Well, I did it. I committed the #1 mortal blogging mistake: I stopped blogging for a long period of time. 3 months, to be exact. I didn’t plan it, I didn’t consciously avoid it. Life just happened. And my focus was drawn somewhere else. What happened is this: my 78 year old mother, who is active, healthy, an avid and talented gardener (green thumb+++++), a gifted musician and pipe organ virtuoso, grandmother, friend and, often quite pill-ish person, fell from a ladder while putting something on a shelf in the garage. She hit her head and suffered a fractured skull, two subdural hematomas, swelling and bleeding into her brain.
People asked me why she was on a ladder. Are you kidding? She’s not dead!! Shes’ got stuff to do!! And she can do it without help, thank you very much! Quelle question!
Three months later, my mother is recovering nicely, thanks to extraordinary care at New Hope Rehabilitation Center, the nursing staff at Billings Clinic, and the professionals at Beartooth Hospital in Red Lodge. She is strong on her feet and getting better mentally. I expect her to be digging in the gardens at her own house and at the Beartooth Nature Center next spring. Her return to the organ may take a little longer.
So, three months have passed, with the ever present thought that maybe I should be blogging, but then came the thought ” no, not today.”
Today, I am blogging. And the point of this little note is to remind you, kind readers, that life is tenuous. Grasp it with all the vigor you can muster. Tell the people you love that you do, in fact, love them. Tell them often. Extend a helping hand to someone in need who crosses your path, no matter who they are. Give thanks. Often. Be gracious to and grateful for the elderly. They have trod a personal path we can only guess at. On second thought, ask them about their life. They’ll have some stories to tell.
Mortal blogging mistake? Maybe, but probably not. Besides, there were more important things to take care of.
