Lunch at RH Rooftop Restaurant West Palm & How Therapy Has Changed My Relationships with Family and Friends
To say that Spring Break 2022 was eventful is an understatement. Between appointments for both Ava and myself and job interviews (more on that in a future blog post) sprinkled in between, I wondered if I was going to have any “real fun” during my week off.
Fortunately, things turned around that Friday with my best friend from college coming through for a much needed lunch date. What started off as plans to visit the 2022 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach somehow transformed into a rooftop lunch at Restoration Hardware in West Palm Beach. We’re women. Of course, we are bound to change our minds.
What We Wore :
Me:
Dress (Thrifted via Gulfstream Goodwill but brand is Universal Thread from Target)
Shoes (From my first ever brand collaboration! Read about it here.)
Handbag (Telfar’s Medium Shopping Bag in Tan )
Necklaces (Best Girl Store’s “6 Figure” necklace and POAM’s “Plotting on a Million” necklace)
Ava:
Dress (Carter’s)
Boots (Carter’s)
Jacket (the green utility jacket I’m carrying is actually hers, but it’s also from Carter’s)
Disney Princess Handbag (Target)
Socks (Target)
We came for the truffle fries. No. Literally. I’ve heard so many great things about them via YouTube that I had to give them a try. THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! And the garlic aioli was absolutely heavenly. The shrimp cocktail was yummy too but I mean how could one mess that up?
Lemonade for Ava, which I did not sample, and ginger beers for the bestie and I. Another culinary first for me and now I’m on the hunt for the perfect brand of ginger beer to add to my in-the-works bar cart essentials.
For entrées, The Bestie chose the Lobster roll while Ava and I split both the salmon and Yukon Gold Potato Puree. As a table we shared a side of broccolini because what’s a meal without something green?
What I’m assuming was brioche for the lobster roll was a delightful cloud of carbs. Yes, I had a bite despite my food allergies. Mind your business and hand me a Benadryl. K? Thanks. The lobster itself could have used a bit more Old Bay and a little less butter.
The salmon was cooked to perfection but also could have used a bit of blackened seasoning or just regular salt and pepper. The potato puree was so smooth and buttery that the dollop of chive butter was kind of overkill.
I must say that the star of the show was the broccolini. I love my green vegetables to be cooked but still keep a slight crunch. The garlic confit and Calabrian chili was the perfect finishing touch to balance out the earthiness of the broccolini.
Now that our tummies are full, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. I’m no stranger to therapy. I’ve been going on and off since my mother’s death in 2007. Perhaps that’s why I’m so surprised when people “open up” about going to therapy because in my mind it was never something I thought should be hush hush.
Anywho, about a month and a half ago I decided to start therapy with one of my family members. This person is someone who I admire and love dearly but always felt our relationship was strained. It’s important for me to find out why so that hopefully one day our relationship can improve.
One important thing I took away from this first session was how I’m perceived during conversations. To the majority of the world, I can come off as cold and standoffish when really I’m both introverted and shy with people I don’t know or in social settings (i.e. work, church, etc.).
However, with people who I call family and friends, for the most part I’m my true sarcastic, quick-witted and sometimes melodramatic (purely for shits and giggles) self. Imagine my surprise when this family member said they felt as though I talk so much about myself and my life that they feel they can’t do the same for fear of me not having the capacity to be there for them or as not to not add more to my plate.
Le sigh. Honestly, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. I’ve actually experienced something similar with two friends of mine. The confusing part in all three instances is that they each admitted to being private people and keeping most of their business (both the good and bad) to themselves. But this pattern with each of them was something I realized over the years so I thought by respecting their boundaries I was being a good friend. According to them, I was not.
Before you ask, yes, I would always ask them about their day and what’s new with them. More often than not I was met with vague, sometimes one word, responses. I’m not the pushy type when it comes to being in other people’s business so it only takes me a few conversations before I just back the hell up off of you.
So do you see where the confusion comes from on my part? And what have I done after learning this information? I’ve significantly reduced the amount of information I share with not just them but everyone around me. I’m justifying it in my head that everyone has their on lives and are too busy to share what’s going on with them or to want to hear about what’s going on in mine.
It’s a different vibe and I’ve noticed myself spending more time to myself than before. I’m journaling and blogging more, ramping up my social media and putting more effort into my entrepreneurial endeavors.
Now would I say that this is the new me? Absolutely not. It’s more so of me matching energies in a way and I don’t mean that in a negative or shady way. If someone is more reserved when communicating with me, then I completely understand how a conversation with me can be overwhelming. Like I said before, if I truly love you then I’m comfortable being me unapologetically. But once again I’m learning that not everyone receives “me” well.
With all that said, be prepared to see me come out of my shell just a little bit more both here and on my social media platforms. I don’t know if I can be the diet version of myself 24/7 so if you choose to follow me or my read my posts, then it’s safe to say that you are agreeing to all the terms and conditions LOL!