MiscellaniousMo

Monday, October 23, 2006

Operator Please Connect Me

Last night, I put in a phone call to my Gram. Let me tell you, there isnt much that offers more of a challenge than telecommunication with a hearing impaired senior citizen. Round 1 and 2 she hung up on me because she couldnt hear me when I said "hello"....Round 3 she informed me she "did not order any pizza" and would i please stop calling.....Round 4 was an accidental discconnect due to Parkinson's tremors but Round 5 we hit solid gold.
I settled in to listen to the latest installments...."Lost and Found-The Story of Black Slippers Gone Missing in the Night"......"What's New On the Menu-Mechanically Softened Chicken Vol.2"......and my personal favorite, "The Day I Put My Pants On Inside Out And Then Laughed Until I Wet Them".
I tossed in the ocassional "Uh-Huh" or "You dont say!" when need be, but mostly i sat still and let the sound of her voice wash over me. Even in the worst of times, it always seems to soothe. And lately, there are some areas of my life that seem to have fallen into the "Worst of Times" category. Ive always been an overachiever in the Worry and Stress departments....Im tellin you, if they gave out Golden Globes for such things, Id have more statues than Meryl Streep. Lately, I have kicked into overdrive losing all sense of life without sleep deprivation and seriously starting to forget what its like to NOT involuntarily vomit every day. My mind a swirling vortex of emotions that funnels thru me like a raging tornado leaving no organ system untouched in its wake. My new best friends are Ginger Ale and whatever is on late night tv.
I imagine all the change my life has undergone in the last 6 months is the catalyst.....after all, things buried beneath the surface will rise when the water is shifted round.
But, as i reclined there on my couch listening to "As The Nursing Home Turns", I was comforted. Its not so much her WORDS anymore for she can barely string together consecutive thoughts.....but somehow her HEART still comes thru low and clear in that soft, familiar cadence drifting in my ear.I am reminded of days spent with her barefoot in the garden or in the kitchen makin jam....when life stretched out before me with countless chapters to be written and bends in the road to follow. And somehow I see thru childhood eyes, the grown up ME that has so much to still look forward to.
As we prepared to say our good-byes, she reminds me "Remember Little Bit, there aint nowhere my love cant reach you" ....I shout back my own "I love You's" and promise to call again soon for the unabridged version of "What Fruit We Had For Lunch Today" and other assorted tales. I look forward to it.....more than she will ever know.

["Oh my love with fly to you each night on angels' wings....godspeed, sweet dreams."]

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