Skip to main content

My Mom is Tough

It's a rainy Friday, the one before Mother's Day.


I'm at home trying my best to focus on work while also staring at my mom sitting on our couch in pain. Although if you asked her if she was in pain, she may subtly roll her eyes and say, "oh, it's just a little discomfort probably from my bed, the dew point, sitting too long." Then she'll smile.

She's tough. 

She's also barely eaten anything since she moved in. Every time we eat, or talk about making a meal, she'll muster up some energy and say, "oh, I guess I should have something, too." Whether we cook, warm something up, or order in, she'll enthusiastically agree to whatever it is. Then she'll pick at it, move the food around with her fork, and may take a couple bites. She'll smile. 

She's tough.

As petite as she is, her weight loss is noticeable. It's really noticeable when I hug her, which I try to do multiple times a day. She's fragile but she'll hold on for as long as you'll let her. I take a deep smell of her scent, always Moonlight Path from Bath & Body Works. Always. I try to be gentle as I pull away, very slowly. She has a bruise on her forehead from when she fell into the hall closet on Saturday after becoming lightheaded. "I'm fine, just adjusting from the brightness from outside."

She's tough.

On Tuesday the doctor warned she may have a sore throat and may even cough up some blood. If it's a lot of blood, go the to the ER. She seemed fine until Thursday when a very phlegmy cough started after we went for a very slow walk along Wilde Lake. She needed to get out and I want her to be able to find some joy in every day. We sat more than we walked. We listened to the birds and used the Merlin app to identify nearly 15 different birds. She smiled. "The cough is just from the pollen and my sinuses."

She's tough.

I have watched her fill out paperwork at several doctor's visits and answer lots of questions over the phone for telemedicine appointments. She says "No" when asked about prior health concerns, physical and mental. She probably should have selected "Yes." At one appointment, a nurse asked, "on a scale from 1 to 10, how much pain are you in?" She smiled and said, "6." I know she means 8 or 9.

She's tough.

Now I know where I get it from. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bull Run Run 50-miler

Official Time: 12:31:31 ( a 50-miler PR) I did it. I’m not sure how, but I crossed the finish line yesterday of the Bull Run Run 50-miler. It had been an intimidating race from the moment I shared with others who had run it in the past. I heard all sorts of stories - the infamous Do Loop, the rolling hills, the unpredictable weather, the tough cutoff, the rocky sections that might trip you up later on. I also heard about how it was one of the most beautiful races with the BEST volunteers. I chose to keep the latter in my mind!  Although the “BRR” makes me think of cold weather, and years past it has snowed and stormed and apparently gone through all 4 seasons in a day one year, yesterday’s weather was not what anybody was prepared for. It was hot and humid with cloud coverage most of the day … until the sun came out at 3:30pm and scorched your left side as you ran along the waterline of Occoquan River.  It being early April, I was not acclimated to 90% humidity. For a few mile...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Day in the Canyon

Find friends who say YES! “For a little while we are again able to see, as the child sees, a world of marvels. For a few moments we discover that nothing can be taken for granted, for if this ring of stone is marvelous, then all which shaped it is marvelous, and our journey here on Earth, able to see and touch and hear in the midst of tangible and mysterious things-in-themselves, is the most strange and daring of all adventures.”  -Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire A bucket list National Park, a bucket list trail adventure, and some of the best kind of peer pressure led my dear friends, Lori and Karen, and I to reach out to another amazing strong friend, Amy, who had just completed this with her sister. And the planning begun… Our original plan was to conquer the infamous Rim to Rim to Rim hike in two days. We would hike down from the South Rim, across the base of the Canyon, and then hike up to the North Rim to stay a night at the North Rim Lodge. The North Rim is an isolated, landma...
Post a Comment
Read more

Redemption at CAT50k a year later

  “Be brave. Be patient. Believe.” ~Courtney Dauwalter from WSER100 After last year’s DNF in torrential downpours that turned the trail into a river, I said never again. Well that was stupid, because of course I’d have to try again to get my CAT Card, I’m not a f’in quitter (and I’m quite stupid)!! This year, it was a typical CAT - hot, humid, rocky, hilly, and the leading 20 runners ran off course in the first mile to confuse us all as they ran up from behind us a couple miles into the race. Here’s what I learned: 🦄 Just because someone faster than you says you can’t make the cutoff, doesn’t mean you can’t. 🐝 The worse encounter is one that’s unplanned, like hornets. ⚡️Save some energy for the end. ⛰️ What goes up, goes down. And is more painful. 🧛🏻‍♂️ Never have a single song stuck in your head if you want to enjoy it again. (Like Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo.) ✌🏼 Feed or ditch the energy that surrounds you. ⏰ Know the cutoffs like the back of your hand. Or write them on the ba...
Post a Comment
Read more