Georgie's Outtakes

Some people have remarked that Georgie seems a little bit too good to be true. That's interesting since she is based in truth.

However, I guess every writer wants to portray herself (or himself) in the best light and I'm guilty of that as well. While I am well aware of my many flaws that doesn't mean I necessarily want to put them on display.

Still, to be fair and to show that Georgie is a well-rounded, card-carrying screw up just like almost everyone else in the world, here are some of her less that stellar "outtakes", if you will.

#1 - At age 6 Georgie lost her temper and threw a rock at a school bully in retaliation for something awful he did. She unfortunately hit her mark, injuring him. It was her last attempt at throwing anything other than a ball and the day she learned the importance of controlling her temper. She still internalizes her anger to this day.

#2 - At age 7, George was so embarrassed by her ex-con father that she either denied having a dad or lied to cover up his past and present.

#3 - At age 8, Georgie refused to go to her great grandfather's funeral. She couldn't stand the thought of him being put into the dark ground. While she's never regretted that decision many in her family considered it an act of betrayal of one of the most influential people in her life. Georgie's hatred of funerals continued throughout her life and she has avoided as many as humanly possible.

#4 - At age 9, Georgie was pursued by a group of boys following a school dance. They want to kiss her and "feel her up" because she was well developed for her age. She wanted nothing to do with them and escaped by outrunning them. (All that track in elementary school came in handy.)

#5 - By age 10 Georgie had been molested three times, by three different men. Two of them were family members. She remains convinced to this day that the fault was somehow her own.

#6 - At age 11 Georgie ran away from home in the middle of the night. Of course she didn't run far, a mere three blocks to her best friend's house.

#7 - At age 13 Georgie had a crush on a man 7 years her senior and stupidly got into a car with him at the bowling alley where her father worked. He tried to rape her, which further compounded her already burgeoning intimacy issues.

#8 - At 15, Georgie told her mother she hated her. Although it wasn't true, she wanted to hurt her mother for not protecting her and her siblings from her father's constant verbal and emotional abuse.

#9 - At 16, Georgie considered having sex with her boyfriend before he went to fight in the Vietnam War. In the end, her better judgment prevailed and she remained a virgin until her wedding night. Her future husband respected her decision.

#10 - At 19, Georgie was flattered by the attention her husband's friends lavished on her. But part of her was ashamed for appreciating their validation of her as a person in her own right. She never shared those feelings with her husband.

#11 - At 24, Georgie was heartbroken to find out she probably wouldn't have any more children.

#13 - At 25, Georgie sowed a few wild oats when her husband deserted her. She hung with her friends between work shifts and even visited a few nightclubs and bars. She even allowed men to flirt with her.

#14 - At 27, Georgie got stuck on a muddy dirt road at midnight on her way home from a long play rehearsal. She had to seek assistance from strangers at a nearby German Festhaus.

#15 - At 28, when untrue rumors were spread about Georgie having another affair with a man some 20 years her senior, she considered retaliating against her accusers. However, her better nature prevailed and she stood up to them instead and won the battle in the end.

#16 - At 30, Georgie sought help with her migraines and saw a psychologist who ended up making a pass at her. She never made the same mistake again.

#17 - At 35, Georgie made a conscious decision to be the undoing of her cruel boss. She did nothing to sabotage him and actually tried to help him at first. But when he refused her counsel, she waited for him to hang himself. She has felt guilt over the years for not doing more to stop him from making the mistakes he did.

#18 - At 36, Georgie was hit head on by a pickup truck, which then rolled over the top of her car, crushing it. She was convinced her guardian angel protected her that day by telling her to remove the seatbelt that she originally had on. By removing it, she was thrown into the floorboard of the car with everything crushed in over top of her. Had she worn the belt, the steering column would have penetrated her chest, killing her instantly.

#19 - At 40, Georgie considered packing it all in when everything in her life went south and she couldn't see light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, she sought help for her depression.

#20 - At 41, in a jealous rage over Georgie's popularity, her boss prevented her from traveling to Russia to help develop new educational curriculum. He also stopped her from accepting NASA's invitation to have lunch on the space shuttle. In return, she stopped covering up his mistakes and made plans to leave her job. It was a major turning point in both of their careers. He was fired less than six months after her departure.

#21 - At 44, Georgie's decision to return to Oklahoma was a selfish one. It was as much for herself as for her and her husband's families. That proved to be a double-edged sword. All the work required to restore their house ate away at their savings; leaving them broke at a time when they needed to be saving more. However, the time with their parents gave both her and her husband the lasting peace and contentment they needed.

#22 - At 58, Georgie regretted putting her mother in a nursing home. She wondered if it was a selfish reason rather than in her mother's best interest. The decision still haunts her.

#23 - At 60, with her life spanned out behind her, Georgie wonders if she did the best she could with all the benefits afforded her by God. But overall, she is content and happy at last.

#24 - Georgie admits hating both her father and her mother-in-law. She's not proud of the feeling, but she finally understands how it developed. She still wishes she could have prevented the emotion.

#25 - Georgie is happy working as a freelance writer, reaching out to others to share what little knowledge she has with an open heart and a clean spirit.