How Long Has That Been There?

Well, it's Wordless Wednesday. Guess I'm not supposed to "talk", but, hey, get a post when you can, people.

I go through life day after day on autopilot (but I never realized how serious it was), it seems. Always asking my self the same question - How long has that been there? I was reminded of this today when I walked into the lobby of my office as I have done sleepily every weekday morning since last July. I went to flip the thermostat (which I'm not allowed to do according to building management, by the way), and noticed a rather large, spiky, potted plant below. How long has that plant been there, I asked myself. See photo of plant and thermostat above. Look how large that plant is, people! I have to practically fall over it to get to the thermostat! I think I am in serious trouble.

Why, just yesterday as I was exiting from our parking garage through the same exit gate I have used since November, I saw a sign with a happy face on it, attached to the gate, right in front of my car. It said "Have a nice day!" How long has that sign been there, I asked myself.

After the incident this morning (wow, two incidents two days in a row), I started to question my sanity, which I know J has questioned over and over again since we got back together. Even last night she made the remark, "You are so weird." I said, "Well, you love me, don't you?" She said, "Yeah, but you're still weird." Well, I think it's weird to love someone who is weird, so there.

At work I tend to be a pretty detailed person, or at least I thought so anyway. Everything on the tables have to be just so; same with my desk, same with the kitchen. My bosses tend to move things around; I notice and move them right back. On the other hand, there is an ugly painting on the wall behind me, usually left askew by the cleaning people every night. I NEVER notice this, but my boss always does. It simply doesn't bother me, but it's behind me. I don't have to look at it all the time. But the plant, the LARGE, spiky, potted one, there is no excuse for not seeing it. I look out over the lobby towards it. It is directly in my line of vision eight solid hours plus each day.

I used to think it was depression that made me this way. People could ask me, "How's the weather today?" and I absolutely could not tell them, even after having come in from outside. Sometimes I wonder how I drive a car to Tomball and back twice a week and not manage to drive off the road unintentonally. J would also question my driving abilities. No wonder I get lost everywhere I go, even to places I have been before. How do I function every day and keep a job with this kind of zoning out? Is this a medical condition? A mental disorder? A personality disorder? What?

You know that old saying,"You need to stop and smell the roses"? Well, I have never been a flower sniffer, but I think it's time I become one even though one rose smells the same as all the others to me. A few thorns on the nose will be worth practicing to become normal like the rest of you.

So, J, change something, move something, do something to test me and see if I notice. That is your assignment. And then, Babe, give me a hint, please!