Some idle Tuesday

Don’t worry about the future
Or worry, but know that worrying
Is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubble gum
The real troubles in your life
Are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind
The kind that blindsides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday
Do one thing every day that scares you

                Baz Luhrmann,  Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

I thought about titling this post Life Happens but the lyrics from Baz Luhrmann’s Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen) kept rolling through my mind.  Although normally I’m pretty regular at posting, the past two months I’ve only been able to post a couple of times.  Life happened.

One day I spent plein air painting with a friend.  The next day saw my husband being transported by ambulance to a big city hospital some distance away.  The next four weeks were a blur.  Surgery.  ICU.  Tubes and drips and ventilators.  Me making daily round trips of 150 miles.  I memorized the mile markers, counting down the miles each way.  Testing the speed limits.  Crossing time zones and arriving at the same time I left, or two hours behind on the return trip.

I think I lived on trail mix on those drives.  Listened to some recorded books.  Mostly thought about…whatever.

This spring was beautiful and all the flowering trees and plants were trying to cheer me.  But it is also one of the busiest times here on the farm.  The garden, which fortunately had been plowed and tilled, only got planted with the aid of my granddaughter.  My son came by to mow the grass – it’s a huge yard.  But everything else had to wait.  Trimming, weeding, recordkeeping, cleaning, etc.  There are just so many hours in the day.

I did manage to finish a couple of commissions which helped keep the crazy thoughts at bay.  But no real creative work of my own.  It’s all about priorities.

My husband has been home for about a month.  He’s recovering nicely but still has a way to go.  No marathons in his future.  And he probably won’t be cutting firewood this year which is just fine with me.  It’s messy and dusty.

I don’t think there is really any way you can plan for an unexpected life-altering event. I think about this every time I see some sort of tragedy on the news; people who left their homes in the morning and then…some idle Tuesday arrived.  Friends have been so kind and understanding.  In the Midwest, people bring food.  The neighbor will take your trash to the dump.  Small thoughtful gestures.

We’re both doing much better now and some semblance of normalcy is creeping back into our lives.  I’ve been painting more.  Although I have written off the garden this year (now we’re experiencing a drought) but I did get my first little tomato yesterday.  Small blessings.

Hug those you love and be kind to those who are going through difficult times.  Someday you may need some strength and comfort, too.  Probably.