It's always a long story...except when some tell it

"Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today." Mark Twain

My favorite quote used to be "It's along story and even longer when I tell it." by Winnie the Pooh. It just seemed to fit for me. Not because I talk alot (which I have ocassionally been known to do), but because I can...well, I sometimes...not always do I... okay. It's probably because I talk alot. But it's also because I have this inability to tell a short story. It's not the complete story unless it contains details.

Life is in the DETAILS. It's not enough to just know what someone said, you also need to know what their facial expressions were when they said it. What were the circumstances? What led up to their comments? Unfortunately I am married to a cop. Well, a retired cop, but once a cop always a cop. He delivers information on a need to know basis. He just doesn't understand why I need to know and why what I need to know is everything I can be my own filter, thank you. Actually, I'm a better incoming filter than i am an outgoing one. Sometimes my before-I-say-something-filter doesn't always work on a timely basis.

Oldest Daughter is another one of those non-detail people. Or maybe she's detail with everyone else, she just isn't with me. I can tell when I'm halfway through a story (one that I think is going well) and her eyes start rolling up into the back of her head and her hands start fluttering and looking for something to do to distract her from the remaaainnnnderrrrr of the story. Most times she's polite and keeps her twitching to herself, although it's hard to stay focused on what you're saying when someone is having a mini seizure right in front of you. Others times she breaks in and says, "Mother, will you get to the point. I've dinner to start in three hours." Which is fine.

Now Youngest Daughter is a fellow story teller. She, like her mother, loves the actual story and all the nuances of each and every detail. Sometimes you can enrich a story with the proper details and still leave it a semblance of itself. Face it, most people can't see the potential for a good story. Those are the ones who recite the words but not the embellishments, the words but not the voice inflections. We still want to hear the story, but be aware that when it's repeated, the rest will be added!

Which gets us to the reason behind my new favorite quote. It's a good one because it's not just any quote that can take down Pooh. But it's taken so long to get to the point that my pain pill has kicked in and this story will have to wait until another time....