As I type this Om is INSISTING that I play music. Then he holds onto a couch or table and moves his body up and down, bouncing to the tune of Dance pe Chance.
Without the novelty and discomfort of pregnancy or the insecurities of new parent symdrome, I’ve been lacking in the inspiration department for blogging. Om does amazing things on a daily basis, becoming more of a little man with his seperate personality. But I just can’t blog about every little thing. First, there are practical reasons. Om doesn’t just sit in a lump in the bassinet anymore…he’s an active, stubborn, dynamic kid who likes to interfere with Mommy’s projects. So that means laptop time occurs in short burts…check email here, look at facebook there, etc. Second, coming back to the inspiration topic, I need something more than my child to discuss…however insensitive that may sound!
The only reason I am able to compose this post is because I’ve let my guard down and let Om open several baggies of toys. We try to have a toy system…every set of blocks, cars, balls are in seperate plastic zip locks tucked away in a wicker toy chest. This way items don’t get lost (and I don’t have nightmares of missing puzzle pieces under the fridge). Every few hours I take out one baggy, and then at the end of the day I attempt and try (doesn’t always happen) to put them back in their proper bag. 
I am grateful that 2009 went without any major hiccups. Om’s first year flew by, we went to India, to Minnesota, and I took an exam and did not pass. Then I tried to lose my pregnancy weight and have not reached my goal. I met several new people in Washington and got out of the house more to gain some semblance of my past life. Took a cake decorating class that had me sitting in a warehouse-type class room next to 13 year old girls and grandmothers. Bought tons of cake decorating supplies that will come in handy when I make cakes every few months (keep telling myself that!).
Back to the topic of meeting new people - Biggest learning point this year was that PEOPLE ARE NUTS. Sorry, not all people, but in general 1 out of 5 people I met had major mental issues. You can not, absolutely, positively, determine a person’s character on one or two meetings. (I’m telling myself that…I’m sure, dear readers, you all knew that already!) . Oh, and one previous tidbit that I learned in law school and work (in a past life) showed it’s importance this year. Write in an email what you would not mind having displayed on a projector in front of a jury. Seriously. And I’m not the one who is guilty of this…but I am disgusted to have women casually show me secret emails that their girlfriends sent them in confidence. These emails were picked apart and became a joke. Seriously ladies? If someone were to pour their heart out to me in an email I would NOT show anyone else. And even if I did end up sharing it (which is weird) why would I make fun of the person truly trying to share their problems?
This year reminded me of when I was in Kindergarten. I was on the school bus and it was pouring rain outside. I was sitting with two blonde, popular plaid-clad girls. They, apparently, liked me and were laughing at little 6 year old jokes from the boy sitting behind us. I have no idea if I was actually friends with these girls, but I must have been because they were very chatty and had me sitting 3 to a seat with them (2 to a seat is more comfy, obviously! ). Somehow, I also knew this other girl, I think she was Indian. I remember she had a short bob, shy demeanor, and a yellow raincoat. She was sitting several seats ahead, all alone. I think she was also my friend, not sure, but I kept looking at her and feeling sorry for her. The two girls did not like the yellow raincoat girl very much. They teased her. In my foggy memory and six year old mind, I left the seat with the two girls and went and sat with the yellow raincoat girl. This did not make the two girls very happy, they kept warning me not to sit with her and even threatened to make fun of me. All I remember is that the yellow raincoat girl smiled and we spent the rest of the bus ride in silence together on the seat, and the other girls forgot about us and continued their banter with the boy.
This story was repeated through my life in various forms. I initially made friends with the in crowd and then leave them when my conscience and integrity are tested. I sacrificed good times, likeability and quantity of friends all to make friends with the black sheep or underdog. There was never any guarantee that the unliked person would ever like me back or become my best friend, but at least I did not continue to feel guilty when they were teased or mistreated.
