TMI: Watch Out For This Dreaded New Syndrome During The Holidays!
New syndromes show themselves over the years. What one generation fails to recognize, the next identifies as a truly life-altering condition. I think it’s time for us to add a new condition to the list.
First, let me define syndrome. According to Dictionary.com, one definition of a syndrome is ” A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition.”
In English, please? Your body or behavior show signs of being irregular or strange.
Before I tell you what I call this group of abnormal actions, take this quiz and see if you have it. Do you have the new syndrome I propose? Here is a quiz:
1. Do you share intimate details about your life with total strangers?
2. Do you answer a yes/no question with a detailed analysis of all possibilities?
3. Do you announce personal details about your health or bodily functions at parties?
If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, you might be making others suffer because of your self-revealing disorder.
What is it, you might ask? I call it Too Much Information Syndrome, or TMI.
The worst thing about TMI is that, while those who have it suffer no ill effects, you are torturing the people around you by telling us much more than we want to know about you.
Some people are TMI magnets. They do not have TMI but attract others who suffer from the disorder. My mother is a TMI magnet. The dubious honor of possessing this particular power appears to be genetic. My mother passed it along to me. Thanks, Mom. Love you too.
Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me summarize.
Mom used to work as a hair stylist in Chicago. You know how strangely people act under the influence of the full moon? Well, Mom had a permanently full moon hanging over her styling station. There might be three available operators, but all the people who shared every intimate detail of their lives, or who were otherwise odd, went to her.
She still has the knack, even here in the beautiful Ozarks. One time when she was in Branson, an elderly woman pushing a man in a wheelchair came up and said, “I tell you, this man right here has still got it!” She wiggled her hips to make the meaning clear. “His furnace is still blazing hot!” She fanned herself dramatically.
TMI. Oh boy! She has a bad case.
I, having genetically received the power to attract TMI, was in a grocery store with my guide dog, Molly. A man came up wanting to pet her. He told me, “I could kill a man, but I could never harm an animal.”
TMI. He has it too.
One time I had a “stray” with no family in town over for a holiday dinner. Our guest regaled us all with tales of the three times her hip went out of its socket. One of them involved going to the bathroom.
If I want to know that much, I will ASK! The topic was a real conversation killer until somebody – bless her - changed the subject.
A server at one of the dinner shows told my mom and me, “My daughter died a few months ago. She used to love this show. She’d come two or three times a year.”
These are not evil people. They mean well, but they are obviously too self-absorbed to be aware of the evidence that a TMI attack is in progress.
Clear signs that people have lost interest include: glazed-over eyes, saying “uh-huh” distractedly, wandering off to do something else, rapidly changing the subject, picking up a magazine, laying hands over you and praying for the demons to set you free, and rapidly walking away.
If you suffer from Too Much Information Syndrome, there is help. Ask someone a question and LISTEN to the answer.
If you are a magnet like me and mom, our condolences. It’s a curse – and a gift. When I am the victim of a TMI attack, I say a kind word or a prayer for the poor afflicted soul.
Find Ronda Del Boccio on the web at www. RelaxWithRonda.com/ www.RelaxWithRonda.com. She offers a free newsletter, contests, samples of her stories and more.
Ronda Del Boccio is a globally published, award-winning author. She started studying wellness and the power of the mind as a child. She is also an inspirational speaker and mentor who helps people live their dreams.
Ronda happens to be legally blind. People always tell her she’s “amazing” and “inspiring,” she is simply living her life to the fullest. And so can you. Ronda is co-author of _I’ll Push, You Steer: The Definitive Guide to Stumbling Through Life With Blinders On_, available at awocbooks.com awocbooks.com. Contact her at mailto:Ronda@unleashyourcreativity.com Ronda@unleashyourcreativity.com. Now…a GIFT for you.
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