Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Something that made me laugh today

Forgive my rambling.  Work has been extremely traumatic of late.  I wish I could explain, but confidentiality and all that good stuff won't allow it.  Anyone who supervises employees can understand my feelings.

I'm worried about my dog, Molly.  She has to have a toe removed tomorrow.  Long story short, it has gotten ugly and the vet said, "It's got to go."  Everyone knows surgery is a risk.  My children are grown and left home.  My dog is what keeps me going.  She is there for me when I come home from a frustrating day at work.  Her tail is wagging and she is genuinely glad to see me.

We have an elderly faculty member at work, way past 80 years old.  I'll call her Betty, although that is not her real name.  I enjoy Betty.  Back when I took vacation to go to my cousin's reunion down South, I told Betty all about our trip.  We are a bunch of Southerners who enjoy our guns and have a great time target shooting and playing show n tell with our guns!

Betty giggled.  Then put her hand over her mouth and giggled some more.  She told me about her mother who got a pistol permit - years ago - and kept a pistol under her pillow at night.  Never mind what Betty was telling me.  Just the way she told me made me laugh till I cried.

So today I had left my office, heading home.  As I was walking down the hall, I thought the woman approaching me was Betty.  But this woman had shorter hair. And, anyway, Betty is supposed to be on vacation this week and next.  As she got closer, I said, "Betty?"  She beamed.

"Look at your hair!  It looks great!"

She was eating this up right and left!.  She had gotten a new perm.

"Well, I was at a meeting across the street, so I thought I would stop in the office for a bit.  Do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Sure!"

So she reached into her brief case and pulled out a single sheet of paper.  "I wanted to show you this," she beamed.

"Oh, my God!  Is this what I think it is?"

She was proudly showing me her mother's application for a pistol permit from New York State back in 1928!

"Just one sheet?" I asked.

Yep. And her mother walked into the office with her application and walked out with her permit!

Things have changed a bit in NYS since those days.  Now a pistol permit is more of a package than a single sheet and it takes months to be granted a permit.

As Betty went on her way and I headed in the opposite direction to my parking lot, I caught myself laughing hysterically.

God bless you, Betty.  With all the deluge of nasty stuff I have been dealing with at work lately, you were a big beam of sunshine in my life today.


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