Friday, May 16, 2008

An Opportunity to Educate

A friend of mine asked me if I would facilitate a meeting last week. She asked me on one of my higher energy days, and so I optimistically, but foolishly, agreed. 

I perched on a stool in front of the group holding my agenda. Wouldn't you know  - the meeting took place on a very low energy day for me, but I thought I had everything under control. I should have known better.

My first cue that things were deteriorating was when the first big glob of melted makeup slid off my nose. No problem - I had a wad of Kleenex stuffed into my sleeve. 

I focused my attention on the agenda, and tried to look knowledgeable as I bumbled my way through the list. Which immediately prompted me to repeat the point I was trying to make five minutes earlier.

When I looked directly into the face of one of the group members and called her by the wrong name, I knew I was in trouble. I have known this person for several years, and she looked back at me with an expression which clearly said, "Get your butt off the stool, girl. You are SO done leading this group."

It was time to wave the white flag. 

Before I surrendered my perch, I gave everyone a dopey grin and asked them if they wanted to know the reason that I was acting unusually loopy that day. Of course, being the polite collection of people that they were, they all looked at the floor and mumbled, "Um, sure...."

What followed was actually a great discussion. After mopping the rest of my mascara off my chin, I asked if anyone know what Sjogren's Syndrome was. Not surprisingly, no one did, so I proceeded to tell them all about this strange disease. They asked some great questions and I somehow parted the foggy clouds enough to give some reasonable answers. 

Everyone seemed relieved that there really was some kind of reason for me to go KKFCCP. (An acronym from my college days which means Koo Koo For Cocoa Puffs). 

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