Apologies if you’re squeamish…
When I answered my phone’s melodic ring, I got three words.
“Change of plans,” my husband said.
I was just about to run through the rain to our garden. For a week, I’ve been preparing meals selected by the college bound. Last night’s menu featured Eggplant Parmesan. Our two wilted garden plants yielded just enough fruit to make the meal.
“The fisherman has a hook through his finger. I’m stopping to buy a tool to cut it and meeting him at the launch.”
You might have read that my family gave me a nickname last year when a round of shoulder dislocations had us repeating in the ER?
Hair on Fire
Fair enough. I do tend to move fitfully when bodies are out of sorts.
I asked two questions: Do we need to go to urgent care? Anything I can do?
The answer was “no” to both. I went ahead and picked the eggplants, peeled, sliced, breaded, and fried—sauced, sprinkled, preheated and popped the 9x13 into the oven.
With the aroma of baked Italian filling the house, I heard the door. Fisherman footsteps went straight down the basement stairs where he cut the loop off the hook and pulled it through his finger after trailering the boat and driving himself home in the pouring rain. He decided not to wait for his dad’s help.
I can’t say that I was without mental chatter, but I was able to quiet my thoughts—to be aware, accept, and choose inaction.
Why am I telling this story?
Sometime during the dark of night I rose from dreams into wakefulness. As so often happens, my mind started grasping for details. What day is it? What’s on the schedule? Who has to be where? and then… “How many sleeps until college drop off?”
Three…and I felt a stinging behind my lids.
Then I put on the brakes.
Gail, You can choose sadness over your loss, or excitement for the kids next steps. Today you learned he is capable of caring for himself. He washed the wound, used Bactine, and covered the puncture. He has 18 years of skills and knowledge.
Let go with joy in your heart.
With Awareness, Acceptance and Mental Action, I closed my eyes and fell back to sleep.