As the world, country, and province continue to be in a state of confusion, I sit and reflect on how I’m approaching this new world we’ve been forced to live in.
Recognizing this is a time to celebrate Mom’s, I wanted desperately to see mine. Knowing there were rules around building access, social distancing, and all the other confines, I had decided to head to Calgary and have a good old fashioned picnic with my mom. She’s so fortunate to live in a beautiful building with beautiful grounds. Unfortunately, the weather made us cancel our plans. Initially, I was angry (really – we couldn’t have just this one nice day?), disappointed (selfishly I was looking forward to heading out on the highway), and just plain heartbroken (I REALLY need to see my mom).
So, I came up with Plan B. Ordered meals to be delivered by “Skip the Dishes” to our respective homes, met mom on Zoom, and had lunch with her. It was great. Mom has become quite proficient with zoom which is awesome considering she’s in her early 90’s. We chatted, laughed, gossiped, and just enjoyed doing something “normal”. Our enjoyable lunch was followed by on-line shoe shopping. We found a great shoe sale and both ordered a couple of pairs (Yes – we both absolutely had to have them). We were online for a couple of hours and it was one of the most enjoyable activities that I’ve participated in since mid-March.
I’m grateful that we didn’t just cancel our picnic and not try to replace it with another means of connecting. I’m grateful that the gentleman that delivered mom’s meal was so very kind – ensuring her meal was secure on her walker so it was easy for her to transport it back up to her apartment. I’m grateful that I was raised by such a strong, adventurous, and intelligent woman that she was willing to give it a try. I’m grateful that we are both feeling happy this evening after our great adventure. I’m grateful.
What a difference can be made when we chose to think outside of the box. What are you doing to brighten the day of someone you love? Please, don’t minimize the positive impact you are able to make in the lives of others.
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