Gratitude: Grandma’s famous tuna, a pocketbook and a spider. Oh my!
Commentary by Misty Martin
While I actively seek to empathize with people and understand life from their perspective I continue to feel a sense of social alienation because my beliefs and interests are often different from those around me.
I simply enjoy the little things in life outside of sports, which even recently included a nasty run-in with an ugly brown spider.
As an old soul I still value a firm handshake and seek deep conversations. Two of the best conversations I’ve had in a while have been with my 94-yearold neighbor and my Grandma Sarah, 84, who I’ve had on speed
dial for a bit.
I was fortunate to place a request for some of grandma’s famous tuna around 11:20 p.m. on Friday night following the end of football season.
I had just performed my best Kiss impression due to that one tube of mascara that as it turns out isn’t waterproof.
Up until Saturday, the most chaotic story involving my grandma was when I spilt something in my grandaddy’s switcher (aka remote control) 100 years ago at the breakfast table.
A close second was when my grandma went to swat me from digging for loose change at a car dealership, only to bloody my nose on a hot summer day.
Grandma is certified in first aid since she worked many years around children running day cares. I think a part of her is still stunned I didn’t bleed out that day.
Another comical moment was this past week when I called to ask if I needed to bring a mask because of wild fires and air quality. She misunderstood me, and thought I said I was bringing her a map...to go to her mailbox.
Believe me when I say nothing was quiet as exciting or challenging as the moment I found a huge spider crawling in my purse at grandma’s house following our pre-Thanksgiving meal.
To set the scene, my huge satchel of goodies I scored at a thrift store is roomy enough to comfortably fit everything from the essential sports writing tools to the basic gluten free food groups. The fact that it also has enough change for not one, but two buckets for the Salvation Army means my teenage son had the nerve to ask if I was going to let him go change diving...kind of wish I had caved on that one now.
Gratitude: Grandma’s famous tuna, a pocketbook and a spider. Oh my!
Being the team player I’ve always been, I was forced to grab my suitcase that weighs in at no less than 10 pounds from my grandma in the heat of the moment when she went to swatting again.
I was then bullied to commit a spider murder, which I’m still carrying around some guilt for.
As luck would have it, I got bit on my hand after a massive dumping of my items in an effort to chase down one of the smallest most fascinating, and by far fastest creatures on the planet. As a bonus, the little lady - whose only hobby besides cleaning and buying shoes is changing pocketbooks - got to help me get ahead of my todo list by spit shining my bag of belongings.
Yeah, my grandaddy would giggle and probably be upset we interrupted football hollering over a spider...or he would be too busy enjoying Tennessee’s thumping of Missouri, featuring another great performance from senior sensation Josh Dobbs to care.
Either way, we miss him.