Today’s prompt: RETURN
My friend Gordon posted the image below on our running club’s website a few days ago. It resonated with me because, despite *all* the well-intended encouragers out there who say “no goal is impossible if you try hard enough,” I truly “just can’t” run right now. But that’s a post for a different day.
Here’s what I can do (alert: abrupt subject change). I can get rid of all the medication (and the non-alcoholic beer) that characterized my father-in-law’s time with us. Did you know when you start hospice (at least in our case), a FedEx package arrives at your door step almost immediately filled with “comfort items” like anti-anxiety meds and some high-powered pain relievers (i.e., morphine).
I have looked at those items pretty much every time I opened our refrigerator since he died on July 2 of last year, frozen. I would say “I need to look up the procedures for getting rid of these meds and do it the right way (flush them? take them back to the pharmacy?)” and ………. do nothing.
Thanks to this blog, I moved past the “can’t” in order to return a bit more to my pre-hospice, pre-caregiver life.
They have been disposed of. Maybe not the right way but it’s just like me to get hung up on the right way and in this case the need to move on prevailed.
It turns out I CAN mobilize myself to take the action I need to take.
Staring at those items on the year anniversary of his death (7/2/18) certainly wouldn’t have been the way to go.
Welcome to this week’s Five Minute Friday. Our instructions, via creator Kate Motaung: “Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation.” (But I can’t resist spell checking, as you can imagine.)
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
What a hard thing to do – getting rid of a loved one’s things. Good for you for moving forward! Your neighbor at FMF
Thanks, Sarah. It felt good to move beyond the paralysis of “what do I do?” I appreciate your visit.
Well done! It must have been hard but I’m glad you were able to take this step forward. It’s always encouraging when we find we can do something even if it’s a challenge.
Yes, exactly! A small but necessary move forward.
What courage to write of this, Paula. Thank you, from both of us.
Thank you for reading, Andrew. You and Barb are in my thoughts and heart. <3
It’s hard to let go of the past especially when it’s through death. Proud of your courage to write this post. I’m over in the 69 spot this week.
Thanks, Tara. So many of my friends are going through their own version of this right now. I guess it’s that season of our lives.