I missed my grandmother's 101st birthday
|
Gladys Hartness is a force of nature. Yesterday marked her second birthday celebration as a centenarian. Despite being only five miles away from her lunch celebration with family, my well-wishes were shared via a frustratingly glitchy video call. We'll see each other in person soon, or at least that's the plan. (Isn't it always?) Meanwhile, I'm sticking close to home and trying not to lift, move, or do much other than rest and catch-up on work for short stretches at my desk. A wicked respiratory virus that sidelined me in mid-May progressed to pneumonia. The pneumonia turned stubborn and led to multiple Urgent Care visits and a full-day in the ER. All that remains is incredibly painful (suspected) pleurisy pain in the right side of my chest that I keep agitating by refusing to sit still. So now I sit. Still. For someone who spent years being tethered increasingly close to home caring for a spouse whose terminal illness stole their ability to move, the past month has been incredibly humbling + triggering. The day at the ER was particularly unnerving as I lay on a hospital bed in the hall–for hours–just a few feet from the room we'd arrived at by ambulance, pre-dawn for one of the many life-and-death “hard things” we navigated together during the progression of José’s ALS. But this time, alone. That day, and since, I've had a bit too much time with my thoughts. Initially, they trended to pretty dark places. The past few days have been brighter. The pain is still ever-present, but my thoughts have been more hopeful + productive. A couple days before I got sick, I'd shared about wanting to connect with folks doing like work, particularly related to championing the accomplishments, aspirations, and leadership of women who are quietly getting things done + making things happen (at all scales), in our workplaces, communities, and households. If you reached out then and didn't hear back, now you know why–expect to hear from me soon. And if you're open to a conversation, I'd love to hear from you. with gentle encouragement, Jennifer Barrett Fajardo
p.s. after writing this note, Fb reminded me that today was the day we publicly shared the news of José's diagnosis five years ago. If we connected more recently (and since his passing) and you're curious to learn more, you can read it here. |