talk to my mom more

But really cheating since I’ve been visiting her for two weeks now.

I called my mom on my birthday. At first she thought she had missed it because we as a family tend to call just after an event, like having surgery, or a wedding, or a graduation. We give our focus to the day and those around us and then share when its less disturbing. You can imagine my family looks distainfully upon cell phones. Their ease makes for unfocused lives a selfish tale for only the messenger and not the proud touch of witnesses.
My mother confirmed she was turning 80 this year. An amazing shock each time I stop, having been distracted, to remember once again the weight that that number brings.
Forgive my prattling fingers, but I’m drifting towards bed and a welcoming peace.

What can I say? We are a good family, just not chatty close. I want to get a little better than once ever two months. Maybe once every three weeks. My mom doesn’t call. She’s a writer of letters. And the internet is still new to her. That and I’ve been on the road for the last ten plus years so she never knew where I was. I’m really not typing my way out of this hole am I. It sounds like I or my family is horrible in some way. Really its not. We are oddly – practical. I’d normally call if something was important but … well, once when I went into the ER for possible poisoning, my friends all freaked out and said I had to call home. I only gave in because they kept hounding me so I let them call just to get them to quiet down. Now understand it was after midnight or so and they woke my mother up. After listening to what they had to prattle on about she said, “well, have him call when he gets out.” I mean really what could she do three states away in the dead of night? Rather than worry she went back to bed and I wasted her dime calling her the next morning to tell her I was fine.
But I guess I’m feeling a touch of age and feel that I should be more atuned to her situation as she closes in on her 80’s.

I need to call her more just to say hey…I’m so self centered!