I woke up, and suddenly my head was filled with recollections of unpleasant events and hurtful thoughts of obnoxious people.
The rest of the day didn’t go well.
The outing with grandkids left me unfulfilled in more ways than one.
And finding a seat for a cuppa after they have left proved futile.
It being a public holiday all the cafes were packed to the gills.
Meantime, the slipped disc-generated back pain that never left since 2013 seemed to have gotten worse.
Back home, floaters in both eyes interfered with my attempts to read and do computer work, with the floaters in the right eye (just diagnosed with posterior vitreous detachment like the left eye) particularly intense and aggressive.
Added to all of that, the surgical site from my surgery in April seemed to throb with a dull ache.
I felt like Private Gomer Pyle in Full Metal Jacket: “I am in a world of shit.”
By evening, my despair was palpable.
It was become unbearable.
A pall cast over my life.
I even declined dinner.
Then she appeared.
She said “Son, I’m with you. Soldier on! I of all people, truly and genuinely know what you are going through. Your pain is my pain. And trust me, son, I know all about pain. You will overcome. Believe. And be strong. You are not alone. You will prevail. Ride it out!”
Thanks, mum.
Thank you.