Life Expectancy

  

Billy Collins has been described as the most popular poet in America.  Some people say that poets are fixated on end of life issues.  I believe this because I'm a poet and I'm fixated on end of life issues.  In Billy Collins' poem below he deals with the life expectancy of animals and people.  I've often felt sad about the people close to me who have  animals they love, knowing they will lose them at some point.

On the other hand, many years ago my husband Ken and I made a trip to Atlanta to visit our family.  Ken, who was ill, was watching my son-in-law and his  elderly dog, Sampson play in the yard, and said "I can't believe that dog's going to outlive me!"  Bill Collins beautifully embraces that very issue in this poem.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

On the morning of a birthday that ended in a zero,

I was looking out at the garden

when it occurred to me that the robin

on her worm-hunt in the dewy grass

had a good chance of outliving me,

as did the worm itself for that matter

if he managed to keep his worm-head down.

It was not always like this.

For decades, I could assume

that I would be around longer 

than the squirrel dashing up a tree

or the nightly raccoons in the garbage,

longer than the barred owl on a branch,

the ibis, the chicken, and the horse,

longer than four deer in a clearing

and every creature in the zoo

except the African parrot and the big tortoise,

whose cages I would hurry past.

It was just then in my calculations

that the cat padded noiselessly into the room,

and it seemed reasonable,

given her bright and glossy coat,

to picture her at my funeral,

dressed all in black, as usual,

which would nicely set off her red collar,

some of the mourners might pause in their  grieving to notice,

as she found a place next to a labradoodle

in a section of the church reserved for their kind. 

- Billy Collins

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My Year in Masks

 

It's been a year - and I'm still wearing masks daily in order to ward off the COVID-19 virus.  As of today, the country's daily death toll has been over 4,000.  That's more deaths than happened on 9-11-2001 every single day. 

 In my mile and a half walk each morning I rarely encounter any mask wearing neighbors.  I don't question this.  I just wear my mask and listen to my stand up comics, especially Jim Gaffigan telling me how fat he is.

But positive mask experiences abound.  For Christmas, one of my families gave me the designer mask I'm wearing in this photo..  I love it but don't plan to attend any formal gatherings any time soon so thought I'd share it with you. 

Way back in the fall of 2020 an old acquaintance who's a current Facebook friend made 10 masks especially for me. Turns out she did this as a kind of ministry.   Last I'd heard she'd made over a thousand masks - at no charge. 

Over the months I've struggled with wearing my hearing aids, glasses, ear buds and mask.  Several times my $$$$ hearing aids went flying through the air as I finagled all the stuff over my ears.  I'd done the Internet search for hearing aid friendly masks but no luck. 

Then a close friend came by with a bag full of them!  I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  

Just before flying to Atlanta for Christmas my neighbor brought by two of the N-95 medical grade masks to wear on my trip.  Again, I was overwhelmed.  

Along with all the crazy, scary stuff that happens over and over every single day, there are also people rendering big and small kindnesses every single day.  And I want to be in that group as well.  It keeps me going.

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I Picked the Wrong Weekend to Watch Jojo Rabbit

 

Jojo Rabbitt was released in 2019.  It's won numerous awards including an Academy  Award for best screen play.  But it also was seriously panned by critics, especially for being "unrealistic."

It takes place in Nazi Germany.  It's about a sweet 10 year old boy who thinks he's a Nazi and has Hitler as his invisible friend.  And his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in the attic. 

It's supposed to be a comedy. 

There was nothing funny nor unrealistic about it,  in light of our country's events in the past four years and, especially, the terrorizing events of Wednesday, January 6th. 

I  could totally relate to the propaganda being fed daily to these Hitler youth.  Especially the casual brutiality and the  concept of repeating Hitler's name over and over and over.  

I could personally relate to the young Jewish woman who spent her time isolated in the house - mostly in the attic.  

In another time I would have been encouraged by the quote at the end of the film.  It's about hanging in there through thick and thin.  

"Let everything happen to you.

Beauty and terror

Just keep going

No feeling is final."

But, again, I picked the wrong weekend to watch Jojo Rabbit. 

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Bella and Me

 I spent Christmas with my Atlanta family as I have for the past twenty years. Theirs is a big family, including two dogs.  Last year I noticed that their Great Dane, Bella, was slowing down.  

She was probably thinking the same thing about me.  

Great Danes' average life span is seven years.  I'm not sure how old Bella is but the family told me she's getting close winning the oldie prize.

She used to intimidate me a bit.  Not by her behavior because Great Danes are devoted, friendly, confident, loving and gentle, but by her size.  She outweighs me big time!

I remember, years ago, when a cable guy was in the family room and the youngest child was sitting on the couch, Bella calmly walked over to the couch and stationed herself between my granddaughter and the repair man, as if to say, I don't know who you are or why you're under that table but if you want to come over to the couch you'll have to get by me.

Bella walked softly but carried a big stick. 

This past week it was obvious to me that Bella is truly an old lady.  She stayed on her bed much of the time, but occasionally got up and walked over to nuzzle one of the family members.  On Christmas morning she laid in the middle of all the chaos, obviously content just to be with her family.  

You know how I have a passion for how to do and share the aging process which ultimately leads to death and resurrection.   Bella reminded me that this process doesn't have to be awful if you're surrounded  by love. She's still living a life that matters. 

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