Weekend plans, mostly untouched - laid out, in sequence on my floor; this to write, that to read, this to write, that to read, this to file, that to go through before trashing, and so on – interspersed with task lists; laundry, yard work, walks and runs, time for meals and errands, time for a coffee meet.
World seems to be working, still. Sun came up, those who fiddle keep tinkering with the U.S. economy for a last-ditch fix for the colossally unfixable. Many parts of the world are in crisis - like a human body that is mostly well, but parts of it are not.
Yesterday afternoon, a call came, from my dad to report his collapse, a fall. An old tv table broke his fall. Ribs bruised, dizzy, tired. An hour later, still feeling ill – off to the emergency room we went where he’s been kept for observation and tests. Nothing else is apparently wrong – and I hope that will be the conclusion.
But first, nurses and a doctor check things. Not theorizing, but checking things for the purpose of ruling them out. It wasn’t a stroke. It wasn’t pacemaker failure. Blood work hasn’t identified a cause, so more tests and more blood work today will hopefully offer an explanation . . .
He began my life. With a smile, I suspect, when he had sex with my mother – and from such humble beginnings and a single act, he created life. They both did it, but being male and thinking a lot right now about him, I’ll focus on his role. From the pursuit of satisfaction and desire, he begat a boy.
I’m glad he made a boy. If he’d made a girl, what a strange variation on life I would have had! Being boy, son of this man, had no particular significance that I noticed growing up. Self-absorbed children do not see their parents for who and what they are. I was no exception. Hindsight and the wisdom of books teach me lots, but most of the learning has been at this side, not listening to a lecture, but watching calm and patience play out in a way I don’t yet understand.
He tells me, as I get older, I must learn patience.
I can’t imagine that, but maybe that will happen.
For now it is not a time to take anything for granted.
Anything in life can change in a day, over a weekend, or in the time it takes to blink – and a lifetime of experiences can flash before your eyes, again, as it has before.
Each time it does, I see a different movie.
How is your weekend going? According to plan?
Mark Kolke
310,628
Comments Received:
VIEW FROM HERE
The view from here is, much like the view from there, confusing and obscured by politics. I fear two things – a worldwide financial tailspin and a convenient expedient solution which serves only those who can find a self-serving short term advantage. Fingers crossed here, EC, Chicago, IL
