Let's go back to a few days ago. Heather was feeling good, decided to put on a cute sundress and run some errands. Keep in mind, Heather's weight is still low and she lost all of her muscle mass. She's sadly judged for being too thin or when her stomach is swollen, people ask when her baby is due.
Anyway, as she was beginning to carry two bags of groceries, one in each hand, she noticed a Mom and teenage daughter staring at her, pointing, and laughing. I guess you know where this messed up story is going.
So as they approached Heather, the Mom said to her daughter "well at least she can carry her food," then they cackled like the mean "girls" they are. They then looked over their shoulder at Heather, continuing to laugh at her as they entered the store.
Flabbergasted, Heather just came home and shared the story with me. We talked about what she wanted to say etc. It is always easy to come up with a good zinger after the fact - we had some good responses - trust me. Here are a few of our comments that are appropriate for posting (yes, sometimes I have a filter):
1. Walk away with dignity (like Heather did) and be thankful that you don't know them. Be thankful that she isn't your Mother and you aren't her daughter.
2. Walk up to the them and tell them that although it is none of their (F'ing) business, that she is dealing with a chronic illness and she was just was released from the hospital.
3. Pass them one of the Lyme Awareness blog cards and educate them. Ummm, not wasting a business card on those two.
4. My mean ass comment would have been to the Mother. I would have pulled her aside and told her that I feel sorry for her daughter. I would say in an immature snarky voice "You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family". Then, I would tell her that sadly SHE is the person responsible for teaching her daughter the social graces of life and she is obviously doing a TERRIBLE job as a Mom when it comes to manners and other people's feelings. I would then tell her that Heather has been sick for 18 months.
5. I would whisper in the Mom's ear that she is a mean spirited, heartless, and ignorant bitch and she has no idea what Heather has been dealing with. You can imagine my unfiltered version of this sentence.
6. Stoop to their immature level and say "sticks and stone can break my bones but words can never harm me." That is a really stupid rhyme. Maybe as a child you think that, but we all know that you can't take back words and words HURT.
Did you notice how I took the high road on this one and didn't attack the daughter? Sure the daughter should have known better, but I am more charged up about the Mom. Mess with my daughter and game on beeatch (yep - look at my use of urban slang for bitch). My revenge, I will blog about you. So there.
This blogging is pretty therapeutic. Get charged up, write, save, post, done, done, and done. Bye bye mean girls. Karma is a bitch. Oh well.
Ok - I can calm down now.
This isn't the first and it won't be the last time that someone makes fun of Heather (or me). Regardless, whenever it happens, it still stings.
If you have been following my blog you know that I have blogged about not judging a book by it's cover. I could write more about this Mother and Daughter duo, but they don't deserve any more attention. I think I have said enough.
Let's end on a happy note. Heather is eating more, getting stronger, more doctor appointments, looking for more answers, and staying focused.
I love you Heather. Once again, I want to be you when I grow up. You handled this situation with so much grace and dignity.
Lisa
xo
