Ashten, Plain and Tall

I'm not sure what kind of day this day will be, and I say that because I spent 20 minutes looking for a jacket that was hanging in my closet and spilled coffee three times in a matter of 30 minutes.

Have you ever spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for something you couldn't find, and then you find it in the exact place it should have been? I swear I looked in my closet for the jacket three times. Never saw it. I touched every piece of clothing. Didn't see it. Looked again for the fourth and final time, and there it was just hanging in my closet.

How did I not see it? Maybe it was adjustment? (Have you seen The Adjustment Bureau? If you haven't, rent it tonight.)

As for the coffee spillage, it's the story of my life. If I had a dollar for every time I spilled coffee on me or in my car, I'd be a millionaire. End of story.

Switching gears: My mom came to Little Rock to visit me...well really for a dentist appointment...but I like to say to visit me. We go to the same dentist. I just went on Monday for a teeth cleanting and check-up. And yesterday was her turn.

So we had dinner at Cafe Prego, a little Italian place in the Heights. And while we were talking, she told me about the dental assistant asking about who I was and what I looked like. Now keep in mind, my mother has looked at me for almost 24 years now.

Per my mom's description: Well Ashten is very little. Like teeny tiny. And she has long brown hair. Like really long brown hair.

....cricket...cricket....

I sat there waiting for the rest of the description, but that was it.

Could I BE any plainer? (Friends reference...If you don't get it, I'm sorry for you.) I was instantly reminded of the book Sarah, Plain and Tall, which I read in elementary school. I feel the need to teach my mom some adjectives to help her out next time.

I'm not upset about her description because what she said was all true, although I don't think I'm teeny tiny...I would prefer just the right size for me. But I do find it interesting that I'm put in such generic categories. Tall. Long, brown hair. Skinny. Blah. Blah. Blah. Boring. Blah.

When it comes to describing someone, we always go for the looks first and personality traits second. Not saying it's a bad thing, but it's something. I find it really interesting that we don't really get creative with our descriptions of others.

I mean really. Think about it. Think about someone you see every single day. How would you describe that person to someone who has never seen them before? Your mind automatically goes to looks first...Unless, on the rare occasion, a personality trait stands out stronger than any one physical feature.

I didn't mean to get all psychological on you. I just really think it's interesting. I'm totally ok with my generic description. Tall. Long, brown hair. Teeny tiny. Whatever, whatever.

In the words of the great Boom Kinetic, "Ordinary people. Ordinary people. Doing ordinary things. It's not good enough for me. I am extra ordinary. Extra, extra ordinary."

What's your generic description?

How's your day going so far?