Aiding and abetting
Amidst the slurry of late night studying and early morning work, it's sometimes with much astonishment how the hours become days and then days into weeks that pass with little fanfare or acknowledgement for the things that are of consequence. With much heed for one of my many neuroses; in particular the one regarding time-management, I scheduled in a few blank lines in my Monday evening dayplanner for family. I've been yearning more and more for some form of "escape" from the monotony that is slowly settling in with the ebbs and flows of another semester. Whenever I get to feeling this way, my remedy is normally a trip; to physically remove myself from everything for a few days. Usually I go to San Francisco to visit the droves of family members I have out there who have grown accustomed to cascading fogs and temperate weather. This motivation to spend some time on the West coast was only spurred further by a call to my grandmother. Even though it induced much needed humility on my part as I fumbled on common Vietnamese phrases and found myself not being able to functionally use the hand gestures that normally aid in communication, the message that came across the trans-many-states line was crystal clear.
In our very customary way of greeting, grandma went over the long list of medications that she was on, giving me adequate time in between to explain to her how and why they would be used. Then came the recounting of how individual family members were getting along, and discussion of the weather. Our habitual relationship is just that; habitual. But even moreso, it's comforting, where once it was anguished and angry. Time often softens people, and has done a great deal to strenthen our connection. And for this, I am infinitely glad to have not only a physical shelter of solace, but an emotional and spiritual one as well.
posted by Sheila @ 2/01/2005 08:50:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home