So yeah. On this blog of mine and anything else remotely creative, I took the summer pretty much off.I didn’t intend to(there is that word, “intent” again”) but it just worked out that way.
Anyway, a couple of things went on. As you may know, my summer started with my mom getting really sick, like 6 things all at once sick. That was more traumatic for me than I expected it to be. She’s fine now and I must say, she is a damn super hero having come through all she did.
She was in the hospital for two weeks, and I was there every day. I am grateful that I work in the same hospital that she was a patient in. I was able to work in a temporary location that was literally 3 floors below her room. I would do some work, run upstairs, run down, do more work, run back up. I kept this up for the whole two weeks.
Let me tell you this about the care at St Joseph’s Hospital. I knew the care would be good, and compassionate. But I never knew just how good these people are. From the tray passers, to the phlebotomists. From the therapists to the housekeepers and from the doctors to the nurses. Especially the nurses. These men and women are tireless, attentive and they do their jobs with a sense of humor and compassion that blew me away.
On that wonderful afternoon when my mom was discharged, I even told the nurse handling the discharge, a woman named Ana, how amazing the care was.
“I’ve worked at three different hospitals, and it’s different here. I am so proud to work here.” she said.
Me too Ana.
Following the hospital stay, I was at her apartment every afternoon cooking dinner, running errands etc. It was still so hard for her, but every day got better.
As circumstances would have it, during all this I had scheduled myself in a fiction writing class where we had to churn out content once a week.
I should have dropped that class. I really should have but I thought with all this going on I owed that class to myself but I was just so out of gas physically, emotionally and mentally. I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to do the work with the required effort. I just didn’t have it. What I did do was turn in very first draft work. I turned in shit quite honestly. Total shit and I knew it. The critiques were so rough on me that I doubted my ability to write at all.
I was going to shut down this blog and get rid of all the stuff I had been toiling on. I was so dejected.
I should have dropped that class.
Add to that the collective national angst as the country I live in actually has to contend with fascism, white supremacists and Nazis. I’ve been to marches, rallies, protests, vigils. I felt I had to do that too.
All of this on top of trying to maintain a busy job and being a dad.
The dad stuff made it all worthwhile. We went on some day trips. Saw some games, some fireworks. Had a couple playdates. I love seeing my little boy so happy.
Oh and don’t let me forget! Keeping track of my baseball team which at the moment is still occupying the top of the American League East.
It’s been a busy summer, but I have neglected you. As I take inventory of all this, I have neglected a lot of things. My exercise, my meditation practice. Funny about those two, I would have managed all of this crazy summer, had I not neglected those.
So consider this an aside. A preface in the middle of the story.
I’ll be churning out the words if you can forgive a few typos now and again.
Time to get back on track. For lots of things. I have a few ideas that may make me a bit more prolific on this site. I am back to my meditation practice and exercise. And yeah, I’m not done writing yet. Back on track.
I’ve missed you too.
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I know.
I’m not the most prolific blogger in the world. I don’t even publish on a schedule.
I am working on that, but until l do, wouldn’t you like to just get notified when I update?
Maybe even get some extra ramblings?
Fill it out, hit the button. You won’t get your email sold or used for any sales crap.
Its just for us and our special relationship.