Where Are You At? And What Are You Reading These Days?

Here's where I spent yesterday

This past week and a half have been filled with medical stuff. My momma’s had a minor stroke, and yesterday was a day spent hanging out in the local Emerg room. I attempted to write as she napped, but every piece of my brain that is supposed to be passing messages scattered and hid.

Oh, what a noisy place! Snoring and moaning. Midnight cleaning crews. Lights flashing on and off. Beepers and buzzers. Phones going off. Half-deaf people (I am one of those myself!) shouting!

My mother had to GO. She pulled on her clothes, would have yanked out her own IV if someone else hadn’t come along. And she signed the form to say she’ll accept responsibility for her choice to leave…

Because sometimes, at the end of the day, you just want to go home. To blessed quiet.

She’s sleeping now and medicated. So far, with no reactions. Now there’s a first. Maybe, finally, her body actually needs something, and will just deal with it.

Oh, but she had such a delightful attack of the giggles last evening after imitating her poor snoring neighbour. I hope I have half her sense of humour when I’m 89.

I suspect I may not have a post this week… as a result. Maybe we can giggle or snore. Hopefully the former.

And we can share wild hospital stories. Or what we’re reading!

I’ll start. That’s my H story, and here’s my reading: I finally got around to reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

I was impressed with the simplicity of it—years of history and political life, shared succinctly. Beautifully. The pacing of it was quite perfect. I wondered WHAT will he do with all those years in prison. How will he approach and write? What will be my guts in reaction to so much in his life? But the timing, the fine balancing, the careful choosing of incidents, even as he shared what must have been intense monotony at times, and intense pain… this was impressive. He captured loss and emotion with balance.

So: what are you reading? What are you wanting to read? Let’s share some titles.