Wednesday, June 24, 2009

forget the mosquitoes...feel the breeze....

i picked up the phone yesterday and the voice
on the other end started right in with 'my aunt
just died.'

i had no idea who it was, but immediately offered
my sympathies. i recognized the tone...
the tone of trying to think and do what you need
to do and deal with everything...and kinda in a
different place.

she was looking for a bone sigh quickly. we didn't
get too far on the phone, she got off to think her
options over and the emailed me last nite.

i got it this morning.
turns out her aunt was a year younger than me.

a year younger than me.

that one hit.

i'm 48.
just kinda figurin' i've got some time.

ya know???

no one guarantees that, do they???

as i look out my studio doors into my back
yard on this gorgeous summer day, i just keep
thinking no one guarantees it.

i had the doors closed. tryin' to keep out
some of the mosquitoes. i have a screen thing,
but it's kinda lame and some days the skeeters
will drive me crazy.

there are no guarantees, ter.
you don't know how long you've got.

i just opened the doors.
let the air in. the sound of the lawn mower
and the birds. the breeze is gently blowin'
thru.

i gotta stop worryin' about the mosquitoes
and start lettin' the breeze in more often.

and i'm not just talkin' in my studio....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeesh! The aunt was 47? There was a time I thought that was old. Now it sounds like a life barely begun. Perspective is incredible.

When i lived in Puerto Rico, I didn't have any screens. The locals believe that screens block the breeze. It sounded crazy to me, but I went with it and eventually the mosquitoes never bothered me.

Love the metaphor. Love you.

Denise

Merry ME said...

I agree with Denise, 47 is way to young for a life to end. I hope she was able to live every day to its fullest; found and received love; and went peacefully to sleep surrounded by the people who cared for her.

I don't know for sure if this works but we've been trying it. Put Listerine (any flavor) in a spray bottle and spray the area where you're going to be and supposedly the skeeters won't bother you. It's stinkier than fabreeze but hey if it keeps the bugs away can't hurt!