Listening

Sometimes you just need your mom to listen.

TBG hung up early in the conversation, having gleaned the facts and tasted the emotion.  Little Cuter and I, though, were on a roll.

Life was throwing curve balls and that's part of adulthood and is to be expected but seriously, something every day since Thanksgiving seems like a lot.  

And it is.  And I told her so.  Social Psychology teaches us that misery loves miserable company.  TBG refers to it as wallowing.  I prefer to think of it as a cathartic release of emotion in a pure and id fueled way.  The super ego will take over eventually, but, in the moment, it sucks.

No one is in imminent danger.  There is a solution at hand.  None of that mattered.  She was overwhelmed and had no where to go for definitive answers and since facts would calm her their absence just added to it all and she needed someone to listen.

I agreed with everything (she was right) and commiserated with her plight and refused to accept apologies for burdening me (my kid called for help - she still needs me!!!) or thanks for hearing her out (can I say it's my pleasure when she was clearly upset?).  

She was done.  We hung up.  

I wish I could help.  I'm too far to do more than I did.

Life goes on.  It's a the end of a new day, and she's smiling and happy.  

What help I could offer, I did.  I'm pretty happy, too.