Some days you’re the dog, and some days you’re the hydrant.  
Today a very attractive 20-something single mom was in the shop chatting with me. As any middle-aged single man would do in my situation, (hey don’t blame me, I am a salesman), I engaged her in conversation. She was very friendly and her daughter kept reaching out for me and I gave her a sucker, my usual interaction.  

She was very talkative and asked a lot of questions. My “spidey/dude sense” kicked in…she was laughing a lot, and was doing that hair toss thing. SHE WAS FLIRTING WITH ME! It took a minute for me to recognize it, but by God, I was getting a flirt. I KNEW it! My mind started racing. I mean, I stood up straighter, puffed up my chest. I knew this Thrive stuff was getting it done! 
As I continued to talk, there was a voice in my head that began to speak. “Of course she’s flirting, I mean…look at you, dashing and manly, you’re totally killing it with the jokes too.’  
The sweet little girl was sitting on my counter and she turned around and reached her hands out to me, making cooing noises and indicated that she wanted me to take her. Deftly, I pointed out, “This little one seems to be a good judge of character.” We both laughed. “I think she’s trying to tell you that you should come by and say hi more often.” We both laughed some more. I realized that YES, this beatific angel was indeed flirting. My thoughts raced–I looked at the signs, the giggles, the hair toss, the laughing at my jokes…YESSSSS!
She opened her mouth to speak, knowing fully well that she was going to agree, that yes, she should hang out more often. Her first word, as she giggled, was “Maybe we should!” (Oh yes I got this). I leaned forward a little, preparing to hear about her obvious interest in me, and she followed it up with, “You’re so right, I would love to take you out to dinner and get to know you!”  
Actually, it would have been AWESOME if she had said that.  I thought for a moment that was what she said. Imagine my shock, though, when the ACTUAL words that she said were: “You look so much like my dad, she thinks you’re her grandpa, it’s so adorable!”  
You know those sounds when a car slams on its brakes and rams into someone in some kind of horrifying collision? That’s what happened, right there, in my shop. The noise in my head was so sharp, so clear, that I thought that actual car crashing sound was real. I looked around the shop, bewildered.  
My only response was, “Oh yeah, that’s awesome!” and then laughed, “ahahahahahhahahahahahahhahah,” but put it out there way too long. I was laughing, to cover up the sound of the tears inside. That sweet little 2 year old, who I thought was my friend, put the nail in the coffin with one last “Grampa!” And then thrust her arms out at me.  
Never before in history, had someone risen so fast, and fallen so steeply, so quickly. I will be eating ice cream for a long time to deal with this.  
Some days you’re the dog, and some days you’re the hydrant.