What Kind of Mood Are You In Today?

Friday, August 7, 2009

"The Rachael Zone"

You know, I don't think my problem is that I'm distracted. I think it's that I'm too focused. When I'm pumping gas for instance, it isn't that I get distracted and forget about the pump. No, I just get so focused on something else...like how to get the kids to stop fighting over who gets to tell on the other two first when mom gets back into the car.

In fact, I have the ability to
hyperfocus. Some think the fact that I am disorganized, seemingly distracted, and can hyperfocus means that I have ADD, but as a teacher I realize that things like ADD are more complex than that and I really have no business making a diagnosis. Instead, at my house, we refer to it as...The Zone.

It does cause me trouble (you think?), but it's what enables me to play
Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, write an A+ essay on the various kinds of symbolism in "The Great Gatsby," put on a musical as the Music AND Drama director that involves roughly 100 preschool-8th grade kids, and even write this blog. (Yes, I am defending my intelligence here!) It's the "genius" in me.

But like I said, it does cause me trouble.

My husband has already posted his experience with "The Zone," specifically "The Rachael Zone," on his blog. Here is one instance where "The Zone" caused me some trouble.

I don't park my car in the garage now. It's way too full of stuff. (Hmmm...did Travis do that on purpose?) We had a 3- car garage in our first house and oh, it was nice! No icy windows, no stepping out into 32 degree weather (hey, that's COLD in California!), and it also meant fewer trips to the car wash which, as we all know, is a really good thing for me!

My only problem was that I forgot to shut the garage door on my way out. I know, how hard can it be to remember to reach up to the visor and push a little button? It's not like I had to get out of the car and close it manually. No, it was only a click of a button. Still, I had trouble with it.

My friend Bryan, who carpooled with my husband, puts it this way:

"(I remember) when you forgot to close the garage door like...47 days in a row. I remember seeing Travis' head turn red like a tomato when we would pull up after a long day at work and a long drive home...good times."

Now, I think 47 days in a row might be exaggerating just a bit. 47 out of 50 days maybe, but not in a row!

Ok, no. But I'll bet is was at least twice a week.

Travis says Bryan is right.

Whatever the number, I forgot and it frustrated Travis to no end. I had to do something. Let's see...make myself a note and place it on my dash? Nope! Car is too messy...it just blends in.

Hmmm...put a post-it on the door in the house that leads to the garage? Nope! Those things don't stick longer than a day and the ink fades in the sunlight, anyway.

What about an alarm that sounds from the time I open the garage door until I close it? Something really loud...louder than the car alarms that go off in parking lots that you can hear in the bathroom of the restaurant you are dining in! Well, the neighbors might not be too happy about that and it would make our garage sales...well...odd. And noisy.

I bought a label machine.

That night my husband came home, kissed me as he always does, checked to see what was for dinner, then walked into the bathroom. As he put his hand on the handle, he looked down and...

"Rachael? Why is there a sticker on the bathroom that says, 'Garage Door?'"

"Oh! That's my new plan."

"Huh?"

"To remember to shut the garage door."

"Ooook. Well, I hope it works." All the while he's thinking it won't.

A few days later some friends came over. They also enter the bathroom and say, "Rachael? Why is there a sticker on the bathroom that says, 'Garage Door?' Do you forget which room this is?"

My sister-in-law came over and decided to do a little laundry.

"Rachael? Why is there a sticker on your laundry room that says, 'Garage Door'"?

My mother-in-law came over.

"Travis? Why is there a sticker on your garage door that says, 'Garage Door?'"

"Ask Rachael."

"Rachael? Why is there...(you know the rest) Do you forget which door this is or something?"

I figured that I needed to one-up the post-it note and do...labels!!! While most people might only put a post-it note on their door, I would put a label on it! Even if others might become like one of the cool kids and use a label, I would put labels EVERYWHERE!

So what if everyone else got confused over which door was really the garage door and walked in on others in the bathroom, thinking they were getting a tool from the garage? So what if ...

...you know, I'm having a really hard time writing this story. Travis keeps talking to me and asking me how to do all this fancy blog stuff and he is taking me out of "The Zone!"

...I'm not being funny. He really is!

ANYWAY!!! Where was I?

...he's talking again.

...Thanks, Kevin Mathers for instant messaging him so I can think!

Where was I???

Ok. So at this point people think I'm weird. They have no idea why I have a label that says "Garage Door," posted all over my house. I, however, am determined to make this work.

So did it? Eventually, yes. But not until we were robbed blind by some punk who took everything except my beloved "Garage Door," labels.

No, I'm kidding. We weren't robbed, but that does bring me to my next story...



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