You want to know my problem? I don't just listen to people, I listen to their off-handed comments and take them to heart in ways that are close to stupid. Which, as I rewrite "The Lyons' Den" for the umpteenth time, I realize I added as a characteristic to Daniel without realizing it. What finally brought this home to me? Making deviled eggs.
Now I like deviled eggs. They're simple -- some mustard and mayo mixed in with a well-cooked yolk and a dash of pepper, slop it back into the white and you're done. All nice and neat and a good snack.
Well, a couple weeks ago, just before they headed off to London, two of the women I work with mentioned they liked deviled eggs. And one of them gave me a coupon for free eggs from Target (they had a promotion going where you get a dozen for just coming in to see that they now offer groceries...in a very limited range). I'd already gotten one free coupon but was going to ignore it half because I'm boycotting Target and half because I've found I really like the organic eggs at Wegman's, even though they cost more. But I figured any eggs are good for deviling, so I got 2 dozen for free and waited till everyone was back then deviled away. I made 18 -- that's 36 halves, enough for everyone in the office to have them as lunch.
I even used a recipe that called for a dash of vinegar, touch of onion and some sweet relish, and I bought a container of Oregano to sprinkle over then. I was feeling very full of myself. It would be a nice welcome home meal for everyone. Just one problem -- no one ate them. I told them they were available in the fridge...and not one person in the office even looked at them. I had deviled eggs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...and when I go in on Monday, I'll still be throwing out 10 halves, because no way will I trust them for lunch.
Did anyone ASK me to do this? No. I took it upon myself. And I've realized I KEEP doing that in way too many ways. Which segues into me expecting things of people that they, in all likelihood, don't even know are expected even though they've hinted at doing or being exactly what I expected them to do or be. That's silly...and maybe psychotic.
What's wild is, I unconsciously added that to Daniel. He can see what people are really up to, but he blinds himself to it. Why? Because, as Ace puts it, he's got a servant mentality. He'll do things that he THINKS Tad wants, for instance, even though during the course of the evening at the cabin he comes to realize Tad never gave a damn one way or the other. Because the fact is, nobody gives a damn if you do what you think they want; in fact, they don't even notice.
I got a lot of thinking to do about this...sometime. Tomorrow I'm heading to toronto to meet up with my architect nephew for lunch. But one thing's for sure, right now.
I HATE deviled eggs.
Now I like deviled eggs. They're simple -- some mustard and mayo mixed in with a well-cooked yolk and a dash of pepper, slop it back into the white and you're done. All nice and neat and a good snack.
Well, a couple weeks ago, just before they headed off to London, two of the women I work with mentioned they liked deviled eggs. And one of them gave me a coupon for free eggs from Target (they had a promotion going where you get a dozen for just coming in to see that they now offer groceries...in a very limited range). I'd already gotten one free coupon but was going to ignore it half because I'm boycotting Target and half because I've found I really like the organic eggs at Wegman's, even though they cost more. But I figured any eggs are good for deviling, so I got 2 dozen for free and waited till everyone was back then deviled away. I made 18 -- that's 36 halves, enough for everyone in the office to have them as lunch.
I even used a recipe that called for a dash of vinegar, touch of onion and some sweet relish, and I bought a container of Oregano to sprinkle over then. I was feeling very full of myself. It would be a nice welcome home meal for everyone. Just one problem -- no one ate them. I told them they were available in the fridge...and not one person in the office even looked at them. I had deviled eggs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...and when I go in on Monday, I'll still be throwing out 10 halves, because no way will I trust them for lunch.
Did anyone ASK me to do this? No. I took it upon myself. And I've realized I KEEP doing that in way too many ways. Which segues into me expecting things of people that they, in all likelihood, don't even know are expected even though they've hinted at doing or being exactly what I expected them to do or be. That's silly...and maybe psychotic.
What's wild is, I unconsciously added that to Daniel. He can see what people are really up to, but he blinds himself to it. Why? Because, as Ace puts it, he's got a servant mentality. He'll do things that he THINKS Tad wants, for instance, even though during the course of the evening at the cabin he comes to realize Tad never gave a damn one way or the other. Because the fact is, nobody gives a damn if you do what you think they want; in fact, they don't even notice.
I got a lot of thinking to do about this...sometime. Tomorrow I'm heading to toronto to meet up with my architect nephew for lunch. But one thing's for sure, right now.
I HATE deviled eggs.
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