1 Head-On, 1 Drive-By

Paperwork is my job.  No, it's more than that.  It's a religion; I'm a pastor.  For 8 hours a day, I live it, breathe it and do it.  I speak the language.  "Do we have it documented?"  "Sorry, that's not what the regulations say."  "We need to make sure we have that in the file."  It's what I do, and I love it. 

I was getting ready to complete paperwork with a client today, looking things over one last time, making sure I had the correct lines highlighted and my initials on every page that needed initialing when a co-worker entered the room.  I was engrossed in what I was doing, and I didn't even glance at her as she walked by the table until it happened. 

At first, I had no idea what happened.  Had she dropped something in my chair?  Was there a spider on me? 

Then, it dawned on me.  She had stood next to me for just a moment... reached out... and... RUBBED MY BELLY.

"I'm sorry. I just had to do it. It's so cute!"  She had reached out her hand and rubbed my rounding, fattening, crazy little belly. 

Those of you who know me, I am sure, have heard me speak of how terrified I was of this day.  I don't like to be touched, especially by people who are not in the "circle of trust".  I hate it, in fact.  This woman is definitely not in the circle.  On the outskirts of the circle, at best.  But not in the circle.  I've thought many times of how I would react to this occassion:  Would I rub her belly back?  Slap her hand away?  Blow my crisis whistle?

Instead, what I did was jump up out of my chair and pull my shirt tighter so she could see it better. 

"Ahhh!  I know, right?  It's getting a little bigger every day, I think!" 

I became that girl.  I didn't even discourage the behavior.  In fact, I relished in it.  We discussed a friend of hers who is exactly a month ahead of me and showing much more than me and I felt myself get so excited.  This is happening.  This is real.  People know it, people can see it and people are (almost) as excited as I am. 

Maybe I won't feel the same way in three months, but it made me smile when she reached out for just a little rub as I walked out the door.