They're everywhere

Whatever it is that catches your attention, you'll notice a zillion of them all around you. They've always been there but you never noticed before. Examples:

Deaf folks. My family and my former in-laws used to tell me how they never saw a deaf person until I came around. Apparently I'm like the pied piper of deafies. Now they follow me. No, not quite. They were always there.

Blue vans. Or pink cars. Or whatever kind of car you get. Before you buy it you don't notice how many of them are out there. Then once you're an owner, you see them all over - like you're in the club or something.

Twins. And triplets. I had no idea just how many twins were in my high school when I was there. I never thought about it. And yet every time we go out, we see another family of multiples. They were there all along and I never noticed.

Single parents. I thought I had the only single parent mom when I was growing up. I never met another person who had a parent who died until much later in life. They were around me but we don't wear signs saying "MY DAD DIED - HOW ABOUT YOURS??". I never knew they were there.

Disease. I had no idea how many people had Parkinson's or cancer until those diseases came into my life. I can spot someone with a tremor in a second. Someone with no hair or returning hair following chemo catches my attention now. They've been there all along and I just didn't notice.

Death. People die every day. I know this. But it doesn't really affect my life so much. It does now. There is my mother in law, former high school classmates, other mommy bloggers who have either died in the last few weeks or will soon. I know it's a part of life. That whole circle of life thing. I don't care. It sucks.

I generally tend to think I'm at least slightly antisocial. I don't join clubs. Yet here I am. I'm a member of all of those clubs now. They've always been around me, my eyes just weren't open. I wonder two things: what else will open my eyes and when will I be able to stop noticing the bad stuff?