The good with the bad

Today should have been a good day. First I had a haircut and was heartened to hear my stylist tell me that he can barely spot the hair loss that has me so freaked out. This is so top of mind (no pun intended) and I made an appointment with a new dermatologist who specializes in this sort of thing, but I won't see her until December 15. Yes, I know it's not life threatening and yes, I know it shouldn't matter to me as much as it does ... BUT IT DOES! So him telling me honestly that it doesn't show made me feel better. Hopefully this new doctor will be able to stem, if not cure, whatever is going on with my scalp.

Then I had a lovely lunch with my nephew, who wanted to talk about "the best thing ever" (the Cubs, naturally) and "the worst thing ever" (Trump's election). He's so enthusiastic about everything -- the Cubs, national politics, his girlfriend -- that it was heartening to talk to him. He still hates school, except for English and history, so we really didn't talk about that much. I sense that he's happier than he's been in a while. He's such a sensitive kid, so good at heart, and deserves good things.

BUT my aunt got very mad at me on Facebook Saturday morning and I've been upset all day. The impetus was that my friend Kathleen posted something about resistance to Trump that she found inspiring. I clicked "like," which meant it then appeared in my aunt's feed. Uh-oh. She commented rather definitively that Kathleen was wrong. I said I agreed with Kathleen, and a friend of Kathleen's named Angela chimed in. I suppose my aunt could have just let it go and moved on, but then she wouldn't be my aunt. Anyway, after saying something snarky about Kathleen, she said, "I'm done here." Now Kathleen didn't deserve what my aunt said. Either she was confused and thought I'd posted what offended her. So I wrote, "I hope you didn't feel dissed by my aunt. She was upset and didn't understand your point."

Oh. My. God. Auntie, who said she was "done here," came back to tell me she meant everything she said and I should never, ever apologize for her or talk down to her.

Oh, good. So now Kathleen's been insulted and she feels she started a family row. All for expressing an opinion on her own Facebook feed.

Kathleen said she felt bad (though she shouldn't) and explained herself again. Then she said we should all feel loved on page. I wrote that my aunt is one of the few people who has loved me longer than Kathleen and that I loved them both. And then I logged off and haven't been back on.

My aunt is the one who introduced sarcasm to the exchange. She was wrong. I'm sorry I embarrassed her, but I feel bad because I'm the one who introduced her most unwittingly to the conversation.

I'm upset, and I don't like being upset. I'm flying Sunday afternoon -- my birthday trip to Graceland! -- and I refuse to let anything rattle me. I'm already a white knuckle flier. I've been looking forward to this trip for this wacky little getaway for a while now. I want to be happy. So I'm staying off Facebook until I feel more social.