baby steps

Me: notice anything different about me?

Seth: um...(momentary look of panic) you look gorgeous all the time everyday? (is that sentence supposed to cover all bases?!)

Me: thanks, but no...i used my first coupon ever today!

~a couple of minutes later~

text to my mother: you'll never believe this but i just used a coupon...on my own!

text back from mother: all by yourself?

to mom: yes! i think i have that bargain shopper glow about me!

from mom: i am so proud!

~Explaination~

If any of you know my brother and I well, you know that we think anything unknown is "stupid and dumb", or in other words TERRIFYING! I don't know what it is, but we cannot, I repeat in all caps, CANNOT call people we have not basically grown up with for any reason. We also cannot go someplace we have not been before (we're talking offices or banks etc) that we have not been before without someone taking us by the hand and directing our every move. And we most certainly cannot attempt anything new that has not been demonstrated several times or fully explained in a most detailed fashion as to cover any situation that might arise while trying to accomplish the task. I still cannot order pizza without having a mild panic attack and ordering way different than planned because there is no way I can possibly correct them if they heard me wrong so I just go with whatever come up with in response to my mumbled yes and nos. It's not that I'm a push-over. I just freeze up and forget all relevant/important/simple questions and information and it all goes down hill fast.

BUT I recently saw a quote by this obscure feller named Plato that got me to thinkin;

“The first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is of all things most shameful and vile.”

Although Seth hasn't seen this quote yet I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes his official mantra. He is so good with overcoming (for lack of a better word) weaknesses, or anything that holds him back from reaching his potential. It's a trait I highly admire in him and have decided to try to emulate. However I'm going to use Dr. Leo Marvin's method of baby steps and hopefully I'll be able to take a permanent vaCAtion from my PROblems! Starting with coupons.