We all know the unwritten rules and keep to them. But what if we didn’t? Five Family First writers tell us about the day they bucked a social norm

Bragging Rights

By Esty Heller

I always say, the thrill of an accomplishment is never complete before you’ve shared it with others.

To my consternation, it’s socially off to go around telling people how amazing you are. But if my editor turned defying societal norms into an assignment, who was I to say no? This was my chance to spend my day bragging about my accomplishments — real or imagined.

I gleefully select my prey. First up is my friend Sussy, who spends her winters dieting; if there’s anything that makes me feel despondent, it’s people who go on diets and exhibit unwavering self-control. This was going to be Sussy’s (sugar-free) just des(s)erts.

I try her twice in the morning but she doesn’t answer. She returns my call a little later.

“I see you called twice. What’s up?”

“Well, I just had to tell you. I lost weight!”

“Really?” Sussy asked, clearly skeptical. “I’m so happy for you.”

She didn’t believe me and she wasn’t happy for me. But never mind. For that alone she deserved a little torture.

“Yup,” I told her smugly. “Five more pounds down.”

She definitely believed me, as was evident in her emphatic reaction. “LIAR!”

“Uh-huh. You wouldn’t recognize me if you saw me now. I’m soooo skinny. I look like a teenager!”

“Hooooooow?” she whined. “What did you doooooo?”

“Well, it’s not exactly my credit. I’m fressing away. You know how it is when my babies get a little older. They eeeeat me up.”

I also told her I’m baking babka (which I actually did! Listen, this is Day of Defiance, allow me to brag. Of course, it was for the purpose of this article, ahem, ahem. There are only so many lies I can tell in one day, and also, there’s only so long you can talk about babka without having any), which I would certainly indulge in.

By the end of the conversation, Sussy vowed that she would be starting a tea diet the next week. She would drink tea any time she felt hungry, she was going to fast the next few months until her brother’s wedding, and she was going to do self-talk every day, about maintenance.

See? Bragging inspires. I was ready to move on.

Next up: my sister Blimie.