Well, here we are… Yesterday was a bittersweet mixture of sadness and joy as I packed up my bags to return home to Saskatchewan. It was an emotional goodbye as, despite them both being in the proper care that they need, I became consciously aware that this may have been the last time I’ll either or both of my parents. Although visits with them was great, we’ve reached that stage of life where I need to be ready and expect that a certain phone call may come at any time; especially given my mother’s current state.
I awoke well beyond the butt-crack of dawn, at about 4 am, this morning. This was after a very pleasant visit with Sensei last night, where we spent several hours reminiscing and remembering the good times while discussing and assessing the bad times, both behind and ahead. It was a pleasant combination of laughs, philosophy, perspective if life and martial arts. It isn’t until I realized it was past 11 pm that panic struck me and I realized I would only get about five hours’ sleep before needing to drive for three.
The morning chill woke me to full consciousness after I closed up my mother’s apartment for the last time and brought my bags to my rental vehicle. I took to the raid with the last energy drink I pilfered from my mother’s fridge and I got on a very dark, foreboding highway and drive in silence. I stopped once in Miramichi to grab coffee and a grilled cheese for breakfast (I’m weird, I know!) and I got back on the road, stopping only once more to refill the rental vehicle’s gas tank before turning it in.
I was lucky, in that my Aunt Anna was in Moncton for an appointment, so I got to spend an hour with her, chatting and catching up. We were both grateful for how lucky things with my mother turned out and that we were able to get her the help she needed in time. Now, I’m sitting on the upper level of Moncton’s so-called international airport, patiently waiting for the first of three flights I’ll have to take in order to get home. Brutal and expensive but what can you do? I need to get home. All in all, it will be a 14-hour day of travelling, with some exhausting stopovers. But it will be worth it to get home and see my family. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 