A Storied Table

Friends | When Life Swarms

• Amy Kathleen Smith • Season 5 • Episode 68

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Text me! Tell me something good!

This week started with me getting ambushed by yellow jackets (and yes, I went full Olympic dive into the pool… phone in pocket). It ended with the kind of “turning 45” rite of passage that comes with too much Gatorade and not enough solid food.

But in the middle? A summer storm rolled through, a friend walked in carrying more than just rain on her shoulders, and by the end of the night we were witnessing the biggest rainbow I’ve ever seen!

It was the kind of week where you realize two things:

  1. Pressure always finds a way to release.
  2. God has a sense of timing… and humor.

Stick around—this one has stings, storms, and even a little rainbow magic.

Hosts: Amy Kathleen Smith | Insta @astoriedtable | www.astoriedtable.com

Edited by: Ben Hill* | http://benhillsound.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhillsound/

*starting with episode 60


SPEAKER_00:

Life happens at the table, like in those rare family dinners when everyone's actually home, or when you finally get to go and catch up with your friends. We don't get enough of those. Those moments that we all wish would happen more often. But that's the feel that I want here. That place where you get to finally shift out of survival mode. So what do we talk about here? Nothing? Everything? A little randomness? You know, the kind of nothing that turns into everything good. Sometimes it'll be just us here, and sometimes a friend will join. Welcome to a story table. I'm Amy Kathleen, and I'm so glad you're here. So let me tell you about this insane week that I had not too long ago. I was out by the pool. I have the area that has the pool equipment, and we have a metal fence that goes around the backyard. And I've always wanted to train some plants to grow and cover the fence so that it covers the pool equipment, so it's not just so, you know, out there and ugly. And I don't remember the type of plants that we planted, but they kind of grow like vines. And so you can kind of train them to go in and through the little posts of the of the fence. And so I was working my way around and uh and training those little stems and little vines to go where I wanted them to. And by the time I made my way around to the very last one, I knew they were pretty sturdy. You know, they weren't gonna, they weren't delicate, they weren't gonna break or anything like that. And so um I kind of had moved along, was going a little faster. And so this last bush, it was um the one that attached like right there where the fence goes to the house. And I could see where the vines were kind of starting to kind of go up the house. So I start grabbing some and they seem to be kind of like almost knotted up. And so I grabbed at them and tugged at them because again, I knew that they were tough and sturdy. Well, before I knew it, I start seeing tiny little things fly out of that bush. And it was a swarm of yellow jackets. The whole reason the plant was stuck together is because it was a nest of yellow jackets. And here I am, like stuck around the back side of the pool equipment. And as soon as it dawned on me what they were, I was like, oh my gosh, I threw my hands up in front of my face, almost, I don't know, like I have my hands and fists, and I'm just kind of protecting my face and tucking my head down. I hope, can you picture that? It was kind of crazy. So I do that and I start yelling and I run back around the pool equipment. I mean, I knew as they were happening, I was like, I'm getting stung, I'm getting stung, I'm getting stung. Like I knew it was going to happen, and it was also happening like at the same moment. So what did I do? I ran straight for the pool. I jumped in and uh I don't know if they were actually following me into the pool, but I felt like they were. And as I'm running the pool, I'm like, they're probably not flying towards me anymore, but I'm still gonna do this anyway, because if there's one more, I just gotta get away. So the pool did save me, but it also killed my phone. Um forgot that it was my pocket. Of course, it all happened so fast. Who's gonna even remember that? But there I am, like in the pool, and as I'm swimming to the shallow end, I can feel the stings. They're not too awful, but uncomfortable for sure. And then I'm ticked off to high heaven because I had just washed and dried my hair that morning. I don't know if that's a thing for you, but that's a totally a thing for me. And so I was kind of ticked off at the whole thing. And then it gets better. So while so Michael was out there, he's sitting on the couch having a beer with our neighbor who's retired and they're some of our best friends. But they're hanging out there. And so Michael's one of those people that if something goes down, like he's Johnny on the spot. He jumps to his feet, he will run into a fire, he just he has that innate ability. My neighbor, on the other hand, sat there drinking his beer, just looking at me, like, what are you doing? I was like, Mark, there's yellow jackets. He's like, Oh. So I'm getting out of the pool, I'm ticked off up my hair, I got stings all over me. And I look at Anderson, who is also run. That's the youngest one, uh, youngest boy, and I just hand my phone to him. I was like, here, go