My first close group of girlfriends here in America used to laugh at me spending hours ironing. When I met these girls, the husband was in Afghanistan for 6 months, I had 3 children all under the age of 5 (one of which was a newborn) and a dog. We were also pretty new in town so I was rather busy. Every night, after I'd put the bambinos to bed, I'd pour myself a glass of wine and get started on the ironing. I didn't iron underwear or bedding, but I did iron everything else. They thought it was hilarious to iron a 1 year old's jeans, but it was just something I did because I had always done so. My new friends told me that if I would just chuck everything in the dryer, shake it and fold immediately, our clothes would look just as smart and I would have a lot more time to relax. I was skeptical to say the least and too scared to try. But after weeks of nagging, I took the plunge and followed their instructions. I could still see some creases but what the heck, surely a few creases were worth being able to relax and put my feet up at night? When we left the house, nobody commented on our crinkly clothes. That was 6 years ago now and I kid you not, I haven't touched an iron since. How liberating is that?! Nobody's ever told me how scruffy I look and I've gained back so much time. So a heartfelt thank you to Kherdine, Michelle and Jerri for freeing me from the iron :) My poor Mum does complain when she comes to visit as I don't even possess one any more, but I haven't given in. I get away with it every single day!
Another thing I get away with, living here, is going to the store, the post office and the doctor in my workout clothes with no makeup. Back home, I wouldn't dream of crossing the threshold without at least my mascara on, but here, nobody bothers if you look less than polished. I love this! It took me a while to get used to, but now I embrace it and yes, I get away with it. Before you start worrying, I'm not a leggings and Tweety Bird t-shirt kind of girl just yet, I just make the most of being able to run my errands before or after the gym, looking less than my finest without anyone noticing or commenting. I do shower and dress in proper clothes when I get home :)
My accent, of course, has been very advantageous in getting away with a lot of things over the years. Yes, I have probably abused this on occasion! If I've done something wrong or I'm in a place I'm not supposed to be, I can usually claim ignorance because I'm not from here and mostly, I get away with it. If I'm having a bad day and get somewhat snippy, sometimes I'm not understood and people just think it's my cute accent - this can be a lifesaver.
I also think that people might laugh at my jokes more than they would at home, quite possibly they don't understand me so they just laugh to make me feel good. I'm probably not that funny at all! Sometimes we all say stupid things. I do this quite often (and have been told in the past that I have verbal diarrhea). Again, a lot of the time, people don't understand what I just said so, I GET AWAY WITH IT!
Needless to say, none of this would roll back home. Enjoy the vid, this is one of my all time favorite James songs. Let's hope I can keep getting away with it :)
No comments:
Post a Comment