A Foray Into Shyness (Pt I)
I am in the middle of a major life change now, while already in the middle of recovering from a trauma I never realized had victimized me, decades ago. This recovery period is now into its fifth year. But now, as of the past two weeks . . . and months, even . . . the first major life event has occurred, since the beginning of the recovery process in 2020. I can respond differently than I ever have before. My mother died. May 25th, 1:30am. In her room. In her home. With all four kids, two children-in-law, and two grandkids present. She fought bitterly against the vast sweep of hospice care, and heroically. But finally breathed her last, and fell asleep. I have been her primary caregiver for the past five years, at least. It was then that she began to lose her grip on her cognitive and physical abilities. As her decline progressed, we all failed to note the milestones. We could see changes, but just attributed it to her having a bad day. "We'll improve her diet. We'll ma