Hi Seasons,
I was going to quote the same thing PennyP did, since it's so pivotal; about how hard it is for "normal" people to grasp what you cope with in close relationship to an N. Well, it's worth repeating!
How she gets away with it..... it seems to me that many people can be easily fooled. Especially if most people don't spend the amount of time with her that you have. It takes awhile sometimes to see enough of the lies and inconsistancies and complete selfishness that will make a person realize something is very wrong with the N. And many people want to believe the best of others. Give them the benefit of the doubt. It is hard for regular people to comprehend such heartlessness.
I think that's part of a loneliness and sense of isolation I've often felt--maybe other N-survivors have too. I'd listen to people go, "Oh, my mom's great...we're close...." and it wasn't so much what they SAID, but the happy little relaxed smiles they'd get. They looked...SAFE. I didn't hate my mother but she wasn't about safety. Or, "My big brother..." etc. MY big brother? The monster in my closet come to life
It's like, who can you explain it to, really, except someone who's ready to read about 10 pages of material before they'll really have a glimpse? But...I do find with people I'm fairly close to it's worth persevering. I have a couple friends now who occasionally mention the N word, and it's just a relief to find it's even part of their vocabulary, since in my case this knowledge is part of my being.
Hi there Moon:
Is there some techno-widget that might help? I don't even have Call Waiting, but haven't they invented some little gizmo that will block certain incoming numbers so you don't have to deal with them at all? I'm not sure. But for me, if you can avoid the voices, the messages, you're entitled to protect your precious family space and your precious peace of mind. (It'd be good, too, to practice not fearing them, breathing through the tension until you hear it is "just a voice" that you don't have to let in. I see that point too.) But I think if I had the option, I'd choose to screen them out entirely.
((((Seasons, Moon))))
Hops