20 Years
This week marks 20 years since I moved into my house. I have been thinking about how grounding myself to living in one place has shaped my life. In some ways, it has narrowed my path, in others opened it.
This week marks 20 years since I moved into my house. I have been thinking about how grounding myself to living in one place has shaped my life. In some ways, it has narrowed my path, in others opened it.
My Grandma Rose (for whom the name of this blog is partly in tribute) was a very important part of my childhood. She had a small, but lovely apartment in Brooklyn Heights, and I spent about a weekend a month for most of my childhood with her. One day when the family was visiting and I was no more than seven or eight, I took a carton of her cigarettes and destroyed them. She was very angry, and I got in a lot of trouble with my parents for the deed. I had just learned in school about all the horrors of smoking (that was the very early years of starting to admit and warn of the hazards of smoking), and I wanted to protect her.
When my grandmother died at age 76 from her heart unexpectedly stopping, I was in 10th grade. They found she had advanced stages of emphysema. Occasionally I wonder how my life would have been different and think about how much she would have enjoyed seeing me grow up if the smoking had not shortened her life.
Although I was too young to know that we cannot change our loved ones by force or even by the force of our love, I hope she knew that my childish act of destruction was borne from love.
A friend emailed me today that her children will be home for rest of the week because their schools lost power from Sandy, and that she is counting her blessings because she and her family came through fine. My parents, who lost trees, including one that went through the roof of their house, are counting themselves well off because they witnessed how bad it could have been. In contrast, some others I know who didn’t experience any real inconvenience to themselves personally though in danger range have said they thought the storm had been “over-hyped.” (I know, being exposed to silly statements such as the latter is a peril of social media).
Do we need to know hardship ourselves, at least a little, in order to have true sensitivity and compassion? Possibly.
To all my friends and family challenged in the wake of Sandy or going through another challenge or hardship, please know that you are in my thoughts.
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
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I’m envious. 20 years in the same place is a good thing. Narrowing one’s path can lead to deeper living.