We're all a little nuts

Back away slowly

and change the subject.

Generally, people just don't get it. The mention of mental illness, not being a casserole disease and all, inspires people to do one of three things:

1. Stare

2. Back away slowly

3. Change the subject

I can't blame them, I suppose. Sometimes I want to back away slowly and change the subject, too.

But every now and then you run across someone who has a little sensitivity and today, I encountered one of those people. A colleague at work, who knows our situation, was chatting away to me about a person in her life that isn't....well.....HELPFUL to her. We eventually parted ways. A few hours later she sought me out to tell me she was very sorry, that she thought she'd offended me. Here I start racking my brain for anything that she said that was the least bit offensive.

"I'm all ears", I said....and she apologized for telling me that the person in her life "is making her nuts".

She was so genuinely concerned that a reference to "being nuts" was going to be a setback in our relationship that all I could do was give her a hug and tell her that some people make me nuts, too. In fact, some people drive me downright crazy.

It's OK. God bless her.