deal with this. Which I mean, he's a boy and it's technology. So I'm I I just assumed that he knew go get a bag of rice. You know, we'll see what we can do here. But anyway, so that was the beginning of my week. It was insane. And this week got even better, let me tell you. Because at the end of the week, I had to start prepping for colonoscopy. I can't believe I'm actually mentioning that on here, but you know, it's apparently one of those joys of turning 45, which means you celebrate with Gatorade and clear away liquids. But do you know? I have also just realized that I have been telling everyone I'm 46 all year. I literally have. I'm only 45. I've been telling everyone. That's crazy that that just occurred to me. I guess I've just been uh prematurely aging myself. But anyway, it's been an it was an insane week, an absolutely insane week. But in the middle of all that, the stings, the feeling cruddy, you know, the endless prep that has to happen, God gave me the sweetest reminder through a friend and a rainbow. And I can't wait. I just I want to tell you all about it because it was just so good. So, in case I didn't already mention it, that all happened on a Sunday. And so, and I've had a lot of friends ask, so I'll tell you too. No, apparently I'm not allergic. Um, no, I did not go to the ER. Um, I did hop back in the shower, rewash the hair, and um I could start seeing the reactions, but I had some topical cream that I was able to put on. That's when I started realizing, like, okay, I'm swelling. I think I've been stung a few times. Um I can tell it's from like the backs of my hands and my forearms because of the way I kind of shielded my face. Um, though I did feel one of them pop me straight in the chin. So that felt great. Um, but because I had on a t-shirt, I had a few more, like that tried to get my chest and my sides, and I think maybe my back. But um, I had a t-shirt on so they didn't go all the way through. So not as bad as the bear skin pops. Um, but overall, I was okay. I mean, I took some Benadryl. Um, and then uh the next couple days, I guess it was actually that night, um, I don't know, three or later in the morning, um, I realized that like I'm in so much pain. It never occurred to me to take any Tylenol or Advil. So I did that, and then I was finally able to sleep. But over the next course of the few days, I would be totally fine. And then I wouldn't. Well, I would be totally fine, except the fact the one that popped me in the chin, it ended up swelling up so much that have you ever watched the movie Up, like the Disney Pixar movie, where the old man has the balloons in the house. And um, and he's a cute little old man, but he has this very square-lined jaw or very square jawline. That's what I look like. I looked like the little old man from up. My sub my chin had just uh my chin and my whole jawline just swelled up. And so that was a and and I couldn't smile right either. Like I looked like I had a little paralysis in my face. And so um it was an interesting couple days, and we had a big thing at school the next day. So, you know, just fun times all around. So great start to the week. But anyway, so overall, I was okay. Um, but by I don't know, Monday afternoon, Tuesday, I felt like crud. By Wednesday, I was just ticked off that I still felt bad. So I finally Googled and I was like, how long does it take for multiple? And by this point, and by the way, it took, it took time for like the swelling to go down for me to actually see how many times I had been hit. That's where I finally figured out it was like 10 to 12. Insane. So when I read online, it said that it could take anywhere from five to seven days for the toxins to get out of your system. And I was like, no, mm-mm, mm-mm. I don't have time for that. No, like this is gonna end, this is gonna stop. So I guess I wheeled the toxins out of my body. And uh, and part of the reason I was just obviously I was ready to feel better, but that Wednesday night was gonna be the very last session of our summer Bible study we had done, which that's gonna be a podcast on its own, y'all. That was such a cool experience that I never thought I would do or host at my house, but ended up being super cool. But anyway, I wanted to feel better by that Wednesday night because it was our last one and I wasn't gonna cancel. There was no way. Well, right before Bible studies started that night, there was a downpour, like a summer torrential downpour that happened out of the blue, like had no idea it was coming. And it basically flooded our walkway coming into the house, which happens when there's a lot of rain at once. And my poor friends are having to like maneuver their way into the house. But I had this one friend who comes in, she is drenched. And when you just look at her, her just spirit looked drenched, which is so contrary to the person she actually is. She's just one of those just pure joy, like lightness and love and just you know, sunshine and rainbows, and just, you know, just always full of joy. And so to see her come in, and I could just see she was heavy. And uh, and she was like, I'm only gonna stay 20 minutes. Y'all, I knew right then, like within a few seconds of even seeing her, that she needed to stay the whole time. You know, sometimes you can just see it in your friends, like they they need that. You know that, like, I know you feel like your