As you know, we started our trip to NC with a stop at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I was there 15 minutes before the office opened and stood out in the rain with others who hoped for a short visit. Once the doors were opened, I was directed to a counter where I was given the same form to completed that I'd previously mailed. They checked my vision by having me look through a machine and read one line of letters - no driving test of any kind, thank goodness!! I paid the fee (double the mail in charge) and moved on to have my photo taken and license issued. So far, so good! I was second in line to have my photo taken, after which I was soon called to pick it up. As I'm at the counter, the photographer asks me to check the info on the front of the license, and it is in good order. She then scans the coded information on the back of the card only to find that it contains the info for the lady who followed me in the photo line! She then called a supervisor and they had to figure out how to correct the problem, which took as long as everything else had taken - in total about an hour, which probably is not bad for the DMV. AND, my license is good for 10 years (thus the higher fee)........and you've already figured out that I'll be 75 when I have to renew again!!! Say it ain't so!!
Our trip to NC went well and it looks like we'll be able to get "Meals-on-Wheels" for my mother (one meal a day through the week) and, most likely, some household assistance. We also have some ideas of people to drive her to appointments, grocery shopping, etc. We have time to get that arranged and I want to get it done as soon as my mother begins thinking of going home so she will have time to get used to the idea and understand that it has to be this way. Now that she feels she will get to go home again, she's more relaxed and less wound up......so here's hoping the remainder of her time here will be less tense for us both.
My thanks to all who wrote with words of encouragement after my last post. It was not my intention to "share" too much, but I do know that this is read by dear friends who know us well enough to understand the situation. Your words of support really meant a lot at a time when I needed them......and I hope to reply to each of you within the next few days.
With all of that going on (DMV, trip to NC, etc.), you might guess that my birthday was a minor occasion. My cousin Laney and her husband had us over for dinner on the 19th and we had a nice evening. It was the first time in a long time that we were able to just sit and catch-up and everyone seemed to enjoyed it. So, when we got home (late afternoon on the 20th) it was especially nice to hear from friends. Thanks again.
So, when all is said and done, the situation has improved and I'm going to make every effort to get back into the "flow". Much of dealing with situations so close to the heart is that you/I want to solve the problem, knowing full well I don't have the power to do so. Intellectually I know how little I control, but emotionally and viscerally I forgot that lesson. Was it John Lennon who said, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans"? Well, we all know how plans go anyway! Now that things have calmed a bit, I know I'm better off to not look too far ahead (and become overwhelmed) but to take things in manageable chunks and deal with them to the best of my ability. I do believe that if life becomes too much of a struggle, I'm obviously doing something wrong......and should take time to re-evaluate. I have no plans to sell my house and move to NC and I can't undo the 40 years I've lived away, so there is no reason to argue over those issues again.....we each will have to come to terms is our own way. So, while I have no control over the events of life or others, I do feel that I'm more in touch with myself again. Thanks so much for listening.......
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