I Could Never Be An Operator

I get nervous when I have to phone someone I don't know. It all stems from a horrible incident when I was thirteen and I phoned Shopper's Drug Mart instead of Shopper's Optical to see if my contacts were ready. To make things worse, I was horrified when I remembered that I had given my name! Add to this the fact that my sister joked that everyone in the staff room was laughing about it (she worked there at the time) and I have been a Nervous Nellie on the phone ever since.

Fast forward to tonight. It's my mom's 60th birthday tomorrow (well, today for them since as I type this at 10:00pm it's 5:00pm tomorrow their time) and I wanted to try and reach them in New Zealand. Yah...me phone international and talk to someone I don't know? I imagined the hotel person picking up the phone and me spewing forth something along the lines of "G'day mate! Crikey! Kangaroo wombat Ken and Nancy's room a dingo ate my baby?".

I'm pretty sure my face was red as I was dialling, trying not to laugh at the thought of me having just uttered every Australian stereotypical-lingo. When "Peetah" picked up, he was extremely pleasant. He transferred me to my mom and dad's room. Alas, no one picked up. Perhaps they were still out on their sky-diving adventure they considered embarking upon today in the e-mail they sent me this morning?

At any rate, I survived the telephone call, but I did not get to wish my mom a happy birthday. I will try again before I go to bed. If I don't get through, here's hoping you had the very best of birthdays, Mom. I am so very proud to be your daughter and I am grateful for all that you have done, and continue to do, for me. Happy 60th. I love you.