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First Tangent of the Year
Two things resonated with me on Facebook today – one friend got engaged last night (I couldn’t be happier for her!) and another friend wrote something really thought-provoking on ‘Fear’.
Fear + Love = Tangent.
I thought about some of the recent obstacles I’ve overcome.
Being a single parent has not been easy.
And when I say ‘single’ parent I do mean – single. Solo. Alone. One.
I have no plan B. No safety net. It all comes down to me.
My fears are usually those of the ‘not being able to provide the basic necessities for my little family’ variety. My little family now being an 18-year-old son and a dog that adopted us.
It’s nothing short of terrifying. (And exhilarating when I succeed – if I’m being honest.)
But, I could never be in a relationship born of fear. Only love.
I don’t understand people who bounce from relationship to relationship because they can’t be alone.
I don’t understand ‘gold diggers’ or those women that have a ‘sugar daddy’ that pays their bills.
I’m not judging them either. I’m sure there is a reason they don’t feel empowered or lack the drive to go it alone.
Just as there are reasons why I am so stubborn and independent.
It doesn’t make my way right – it’s just my way.
I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I settled for anything less than true love.
And perhaps that’s why I DO live with myself.
Not willing to settle. Not willing to be in a relationship for the wrong reasons.
But new fears – or, perhaps that’s not the right word … new ‘unknowns’ are to be embarked upon.
My son (God willing) won’t need me in a couple of years. When he’s learned to juggle achieving a higher education and providing for himself.
He’ll be cutting his own path and I’ll have to look in the mirror and answer to the little girl who used to be me.
She had wanted to be an archeologist, a teacher and a writer. She had wanted to marry her Prince Charming and live happily ever after.
I never did get that Cinderella to the ball.
But, I can look her in the eye and say ‘but you had a beautiful baby boy – and you turned out to be a good mom.’
She wanted that too.
I feel change coming.
And there is fear.
An electric buzz in the air, foreshadowing that 2014 is going to be a very important year.
Then the dam broke
“It’s just everything – it’s worrying about Christmas, and the car … and always having to worry about things like that – it’s doing it alone, but I wouldn’t have it any other way – what we have … and not feeling well and not being able to go to the doctor – it’s being stressed out and not having someone to talk to about it. Because they’re going to tell me not to feel a certain way when I DO feel that way. It must be okay to feel that way if I feel it?? It’s when people ask “Feeling better?” with a raised eyebrow because your answer had better be ‘yes’ … it’s not being allowed to feel sad because you’re the person who makes people laugh. And on top of it all, I don’t feel well. And I’m sad. I’m just … sad. And no, it’s not forever – and yes, it will pass and I’m so grateful – I’m grateful for everything we have and everything we don’t have … but I’m just … sad. And I should be allowed to feel sad.”
– Me, after telling my son I couldn’t possibly vent to him.
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I left work early today.
I couldn’t take one more second of holding myself upright when all I wanted to do was curl into a ball. I put a smile in my voice on the phone … and in front of customers who came into my office. I went above and beyond on my files – went in early today and cleaned. I pushed and pushed – and broke.
Monday I had a pretty bad ‘spell’ at work. Besides my heart condition – I think my body also tells me when it’s done holding things in.
My vision blurred in my right eye and my chest squeezed. I couldn’t get my bearings. I sat outside on a curb, taking purposeful breaths and feeling the wind on my skin until the spell mostly passed and went back in to work.
That’s what I do.
Remove myself, compose myself and return.
Yesterday I came very close to asking to use my barely used sick time. But I stuck it out. My ears have been hurting me – I’m dizzy and nauseated. But I stuck it out.
This morning, I came even closer to asking to use my barely used sick time – then remembered I had a meeting and had to approve a settlement statement so that a customer could sign their documents. So I went in.
I tied all the loose ends up and emailed both of my bosses asking to use 1/2 of a sick day.
The answer was yes.
I read an article yesterday on a hospice website. About the phases of death. I was making sure I was using ‘catabolic’ correctly in my last post. A catabolic state is when your body can no longer process nourishment – it’s so starved for it – it starts breaking itself down.
That’s how I understood it anyway.
And that’s how I have been feeling. Like there has been no nourishing input lately – that I’m sustaining myself and breaking down all my reserves.
So after my grand monologue that I wasn’t going to give in front of my son, I ended with, “I just want to hear ‘everything is going to be ok'”
To which my son replied, “Everything is going to be ok”
And when he hugged me – I sobbed harder. And he didn’t tell me I wasn’t allowed to feel sad.
I love him so very much.