i really was up early

i wasn't sure what i was going to write about today. woke up with HUGE hair and grumpy and generally dissatisfied with things. for someone who doesn't have the excuse "ok, it's monday, i hate going to work" i take my whining where i can get it, so bear with me. i mean, not even coffee was doing it for me! but now i'm rambling and i just got started, soooo anyway, here's what happened: cellphone sms tone - it's the MITM! i was to call him back ASAP! well, my day suddenly got put in perspective. he'd been trying to message me since last night and none of them had gotten through and he was worried. so, there he was in deepest, darkest, hottest africa with no link to the outside world after a horrible day and then, today is equally as difficult! so, i listened to him rant and rave (all the while reciting, to myself, my mantra: "it's not my fault, it's not my fault"). y'all have read about enough of his experiences here to know, it ain't easy where he is.

AND, then i got a call from super nana...another one having a tough time. she has to go to a funeral service today. the mom of one of her seniors died recently at age 51. it's been a tough year at her school. a young teacher died, incidents with students off campus...the all too familiar litany of events in high schools today seemed to happen almost weekly. not to mention just being a teacher here in the states (don't get me started on "no child left behind")! but, back to the service. for all its immensity as a city, los angeles is just a series of small villages connected by asphalt, so major events in one village happen at the same places. yep, the funeral home and the cemetery are the same places were services for all of our deceased family members were held. so, memories are there. at her age, i know it's there: this could be my mother or my dad. what do you tell your adult child that they don't already know? this is the natural progression of life? don't worry, dad & i are fine? or do what i did, just say, it's tough to grow up, babe, i'm still trying to. i look at the MITM's mom (she lives here in town). she's 86 years old and JUST retired AGAIN from teaching! i can't imagine her not being around and know that it's a blessing that she still is as vibrant and vital as she is given her age.

(don't give up, there is a point to all this rambling)

a few years back, the MITM did a documentary in a far off place and took mr. moose along as his soundman. the place where they were was yet another war zone that had should never have happened and still isn't really settled, but i digress. enough to say, it wasn't a tour of disneyland. communications were spotty and if you watched/listened/read the news anxiety and panic were constant companions. once they finally left the area and were back in the land of stable communications, mr. moose sent out an email that summed it up for me: be thankful for indoor plumbing and cold beer. sound trite? well, take a moment and consider the larger ramifications of those 2 small things and then you'll understand how much we take for granted. yeah, no matter what, we are fortunate.

today i'm going to try and remember that.