The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert

Author:Amy E. Reichert [Reichert, Amy E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

After such a day, Gina sat down looking forward to writing her end-of-day list. She found it cleared her mind before sleep, giving her a plan to wake up to the next day. The smooth pen and the way it whispered as it flew over the paper was better than any meditation: the sound of order and productivity and control. It kept her focused on moving forward rather than risking moving backward, or dwelling on the past. Gina really needed to feel in control of something.

Tonight’s list started with the usual items:

1. Shower.

2. Costco—supplies for G’s (cheddar, Brie, white bread, onions, pork, bacon, napkins, aluminum foil squares) with May!!!!

3. City hall, with May.

4. Visit Mom, with May.

She smiled at getting to spend so much time with her daughter, even though it was technically a punishment.

As she turned the notebook page, all the blank holes in the story Roza had told cluttered her thoughts, and her list evolved into questions—questions she hoped would help her sort out her muddled emotions. It was so hard to know where to start. But if Dr. Patel was right, there was a possibility her mom might have another, more lethal stroke, and there was so much she still didn’t know. She settled back into the fluffy pillows of her bed, her notebook propped up on her knees and opened to a fresh page.

1. What is one fact you know to be true?

2. Have I lived up to your expectations?

3. How did you meet my father?

4. How are we alike? Different?

5. What’s been your greatest joy?

6. Have you ever felt overwhelmed and wanted to give up?

7. What is your greatest heartbreak?

8. What is your biggest regret?

9. What is the best part of being my mom?

10. What do you need me to know?

All Gina’s life, Lorraine had been the wall she needed to get around before she could live. Her mom was a jailer, an enforcer, a life-ruiner. She was a job description, never a person. Even when Gina had called crying in the night because May had colic as a baby, talking to Lorraine had been less helpful than reading Dr. Spock.

Looking over the list of questions she’d scrawled, she realized she really knew nothing about her mom—she didn’t understand the complicated person hiding behind the persona. She wasn’t merely someone who kept Gina’s freedom at bay during her teen years, or the fussy older woman who ran guilt on an open tap when she became an adult. She had always viewed her mother as someone to placate, keep happy, try to please. She never thought of her as someone she wanted to know. But for the first time, she did want to know her mother. It was time to ask some questions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.