This morning I was leaving for work and Miss Barbara, my next door neighbor, was sweeping the sidewalk as is her regular routine. Miss Barbara is the block holder of the gossip, the car watcher and the child corrector. Cars are never stolen on our block. The teenage boys fear her because she karate chopped one in the neck and kicked him down the stairs, when he threatened to steal her purse. She is 98 pounds, 69 years old and a lean mean fighting machine. She is the eyes, ears and muscle of our block. You want to know something, you go to Miss Barbara. This morning she greeted me as she normally does.
Miss Barbara: Hey Baby
Me: Hi Miss Barbara, how are you this morning?
Miss Barbara: I am fine, it’s going to be a hot one.
Me: Yes it is
Miss Barbara: Do you see that lady over there?
I immediately know this is going to be good. Miss Barbara directs her eyes down the block to a middle age woman who is larger than your average lady. Definitely full-figured. The woman is wearing a T-Shirt that just covers her bottom and it looks like she isn’t wearing shorts.
Me: Yes
Miss Barbara: Don’t you know she left out of here yesterday in nothing but a pair of panties and a T-shirt tied up to her waist. Going to the show over there. (West Indian Day Parade)
Me: No
Miss Barbara: I tell you the truth she did. It was ridiculous.
I tell Miss Barbara Goodbye, while giggling a little. Miss Barbara was giggling too. She always tells it like it is. I look forward to my conversations with Miss Barbara everyday. I get a little dose of home every time I talk to her.
Great story, Cara!
Thanks!
Miss Barbara, My son is an achondroplastic dwarf and has had a lot of complications. I would like to speak with you about him. My email is listed below. Would you please contact me as I have a couple questions and also comments.
Thank you for sharing your story. I hope people can learn a thing or two from your posts. Keep that smile on your face and don’t allow anyone to get in your way!!
Hugs (from a distance) lol =
Dag, Greg…why you wanna talk to Miss Barbara? She’s the neighbor!
I just discovered your blog. I really love your writings and am looking forward to more!
Hi Cara, Read your CNN story and opened up my eyes a bit. While you’re resilience through all the nonsense you see is admirable, couldn’t help but feel discouraged at the lack of humanity a lot of people have, that you have to put up with often. What’s your silver lining in all the difficulties you go through to where you feel life invariably retains it’s blessing – e.g. is it the creativity you get from daily experience to do photography/writing, etc? And is there ever a comfort knowing you’ll never be unseen in anonymity by virtue of living such a unique life compared to most? Sorry to get deep, just was curious – Lol.
Loved it! “Ms. Barbaras” are needed in every neighborhood. 😉 When I first moved to D.C., there was a “Ms. Barbara” on my block. Initially, I thought, “What a nuisance, I feel like I’m back at the HBCU I attended for undergrad.” As time progressed, I must admit I loved “Ms. Barbara,” and everything she stood for. Not only was she the neighborhood watch patrol, who had everyone’s telephone number that resided on the street, she IS one of the pillars of the community.
My block in SE D.C., taught me about the true essence of community and how awesome it must have been for our elders back in the day. Man, I miss D.C. God bless all of the “Ms. Barbaras!”
I read your CNN story and was interested in your trip to India when you were 12. I would love her more about that!
Funny you should ask! I am in the middle of writing a piece for CNN about my trip to India.
I also came here from your CNN article, which I loved. It spoke to me, the daily struggle to be different in a world where everyone points and laughs. I’m not a little person, though, I’m overweight. I have a thyroid condition and spinal cord deformities that make it very hard to be anything but, although I work at it.
I was very surprised to find the first post I encountered on your blog, after such positivism in your CNN post, to be about how you enjoyed laughing at someone else because of their appearance. I get that it’s not because she was fat that you found it funny, but because she was dressed like she was. However, if she was thin and attractive, would it still have been so funny? If not, why mention her size?
Hi Jean,
Actually, my laughter was more about Miss Barbara. Her face is so expressive and to know Miss Barbara is to love her. Would I shame someone because of their weight, absolutely not. I have my own weight struggles. It was a light hearted post. I am sorry you were offended by it, but the point of the post was not to shame the woman. It was about Miss Barbara. I tell stories and sometimes they aren’t politically correct, because life isn’t. I mentioned the woman’s size, because she is larger and I am a descriptive writer. If someone was telling a story about me, I would hope that they would describe me as short, because I am. I did not use any offensive language when describing her size, because I am not shaming her. I also never mentioned if the woman was attractive. What’s funny is that Miss Barbara doesn’t miss a beat. She sees everything.
Hi Cara! I’m the girl who FB messaged you. Funny story! Hope to read more.
It was nice speaking with you!
Hi Cara,
I was inspired by your CNN article and wanted to find out more about such a courageous woman. The world we live in, can be very harsh and unforgiving. You captured my attention, and I did my google search on anything with your name on it. LOL I really LIKE YOU …………. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to say……..just that
Thank You!
While you’re resilience through all the nonsense you see is admirable but feel discouraged at the lack of humanity a lot of people have, that you have to put up with often. What’s your silver lining in all the difficulties you go through to where you feel life