A friend's father passed away last week after a long illness. My own loss comes and goes, and all sorts of things bring it into focus. The echo of the friend's experiences made it a low grade ache under everything else. It went well with the muscle spasm in my lower left rib area, from coughing through several nights when I had the flu. Being up all night several nights also made me think of Dad, with Mom being up with him all but a few hours every night during his last weeks.And then, while painting an old country building this last weekend, I reached out for an old transparent straight edge triangle I've had for years. And it brought tears to my eyes, remembering vividly when Dad gave it to me, and explained to me that it was a 30 - 60 - 90 triangle. I loved those kinds of relationships and patterns at the time (I was about ten years old), as well as beginning to draw things that required the help of a straight edge. The plastic has aged a darker color over the years. Dad did not know whose initials were scratched into it - he had found it unclaimed at IBM, as I recall, possibly when he moved into a new desk at some point. I feel like I've had it half of forever now, and I reach for it almost without thinking. I used to, anyway...
2 comments:
Oh I can relate to this! " Low grade ache under everything else" So true!
and lately tears come racing up very readily around 'associations'- you mention straight edge; mine have been singing and horses... plus a friends husband died last week and that has amplified everything.
Tears.... A year full of difficult firsts. I am very sad for your loss....
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