schedule has you rushed to go somewhere else, but girl, I think you're gonna end up staying. I do. So everybody comes in and just kind of gets settled on the couch, and um, and we just start the like the chat, you know, just kind of catching up like we usually do before we get started. And my sweet friend, you could just tell it was like that pressure, that heaviness, like it just it it needed to come out, and you could just tell it was about to come out, you know. Um, I think about like we live in an area where there's a lot of natural gas drilling. And so there's actually a pad site not far from our house that we can see uh where there's they drill for natural gas. And I not to get too technical or bore you with this, but one time, not long after we had moved into our house, I heard the loudest sound outside. Like totally, I'd never heard anything like this before. And it scared the bejesus out of me. And I remember like almost being hesitant to go look out the front door to see what it might be because I had no clue, like if there was a rocket coming down from somewhere or what. Like it was just weird. Ended up from this natural gas site that's right there, um, not too far from our house. There's a pressure valve. And every so often these guys have to go out there and release the pressure on these pressure valves of this gas well. And it's really loud. Now I know what it sounds like, and it doesn't phase me at all. But at that first time, it was extremely like startling. So, anyway, I feel like just like pressure always finds a way to release, whether it's like from the earth or whatever, it happens like in us too. And so that night it started with just like the little tears coming down, and you could just tell, like, she just couldn't take anymore. Like, have you ever had that moment? Like, I have, I've had definitely had a ton of them. But I was just so glad that she did choose to come that night. And poor sweet thing. I mean, her eyes were just leaking and um, and they just wouldn't stop. I'm just so glad that she decided to stay. Like it's just it's what her spirit needed, it's what her soul needed. And um, you know, sometimes we just we need that time with women who, you know, get us. And, you know, you have that safe place where you can just kind of let it all out. So I'm glad that she did. But then after that, the coolest, funnest thing happened. Okay, so again, this friend of mine, she is oh, I'm pretty sure if she had been born decades prior, she'd have totally been like a flower child. She is just one of those kind of free and easy spirits, and just, you know, whenever she even talks to you, it's just so relaxed and welcoming. And, you know, and so to see this friend who's normally just so full of light and just uh brings so much joy to everybody and this heavy spot, it made this next thing that happened just make my week. So whenever I would have Bible study, Smith would take the boys um and go get something to eat or something, just kind of get them out of the house. And so uh it was about the time that we normally wrap up, and Anderson runs into the house and he's like, Did y'all see the rainbow outside? And so we all sat up. We're like, wait, what? No, we haven't seen it at all. And then my friend got so excited, she was like, Seriously? There's a rain. I love a rainbow. And so we uh get up and we start heading out the front door, and you know, everything outside is just, you know, kind of that it's the sun is kind of setting a bit, it's everything's wet and kind of glistening. It's just kind of pretty, you know, after that rain where it's just outside and everything looks extra green because it's wet. And we look up, y'all, it was the biggest rainbow I think I have ever seen. Like we have such an open area out here where we live that we could literally see it from one end to the other. It was gigantic. And then I got to see my friend after her broken moment of just, you know, letting it all out and just all the heavy in life and letting it out. And she walks out there, and I get to see her kind of just spinning in circles, dancing around underneath this rainbow. And I'm like, oh my gosh. I said, Do you know that he did that for you? God just gave you that rainbow. It was just so cool to see her just free spirit realizing instantly that God gave her her own personal special gift just for her. And the thing is, like, we all totally believed it was for her, you know, for him to know that like this is some that she truly loves. And it's and you think about it, it's like it's meant for promises, it's meant for like I'm I'm I'm always gonna be there for you. And I mean, how cool is that? Seriously. Such a cool night. So in the middle of a week where, you know, I'm going from like stings and toxins in the body and feeling like crud and and then still feeling like crud for, you know, this prepping of this lovely procedure. But in the middle of it all, I get to see a friend receive a gift and I get to see the lightness come back into her. And it was just so good. It was so good. So it's a mist of a just crazy, weird, cruddy week. That was awesome. That was so awesome. You know, sometimes there's literally nothing that we want more than to just take care of our people. It just hurts to see when like the people you love hurt, the ones that are the great ones too, like the really good people who, you know, uh truly