The Spread of Good News
How can I help you?
Today is my Mom’s birthday. She passed away 657 days ago from an infection called MRSA. MRSA is highly contagious, and if you encounter a perfect storm (and she did), it can be very deadly. And the most ironic part? She caught this in a hospital.
The one thing you should know about my mother is she did things mostly on her own terms. Especially towards the end, when things got bleak, she was the first to raise her hand and say ‘things can get better.’
For her, ‘getting better’ meant making the choice to discontinue dialysis. She made that choice with a clear mind, and in so doing she literally chose the evening she was going to die. It sounds too good to be true, but that’s the way it happened: with family and joy in her heart.
She was a Radical Optimist that way.
I’ve thought a lot about that over these last 657 days. The idea of choice, but also how things spread, how things travel from one person to another. In 2020 especially, we’ve had to be extra careful about things as simple as handshakes or hugs.
Two weeks before she died, my mother looked at me and said “you need to have more fun. Can I help with that?” Even then, with another world reaching out to her, she wanted to lend a hand and be of service.
That’s how we spread good news. We need to remove our masks and let people know we are there for them. That if they take a chance, the fall won’t be far. As my Mom so generously taught me, saying “How can I help you?” is perhaps the greatest key to making a connection and unlocking meaning. It is especially helpful right now, in this moment, when everyone else can seem so far away.
Happy Birthday Mom. I am, indeed, having more fun. Thanks for that.
“I just want to go and play with my mates.” - My Mom’s last words
Me, Mom, and infinite tulips.
August 7, 1942 - October 22, 2018
