Ten-Finger Exercises

Incomplete

Worked in the garden till I heard the phone. Almost ignored it, since we frequently get a nuisance call around 10:15 and 4:15, but I'm glad I didn't. Hospice had gotten a call from a woman whose husband died three months ago and who was crying so hard they had difficulty understanding her. I called her back, showered and went in to visit with her. Because her husband had been so ill so many years, she thought she had done most of her grieving long ago. She didn't expect it to be as hard as it is.

When I worked in the hospital I didn't have extended contact with people. They were in for a few days and then they were out. In a longer term relationship for grief counseling I felt very inadequate. It's heartening to walk into the hospice office three days a week because everyone is so friendly and they seem so glad to see me. On the other hand, death and grief are hard topics. I'm not sure if I can keep doing this.

I got a very thorough review this morning on a short story I entered in a contest and it was right on. It is amazing how helpful another pair of eyes and ears can be when they're tuned to writing. Too bad the contest ended before I could do some edits, but it probably wouldn't have affected the outcome. Disappointing though. I'll go back and fix it anyway.

All in all, things didn't quite come together. Still haven't finished planting the garden. I'll give this day an Incomplete.

On a completely different topic, I'm watching the national spelling bee. How fascinating it is to watch these kids spell words they've never heard of--or maybe it's just me that hasn't. The word they just said is "weltschmerz", which he defined as sentimental pessimism, comparing the world as it is with an ideal.
What an interesting word!