bring joy when they walk into a room or give you a hug. They're just too good. They're they're too precious of people. And so when you see that they are dealing with more than you could ever imagine, it just it kind of sucks, you know? And so I used to be the friend that just really wanted to help fix it all. I mean, there's still a hefty dose of that in me, don't get me wrong. But even when I knew that I couldn't really do anything, I still wanted to try to help fix something, you know? But now I've I kind of get it. I guess I see it from a different perspective there. You know, the truth is I'm not here to fix anything, you know. I can be here just to be with you. I can uh give you a hug. I can be the ear whenever you just need to like talk and process through things. But in all honesty, you know, God's the fixer, you know? And he's the one who shows up with rainbows and love big enough for everything that we just can't carry, you know, that we weren't even really meant to carry. I hope that gives you something to just ponder on a little bit. It's something I've been chewing on for the past couple weeks. And when I really looked at it, I was like, you know, I could have looked back at that week that really sucked and uh thought about all the negative parts of it. But really and truly, once it occurred to me that this really cool, beautiful, awesome thing happened in the middle of it, I'm like, oh no, that's what I'm gonna choose to focus on right there. And on that note, I'm gonna wrap this up because my neighbor's generator just turned on for its weekly cycle. I don't know if you can hear that or not. But if you find yourself in the midst of a, well, forgive the crassness here, crappy week, I do hope that you can find yourself a rainbow. At the end of last week's episode, I mentioned how I've been thinking about this segment that I kind of want to end some or most episodes with, where I share just things that either I've come across or maybe a friend has introduced me to, but just things that I've really loved or found helpful that I just wanted to pass along. You know, I feel like that's just what we do. We we find out about things and we pass it along to our friends. So that's what I'm doing here. Now I was trying to think, what would we call this? What would this segment be? And I actually used like Chat GPT for this and was like, hey, give me some ideas. And there was one that it came up with, and I don't even know where it pulled it from, but I'm like, oh my gosh, this is so perfect for me. And so I've decided to name this last little segment of the show Before I Forget. If you don't know this about me already, I kind of have this goldfish brain that uh sometimes it can retain information for a long while, but most of the time it can't. So I figured that um this fits because I'm just gonna share this with you before I forget. And uh, and it just it fits well. So anyway, this week, what I want to tell you about is a podcast that a friend of mine recently introduced me to again. Well, I guess she reintroduced me to it. And the podcast is called Don't Mom Alone. It's by um, or it's hosted by Heather McFadden. And y'all may be familiar with it already because it's a pretty popular podcast. And she's really smart. She's great. If you haven't subscribed to it or even listened to it, go check it out. But I listened to this episode that I think so many of us could benefit from. She had a guest, and his name is Mark Gregson, and he spent more than 50 years walking with teenagers through really hard seasons. He's even opened up his home to many of them. And funny enough, he's literally just across the state line of Texas. Uh, so he's not very far from me at all. The conversation that they had really held like the kind of insights that some I expected, some totally surprised me, and some that actually made me pause and think, okay, maybe I'm actually doing a couple of things right with these teenagers of mine. But Mark challenges a lot of parenting like rules and things that we just assume about raising teens. And it points us back to what actually matters most, which is building relationships with them. So if you're in the thick of transitioning from littles to older kids, or maybe you have toddlers and teens in your family, or if you're just wondering how to reconnect whenever your teen just feels a little bit distant, this episode is just a really good one to add to your list of things to listen to while you're in the car. I thought it was really interesting. I thought y'all might like it and want to check it out. But again, it's called Don't Mom Alone. If you Google it, search it wherever you get podcasts or wherever you're listening to this podcast, you're definitely gonna find it. Uh, but Heather does a great job with Mark, and I hope y'all enjoy it. Okay, until next week. Y'all take care. Thanks for being here today. I cannot wait to hear back from you. For you to just come tell me something good. I have no doubt that you have so much good stuff to fill me in on. And this season we have a new feature to help you do that. You can now text me by clicking the tell me something good button that's at the top of our show notes. Or if you're old school, that's totally fine. You can always DM me on Instagram at a story table. Either way, I'm excited to hear from you. But until then, have a great week and y'all take care.