Aw @owasco you are too kind. Thankyou for giving my haiku attempts so much careful attention. I'm super chuffed.
I didn't think of liver issues for the second, just the hint of illness with the 'pale' and trying to mirror the lands struggle with Dad's. We are still waiting for oncologist to get back to him with a plan - perhaps they'll either say there's nothing to be done, or they'll prolong his life a little. Either way my hope is half empty, and that's okay.
I'm glad you saw the idea in the last line. I imagine those bloody possums actually being able to rest when he's gone - no one to shake them out of trees. Life goes on, doesn't it?
I'd be really grateful for you to give comments as they come. I can't seem to get to them with a comment til the last minute. Of course we are trying to get things together to go away as well, though we won't leave if Dad is actually given a time frame that means it's pointless to go and come back. That's a whole other story.
I like to write in the challenges so that other people are reminded to do the same, plus, it's an interesting challenge to force myself to write to a prompt. Did you catch my Christmas story last week? If you have time I'd love you to read it but don't feel obligated. I appreciate you so much, @owasco!
I was insanely busy last week, but I'll read it today, and keep up with the entries.
I've been wondering if you're still going. You must be so stressed out right now.
Ha I have moments where I retreat into my woman cave, out on my noise cancelling headphones, and do a yoga nidra to settle the nervous system. We are treating it like a job, writing constant to do lists and getting through it.
Dad wants us to go. He's hopeful he will have another year of three. I doubt it. He wants photos of Iceland and Morocco to edit, to live vicariously through us. If he has extra time due to whatever he'll drugs they give him, we will go. My bro in law will call it if it's looking closer and I can jump on a flight.
It's a very odd time. My bro in law says I have no choice but to go. Sometimes I'm paralyzed. Sometimes I just forget.
Why would you not have a choice? You always have a choice.
Exactly. But he was trying to say that life goes on, and that it'd be silly to hang around if Dad's got a year, say, as I'd probably only see Dad once a week anyway or it'd be weird for my parents 😂 My folks are very insistent that things are as normal as possible. And to get on with our lives. .
Jamie will still go and meet the car if I decide to stay because things are close to the wire.
Oh my gosh the car is already on the way? You're that close to going? I can understand their wanting things to be "normal."
Yeah, they're troopers, and don't want fuss. Someone told me once that however much you worry about your parents, it's their journey - they met, got married, had kids together, had a life - it's not actually my responsibility to micromanage them. They've got this, like they've had all the other things in their life. That was immensely liberating for me. I'll be on the same journey before too long. Of course I'll be around when he takes his last (I hope) but logically, as Dad said, we've said all our goodbyes before when we thought he was dying last time. There's nothing that needs to be said. That's also pretty cool. Not a lot of people get that.