail with their email address so that I can add them to my distribution list.  So about a week ago, someone signed up that looked to be from the UK.  “How awesome! How unexpected! I already have an audience in Europe…and in the UK no less!” I have always thought that the English have such a wicked sense of humor, so this was the validation and confidence that I was looking for…and to boot, it was someone that I’m not related to or that knows me. And then a couple days later I got a few more that signed up from the same company, and then a few more from another British company. I just assumed this is what happens, one person shares my blog with their friends, who then tells their friends, and so on, and then the word gets out and spreads like wildfire. I was channeling Sally Fields as I thought of my post going viral “They like me, they really, really, like me!” While I really wanted to believe it, I started to think something was up after about the 18th sign up I received. After a few quick searches on the Internet, turns out that I’m not popular in the UK at all, my audience is more like a spam account from somewhere in Romania. I guess the British are too busy to read my blog right now while they try and figure out what Brexit means.