I finished writing my musings today and posted them everywhere: Twitter, Facebook, Mailchimp. Then I sat, gazing out the window, rubbing the nerve which has taken to constantly twitching in my left leg, hoping it is not a clot. I thought about my day’s to-do list and watched a male cardinal land on the wire spanning from the neighbor’s house to mine. I spent a few minutes wondering what that wire might actually be, before shaking my head and opening a Facebook page to check on my family and friends. There I learned that a law school classmate had a stroke; four people share today’s birthday with my sister; and a host of friends awaken much earlier than I do.
This not-complaining thing has started getting easier. I spend my days working, finding meaningful efforts on which to spend my energy, and plotting “how to amuse them today”. I know my sorrows lurk somewhere in the shadows because once in a while they sneak out and I find tears streaming down my cheeks.
But not today. Not this beautiful Saturday. Today, I have no complaints.
It’s the sixteenth day of the twenty-eighth month of My Year Without Complaining. My sister Joyce turns 66 today. Tomorrow the three sisters who live in Missouri will have lunch in Columbia. We will text a photo to the fourth sister, Ann in Minnesota. We will laugh and talk about the mundane events of our lives. After a few hours, we’ll stand in the parking lot and hug each other. Joyce will head back to St. Peters. I will drop Adrienne in Boonville, and then I will make the journey home, in my little blue Prius, by myself. I will play the radio loud or maybe listen to Paul Orso’s CD. If I cry, they will be tears of joy. Life continues.
I don’t think anyone would ever doubt that you girls are related. The resemblance is strong. Four beautiful ladies.
Your strength, resilience, determination and thoughtfulness always challenge me. Thanks. A. J.