Today, I felt happy because it was spring.
But last week, I felt guilty. I felt guilty because I wasn't sure if I deserve to miss you both. It was a long shot. And honestly, your existence should not have been mentioned. There were too many other steps to get in the propper place. I feel embarrassed about that and somewhat angry and manipulated. Hindsight. Perhaps, you are not mine to miss. But, the heart is not rational and it will feel what it will feel. You would have been seven.
It is spring, a time to turn the page and leave the sadness in the past. It is a time to start fresh and look forward.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
In-Person Parent Time
There is a guy, Tim Urban, who writes a blog called Wait But Why. The topics of the posts can be a bit all over the place, but many are an interesting read. Sometimes when he kind of gets more introspective, I kind of feel like he is walking around in my head. Yes, I think and worry about those things, too!
One thing that I probably spend too much time worrying about is having the opportunity to spend time with my parents. Some of it probably has to do with experiencing several significant deaths at an early age. Some of it likely has to do with IF as it brings an awareness of the fragility of our being. And with currently being childless, I don't have kids to distract me from thinking about these particular big life thoughts. It is not to say people with children are not deep thinkers or share similar thoughts, I just have more time to dwell on them. Finally, some of it may be because I'm a sensitive, old soul who enjoys deep meaningful relationships and favors quality over quantity. Parents are pretty significant people in our lives. It freaks me out to acknowledge that my time with them is limited.
Some may dismiss my worries because they say we are all getting older and it is life that we will not have our parents forever. True. But does it not bother you?
Tim Urban does a very nice job of quantifying this concern of mine. In fact, he has a mathematical, pictorial representation. He also discusses in-person parent time. You can read his blog here.
As I was reading his blog, I vacillated between excited appreciation and increasing fear. It was a relief to read that someone else thinks about this kind of stuff while trying not to rev up feelings of anxiety. He gets close to the edge of the runaway train effect. However, he closes on an important message. Proximity, priorities and quality matter.
I am thankful to have moved back to Ohio. I feel a bit more at ease than when I lived in other places. It feels very good after visiting them this past weekend just because I had the time. Big fan of unstructured time.
One thing that I probably spend too much time worrying about is having the opportunity to spend time with my parents. Some of it probably has to do with experiencing several significant deaths at an early age. Some of it likely has to do with IF as it brings an awareness of the fragility of our being. And with currently being childless, I don't have kids to distract me from thinking about these particular big life thoughts. It is not to say people with children are not deep thinkers or share similar thoughts, I just have more time to dwell on them. Finally, some of it may be because I'm a sensitive, old soul who enjoys deep meaningful relationships and favors quality over quantity. Parents are pretty significant people in our lives. It freaks me out to acknowledge that my time with them is limited.
Some may dismiss my worries because they say we are all getting older and it is life that we will not have our parents forever. True. But does it not bother you?
Tim Urban does a very nice job of quantifying this concern of mine. In fact, he has a mathematical, pictorial representation. He also discusses in-person parent time. You can read his blog here.
As I was reading his blog, I vacillated between excited appreciation and increasing fear. It was a relief to read that someone else thinks about this kind of stuff while trying not to rev up feelings of anxiety. He gets close to the edge of the runaway train effect. However, he closes on an important message. Proximity, priorities and quality matter.
I am thankful to have moved back to Ohio. I feel a bit more at ease than when I lived in other places. It feels very good after visiting them this past weekend just because I had the time. Big fan of unstructured time.
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