Having nephews and then nieces saved my life in many ways: wanting to do better than before, set a good example, keep a stiff upper lip in adversity.
Held all four as squirming infants on my knee, had the boys visit me in the to them big city of Orlando--Michael wore me out as had not had roommate for years nor job with much human interaction (graveyard shift) and he chattered non-stop, forcing me to listen and care and interact; while his brother David settled for riding around the Orena and babbling 'bout meeting Shaq, also challenging me to hear, listen, and care..
Now the boys can drink and teenage nieces tolerate their dinosaur uncle while he tries to keep up a brave front.
Nevertheless, some days my "gravity fails and negativity won't pull me through,
" leaving me no words for my nieces. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
" leaving me no words for my nieces. Just Like Tom Thumb's BluesWhat if one were on a high school student council and inexplicably got shot, what would I tell her sister and mine?
Nothing.
An embarasing admission for 1 as glib as me but at rare times words fail even me.
So maybe would fall back on my last line of defense.
Lie.
Lie to them just like I lie to myself in the morning to get myself out of bed, affirming the life giving lie my acts can make my corner of the world the tiniest bit better.
Yes, live the lie of hope and spit in the face of my eventual demise and keep hope alive my nieces and nephews can build a world just a bit better than the 1 they inherited.
Lie to myself and perform daily ablutions, dress, and seek 1 positive thing to do and learn on the day Life gave me.
[Christina-Taylor Green's short life was pinned between two national tragedies: She was born Sept. 11, 2001, and she died as a gunman apparently targeting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) shot 20 people in Tucson.]
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