condemned to walk the soil amongst all creatures wild and tame

[fitz_clementine]

My mother really does not understand the difference between "Julia doesn't know how to do X," "Julia is afraid to do X," and "Julia finds Xing emotionally, mentally, and/or physically taxing/unpleasant enough that she prefers to avoid it where possible so as to avoid what is for her massive energy expenditure on something relatively trivial." It's

Comments

[signifiers]

I just really want to hug you right now.

Also, I got your postcard. That painting is splendid. (And we are in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning at the moment, the details of which are being conveyed to the entire library via this retro-looking transistor radio set up on the circulation desk, which radio has a label reading "Realistic WeatherRadio". I don't know what an Unrealistic WeatherRadio would look like.)

[fitz_clementine]

Ditto.

I'm glad you like the painting. (I have three other postcards showing paintings from the same museum, if you are interested !)

[signifiers]

Of course I am interested! Do they also have apparitions and/or chain-smokers?

[fitz_clementine]

Nope. I think I sent you the best one already. One is a glowing orange pear on a cracked pedestal, with insects; one is a somber Victorian actress wearing gauzy black clothing, and one is a disturbing picture of two naked witches and some sort of demonic baby.

[angerfish]

It's frustrating to have to explain to her over and over that I'm not "refusing to learn" to do certain things so much as reluctant to do them unless I really need to because they take a lot of reserves that I would rather use on matters I consider interesting or important.

Man I've been running into this a lot since moving home. Mom's got it in her head that I'm scared of the phone and will NEVER call job places. And also I'm lazy of course of course. When it's more like I find it exhausting and I never know what to say to these places when I get them on the line.

[fitz_clementine]

Mom's got it in her head that I'm scared of the phone and will NEVER call job places. And also I'm lazy of course of course.

Wow, that's the exact problem that sparked this post! (Okay, it was "calling to schedule a doctor's appointment" rather than "calling job places;" still.) I was suggesting all these ways Mom could help me, like by writing the phone number down to help me remember that I needed to make a call and to cut down on the number of procedural steps I'd have to go through, or alternative forms of communication that would be easier for me (ex: I have trouble concentrating on and remembering things people tell me over the telephone, so making an appointment in person can actually be less stressful). She shot everything down, saying that I had to stop "avoiding simple tasks" and that I couldn't "depend on other people for everything."

...and that has to be more than you wanted to read; sorry. :P