Green lights lately
I’ve been getting a lot of green lights lately—in the actual driving sense. And today, as I approached yet another one, the metaphor clicked. I said out loud to myself, “green light means go,” a comment I usually reserve for other people’s driving. Hahaha.
Life’s been rough lately. I don’t want to put a shiny spin on it. It’s been very hard. If you read my last post, you know my Mom is navigating a major health challenge, and today is day 14. In addition to lots and lots of physical, occupational, and speech/cognitive therapy, she’s dealing with some very intense pain. But in between the pain, she’s making little bits of progress every day.
We’re watching a lot of HGTV and ESPN, making friends with the nurses, aides, and therapists and looking for silver linings. Spending lots of time together is one, for sure. Still, I’m ready for her to turn a corner. For now, we’re at a yellow light—and that, my friends, is better than red.
After working at Friends School of Baltimore for 13 years, at my core I consider myself a Quaker. Not in a religious or even spiritual way—more as a guide for how
I want to live my life. One of the main beliefs of Quakerism is that “there is that of God in everyone,” which helps me try to see the good in people and also in situations. It isn’t always easy, but it really helps. Thanks, Quakers, for setting me on this path.
The green traffic lights say to me: keep going, you’re good. Or at least…you will be. And I know my Mom will be. It’s just going to take some time and resolve. She turns 92 next month, and as I said in my last post, she has always seemed so much younger than her age. So this is hard, seeing her struggle. But the green lights I’ve been getting lately are keeping me hopeful—not because it’s easy, but because it’s the only thing that’s actually helpful.
So, we keep going. One day at a time.
Holding you and your mom in the light.