Just now she reminded me of the time we were doing a counselling course together and had been paired up to take turns sharing an emotional story. This was all very well but we had been told that on this occasion we weren't to look at each other - we had to share the stories back to back. Being in a room along with 20 + other pairs of trainee counsellors, it was quite a challenge not to be distracted.
One of the most emotionally challenging things I had ever been through was years of infertility and miscarriage so when I was finally in labour with my first daughter, it was a highly emotional experience. I began telling Sue about the fact I was in the shower and suddenly felt water where there shouldn't have been - 'Sorry', interrupted Sue, 'can you repeat that?'. Being back to back in a room full of talking people was proving difficult! I didn't want to speak too loudly about the fact I thought my waters had broken. I repeated in a slightly louder voice and had her full attention - I explained about the fact that I felt I needed to check and see if it was me leaking or the shower head! I collected some of the fluid to see. Don't ask me why (or how!) but the only thing to hand was a trifle bowl. (As in sherry trifle - the desert ). As I explained this to Sue I felt her shoulders beginning to shake behind me, and then the humour of the situation hit me. 'Have you used the bowl since?' she asked and we both exploded in laughter, consequently unable to take anything else seriously - disrupting the whole counselling session with our irrepressible humour.
Sue is extraordinarily gifted at lightening situations. I'm not sure that she went on to be an official counsellor but in birth, marriage and death - she's good to have around!
PS - Should you ever come to tea on a summers day and be offered trifle - I can assure you, as lovely as my trifle bowl is, I haven't used it since!
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