Just tell them to be quiet

Today was a beautiful, warmish day! Well, warm compared to what we have been having here. So Cody and I thought it would be lovely to take Claire on a walk to the park and let her enjoy one of the last great days of fall. During the summer, we frequent the park quite a lot, so I am starting to recognize certain other people that frequent that park as well. One of the parks patrons is a 50ish women named Laura who seems to have some sort of mental disorder. She comes with her dad, and she plays on the swings, and will come right up into people's faces and talk to them. So tonight as we arrive at the park, she is the only other person there. She comes right up to us and starts talking to Cody and I, asking all sorts of random questions, and for the most part, she just stands there watching us play with Claire. We do our best to make conversation and at one point I go off to help Claire down a slide, and Cody stays talking with Laura. I wasn't too far off and I was privileged enough to hear this hilarious little conversation that ensued.

Laura: "I like dogs."

Cody: "Yeah, I like dogs, too."

Laura: "I hear voices."

Cody: "Uh oh, you hear voices. . . Just tell those voices to be quiet. That's what I do when I hear voices."

I started giggling hard core when I hear this. I am pretty sure that Laura meant she heard other voices in the park- such as the voices of those who were playing basketball. But Cody assumed she was talking about hearing voices in her head and offered her that great bit of psychiatric wisdom.