Day 3 - 91 -- Parallel Journeys

The last main lecture for one class was completed today leaving just a summary and exam review for next Monday. The other class has one further lecture to wrap up things and a day for exam review and a group reflection activity. So, we are almost at the end. The grading didn't get too far today. I fell asleep after supper for longer than the 15 minute nap that often occurs. I didn't sleep well last night and was awake much later than I've been in the past week. That left me tired through the day.

Arrival at work this morning had me meeting two people in the parking lot that I hadn't seen for a while. During a longer conversation with one, I heard that each of these people lost their mothers in the past month. The one I spoke with said it was unexpected. I noted that my mom had died after an accidental fall. So did his mother. The parallels between the ends of these two lives were freakishly similar and only about three weeks apart. The number of times each of us said 'me too' as the stories unfolded was surprising. I felt I could honestly say that we each had a fairly good idea what the other had gone through -- even though the experiences are individual, the processes were nearly identical. I will make a point of stopping in after exams are over to check to see how he is coping. The other woman I see occasionally, but I will be sure to seek her out and give her my condolences in the coming days.

Moving through the immediate loss and the 'year of firsts' seems such a slow process. It can't be rushed nor can it be hidden -- since both of these will lead to rising of emotions when you least expect them as these feelings will refuse to be ignored. Grief is work -- and it can lead to major fatigue. A silly song from childhood came to mind today as a metaphor for the processes underway. The singers should bring a smile as will the arrangement and harmonies. Enjoy!

Inchworm -- Muppets with Danny Kaye