ACCIDENTAL PAIN

Have you ever been with a group of friends, parents and kids all together? A cook-out, a party, maybe a lunch? Have you watched the interactions between the individuals there as the conversations change and merge? The laughter, the energy, and the interest as it spreads out among the group. When the seating is relaxed, the conversation is much easier and more varied. Sometimes when the group is broken up by awkward seating, you also observe awkward breaks in conversation. And there's always that moment when you hear that whisper meant for someone else, then there is accidental pain. Bad if about self, worse if about spouse, worst if about child. We are all struck by accidental pains in our lives and must determine how to deal with them. The ones meant for me, I let burn up in the atmosphere like falling stars. If meant for my husband, pretty much the same. But moms have this thing about their kids, and they think differently about the situation when their kids are concerned. I guess it is that Mother Bear syndrome.