My admiration for your writing just kicked up a few notches. The care routine you have for your daughter is mammoth as is your love and commitment to her care.
A word on aging. Relax. Yeah, pieces & parts wear out. But you can get replacement parts. The best part is the freedom to be as creative as you want to be. It is literally exhilarating. Each 'age' cycle has its own rewards and challenges...so relax and observe...and enjoy when you can.
Oh, Lyle. This is such a tender reflection and exactly the way my writer mind works too. One of my children has a chronic illness, and there is so much commonality with just even the care we take to deal with the medications. The syringes that we can’t use anymore because the measurements have worn off, the ones we find randomly in her room (she self-administers now), the sheer mundanity of it all. I never would have been able to think about anything else while doing these things at the beginning of her illness. But after 11 years, it just is what it is. There’s a lot here and now you have me thinking about how I can write about it, too. I loved this.
"Realize that a lot can happen in 15 years. Contemplate what you can accomplish in the next 15 years. Consider how this is a silver lining, but maybe don’t call it a silver lining since you’ve noticed gray hairs revealing themselves here and there recently."
"Be grateful that he passed peacefully and that there was nothing left unsaid between him and you."
"Remind yourself that being creative is a way of life that makes you feel more whole."
This was incredible Lyle - thanks for sharing. I am turning 30 this year and with each share around creative writing you had, I felt really uplifted in thinking about taking your advice into my creative pursuits!
Oh Lyle, such a complex, beautifully ideated piece! Heart breaking and inspiring at the same time. Those last four lines really touched my "writer's heart." How you find time to write is beyond me. Thank you for your fine work. PS the Triumph video was hilarious and somehow seemed appropriately placed
Believe it or not, I missed a step lol
My admiration for your writing just kicked up a few notches. The care routine you have for your daughter is mammoth as is your love and commitment to her care.
A word on aging. Relax. Yeah, pieces & parts wear out. But you can get replacement parts. The best part is the freedom to be as creative as you want to be. It is literally exhilarating. Each 'age' cycle has its own rewards and challenges...so relax and observe...and enjoy when you can.
Oh, Lyle. This is such a tender reflection and exactly the way my writer mind works too. One of my children has a chronic illness, and there is so much commonality with just even the care we take to deal with the medications. The syringes that we can’t use anymore because the measurements have worn off, the ones we find randomly in her room (she self-administers now), the sheer mundanity of it all. I never would have been able to think about anything else while doing these things at the beginning of her illness. But after 11 years, it just is what it is. There’s a lot here and now you have me thinking about how I can write about it, too. I loved this.
"Realize that a lot can happen in 15 years. Contemplate what you can accomplish in the next 15 years. Consider how this is a silver lining, but maybe don’t call it a silver lining since you’ve noticed gray hairs revealing themselves here and there recently."
"Be grateful that he passed peacefully and that there was nothing left unsaid between him and you."
"Remind yourself that being creative is a way of life that makes you feel more whole."
This was incredible Lyle - thanks for sharing. I am turning 30 this year and with each share around creative writing you had, I felt really uplifted in thinking about taking your advice into my creative pursuits!
Just finding this. It's incredible. So good.
Fantastically unique! Well-done! Congratulations on the potty win!
You’re an inspiration…thanks for being you
Oh Lyle, such a complex, beautifully ideated piece! Heart breaking and inspiring at the same time. Those last four lines really touched my "writer's heart." How you find time to write is beyond me. Thank you for your fine work. PS the Triumph video was hilarious and somehow seemed appropriately placed
I keep thinking “I wish I had gotten more serious about my writing earlier.” Then thinking, “My earlier self couldn’t write like I can now, anyway...”
Yes. My dad is going through end stages. I get it. https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/death