| New syndromes show themselves over the | | | | My mother is a TMI magnet. The dubious honor |
| years. What one generation fails to recognize, the | | | | of possessing this particular power appears to be |
| next identifies as a truly life-altering condition. I | | | | genetic. My mother passed it along to me. |
| think it's time for us to add a new condition to | | | | Thanks, Mom. Love you too.Let me explain. No, |
| the list.First, let me define syndrome. According to | | | | there is too much. Let me summarize.Mom used |
| Dictionary.com, one definition of a syndrome is " | | | | to work as a hair stylist in Chicago. You know |
| A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or | | | | how strangely people act under the influence of |
| characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or | | | | the full moon? Well, Mom had a permanently full |
| other abnormal condition."In English, please? Your | | | | moon hanging over her styling station. There |
| body or behavior show signs of being irregular or | | | | might be three available operators, but all the |
| strange.Before I tell you what I call this group of | | | | people who shared every intimate detail of their |
| abnormal actions, take this quiz and see if you | | | | lives, or who were otherwise odd, went to |
| have it. Do you have the new syndrome I | | | | her.She still has the knack, even here in the |
| propose? Here is a quiz: | | | | beautiful Ozarks. One time when she was in |
| 1. Do you share intimate details about your life | | | | Branson, an elderly woman pushing a man in a |
| with total strangers? | | | | wheelchair came up and said, "I tell you, this man |
| 2. Do you answer a yes/no question with a | | | | right here has still got it!" She wiggled her hips to |
| detailed analysis of all possibilities? | | | | make the meaning clear. "His furnace is still blazing |
| 3. Do you announce personal details about your | | | | hot!" She fanned herself dramatically.TMI. Oh boy! |
| health or bodily functions at parties?If you | | | | She has a bad case.I, having genetically received |
| answered "YES" to any of these questions, you | | | | the power to attract TMI, was in a grocery store |
| might be making others suffer because of your | | | | with my guide dog, Molly. A man came up wanting |
| self-revealing disorder.What is it, you might ask? I | | | | to pet her. He told me, "I could kill a man, but I |
| call it Too Much Information Syndrome, or | | | | could never harm an animal."TMI. He has it |
| TMI.The worst thing about TMI is that, while | | | | too.One time I had a "stray" with no family in |
| those who have it suffer no ill effects, you are | | | | town over for a holiday dinner. Our guest regaled |
| torturing the people around you by telling us much | | | | us all with tales of the three times her hip went |
| more than we want to know about you.Some | | | | out of its socket. One of them involved going to |
| people are TMI magnets. They do not have TMI | | | | the bathroom.If I want to know that much, I will |
| but attract others who suffer from the disorder. | | | | ASK! |