Tourettes, Thrift Stores and Ebay – Oh My! by Andrea Frazer

I love to write, but a close second on my list is thrift store shipping. That’s followed by a very close third with Ebay. I suppose after thinking and ruminating for a living it’s a welcomed relief to walk through a store and tangibly touch things. “Ohhh, check out this vintage romper for $3.99! I could turn that sucker around for twenty in a heartbeat online!” And I often do.
Which is why, this afternoon…in 100 degree heat… with 4 kids roaming the house and a dog at my feet… I spent an hour filling envelopes and printing shipping labels. 11 packages later I was ready to get them out the door.

“Why don’t you just get some more writing clients?” my husband asked this afternoon. And he had a darn good point. Why don’t I? It would certainly make me more money than the few hundred I score on Ebay. But truth be told – it just wouldn’t be as fun.

While I could undoubtedly write Top 10 posts until I’m blue in the face, it’s not quite the same thing as knowing I’m making some lady’s day in some small town in Kansas with her rose print 4X dress. I picture a dough faced grandma, wearing it to church with a hat. Perhaps there’s a red headed six year old on her knee. Oh, sure, the dress might very well be going off to some cross dresser, but I get to make up the story according to my mood of the day. And today, well, I needed to know that some older angel on a farm was baking cookies, wearing my dress, praying for my babies, and drinking a nice cup of coffee in my honor. Some days are just like that.

Special needs is an awful lot like thrift store shopping. There are days when you just don’t know what to expect. Sometimes the adventure is wild and colorful. Some days it’s the same stuff… the same routine… you’re just glad to have gotten through the day. I suppose you could say that about life in general.

Take this blog and my personal writing. I know that I should be more disciplined when it comes editing my book. I should be more disciplined with writing here. I certainly should be more disciplined about finding a new doctor for Stink and making him exercise more… I swear that kid would live on the computer if I let him.

I suppose I’ll always be a bit on the flighty side, but one thing I am disciplined in is the love for my baby. Twitches, no twitches, it doesn’t affect this mama’s heart. These days his tics are up a bit. In fact, at the park a few weeks ago, I saw some kid mimicking his eye rolls and shoulder jerks. As I edged closer to the group of kids, careful not to look at them, I heard one of them.

“He sure makes a funny sound,” he said. “Why does he do that with his body?” he added.

One of the younger boys, sitting cross legged on a sand pile, piped up, “He can’t help it, so don’t say anything at all.”

I was proud of that little boy. And I was also proud of me. A few years ago, that scenario would have made me cry. I would have wanted to kick those brats to the moon for having the nerve to imitate my son. But that day, I just stood there. And I prayed to a God that I know doesn’t care about some tics and twitches. “God,” I said. “Thanks for making my kid the way he is. It’s not always easy, but he’s so strong. If he can be okay with who he is, then I can be, too.”

Yeah, having a kid with Tourettes is definitely like going to a thrift store. Because while some people might find the content to not be worth their time, the right people – the ones with a sharp eye and a heart for the eccentric but valuable – they see the treasure. And you can’t put a price on that.