Shushed by a stranger is high on my list of things that irritate me.  It does not happen often, but when it does, I tend to get offended. It seems a self-elected shusher has been waiting their whole life for this very moment to flex their power. Then there I am, being shushed.  Really?  There are different types of shushes and different types of shushers.  There is the quiet shush, more of a friendly shhhh the baby is sleeping or someone does not feel well, to which I will whisper back, “Oh, sorry.” Then there are those harsh shushes from rude shushers who think they are the shush police.  They are actually demanding that I stop all the sound that is coming out of my mouth at that precise moment. That is when I want to play the ‘you can’t tell me what to do, you are not my momma’ card or to quote Darrel, “Let me pull out my license and show you just how old I am!” 

While thumbing through a book at the library, I read something that really tickled me and I unintentionally laughed aloud.  Okay, maybe a little too loud for the library. I kept reading and I kept laughing.  A polite shusher quietly shushed me, but when I looked up to whisper “sorry,” no one was there.  Someone had the nerve to do a shush and run. Is that even allowed?

 I am a talker at the movie theater.   Not steady chatter while talking to someone, but outbursts depending on what is going on. When the movie is good, and I am being thoroughly entertained, I am very animated.  I jump, holler, cover my face asking what is going on, laugh, cheer and clap. I even help by warning the characters on screen when someone is about to get them. Girl, you had better run! He is getting back up. Look behind youuuu!   When I screamed and we both jumped, I am not sure if the guy sitting next to me shushed me or cursed because he was scared too. Both words sound similar…what do you think?

At church, asking someone for mints at the wrong time during service would get you sternly shushed and you might receive a sour faced stare from the shusher to boot!  My sister Cheryl is the type who would forget that she had on her white usherette outfit and challenge that shusher with her loudest,  “Do you want a piece of me?” The self-appointed shusher’s Ministry of Shushing would quickly be disbanded for the day. 

 I wonder if shushers will be out in full force when we get back to our daily routines and activities again. Perhaps they realized that muffled masked shushes have no power, and found other unofficial duties to perform.   All I know is, I look forward to the day when I am back laughing while in the library, talking back at the movie screen and asking for mints at church. If I am shushed, then I will smile and know that things are finally getting back to normal.