I'm Natalie Lou in your listening to the baggage reclaim sessions.

Hello hello.

How are you doing?

A few months back on my 44th birthday, my mother had one of her moments.

This was where she decided to kick off about something. And despite me trying to nip it in the bird pretty much immediately because it was, you know,

my birthday and the kids were there and it just did not need to be a thing

she wouldn't let it go and so it escalated and it went from

celebrating and praising me an hour before at my birthday lunch to telling me all about

myself and what a lousy daughter I am. Although I didn't allow myself to get drawn into the gas lighty tornado that was swirling around me

and I was even able to see the funny side of some of it while it was taking place, I was of course upset.

After she left, I fumed,

at the injustice of it and her audacity.

And then it was like a roll call of other birthday special occasions and even not so special occasions sort of pass by in my mind.

You know like the Travelator in the Wheel of Fortune game I think it was?

You know where it used to have the prizes going along on the thing?

And you'd have to remember which items had gone by.

Well, it was like that you know all this stuff

sort of swirling through my mind and as I fumed to myself and out loud to my husband M that I just

couldn't be asked with her anymore and how I cut her off.

Done.

After a while I paused and acknowledged these thoughts and feelings.

Now, I want to stress, it's more than okay for me to have these.

...