Day 30: Three Wonderful Things That Happened This Month

One wonderful thing that happened is the conversation I had with my mom earlier this evening. Since she's had dementia our conversations seem increasingly repetitive and superficial. We used to talk for hours, and I felt close, supported and deeply connected. In the past few years I've felt more like I look out for her than the other way around. I sometimes (often actually) yearn for the relationship I used to have with her. Well, tonight I started talking about some mid-life stuff I've been dealing with, and just like that she was right there telling me that she remembered how it was, and we were able to have a conversation about it. It felt so good, like a small gift, to get that bit of mothering. I guess we always need it. Or maybe it's just me. Either way, I know to treasure it now.

Another small treasure this month was receiving a surprise poem! I often see the same people when I walk the local hiking trails; among them is an elderly man. He always smiles and says hello. And a few weeks ago he handed me a poem he'd written, and said I could keep it, that it was for me. I was so touched! That is not something that happens every day, for sure. (For the record, it was not a romantic poem.)

Lastly, I've been able to deepen my connection with some acquaintances that I know from the cafe where I hang out sometimes. I don't haunt those places like I did in my 20s, but it still feels good to have a place where they know you, and the regulars recognize each other. It's one of the things I love most about urban life, those public spaces where people can meet and mingle in a structured, yet organic sort of way. It still nourishes something in me, and connecting with someone new over a beer or a coffee is as gratifying as ever. Possibly more so now that I know how often people come and go into and out of our lives.