Lucky For Friends

What I find interesting is that since I'm not a Mom, and my Mom is not alive there are some things that I just don't know.  Luckily I have friends and co-workers that share things with me; otherwise I'd really be kind of at a loss.

For instance.  A few years ago I remember distinctively a coworker getting on to me for my choice of drink when I had a sore throat.  I told her what I had for dinner - chicken noodle soup with a glass milk.  Chicken noodle soup always helps me when I'm sick and I /have/ to have milk with that type of soup for some reason (been that way my whole life).  But she got on to me.  She basically told me that when you have a sore throat you're not supposed to drink milk or have dairy products because it's not good for a sore throat.

Well, I had no idea!  How am I supposed to know that?  My mom is passed away or she would have mentioned it to me, and I don't have any kids, so I wouldn't know.

My Mom would always help me when I was sick, like, "have a shot of whiskey with some honey" for my throat.  But, I tend to forget many of the little nuggets when I'm sick for some reason.  And she's not around to take care of me anymore when I'm sick.

I guess I could look up stuff when I'm not feeling well, but who knows to look up "is milk bad for a sore throat?" lol

I could always ask my Mom anything and she always seemed to have the answer. Except that one time I broke my little toe.  I called her at work and told her about it and she told me there was nothing doctors could do about a broken toe.  I just had to wait for it the heal on it's own.  But what she didn't know was my little toe was sticking straight out so far to the left, I couldn't even put a shoe on!  She was wrong that one time - a doctor did fix me up, tho, and put it back into place for me.

Last year I visited my Dad's wife after he passed and she was preparing orchids she was giving away as gifts to a few people who had helped her the last few weeks after his passing.  And I'm sitting on her couch watching this Korean woman grab some mayonnaise out of the refrigerator, get a paper towel, and proceeded to wipe the mayonnaise on the leaves carefully and diligently.

I honestly sat there in disbelief.  I asked her why she was doing that and she said that the mayonnaise brings out the brightness of the leaves and also helps keep the dust away.  I had no idea - first time I've ever seen that in my life.  And I even recall mentioning to her that I wish I lived closer so I could learn things like that from her.  Because again, am I supposed to look up how to clean orchid leaves?  Why would it even cross my mind orchid leaves could/should be cleaned?

Now, I wrote recently that I've learned a lot from my parents by watching, but what I'm talking about are more so things that come up that maybe you haven't been through or you just don't remember.

Also, I have no idea if I ever had the chickenpox.  No idea at all.  And, there's no one alive to ask.  So every time I see that commercial about shingles, asking if you had the chickenpox virus, I shrug my shoulders at the tv because I have no clue.

But I am very thankful I have my friends and co-workers.  Whether walking down the hall talking to coworkers, or posting something on facebook getting advice back (usually unwelcomed lol but still), or mentioning something in an email to someone I adore, I do still have angels around me even though I have no family.