What I’m most grateful for about the losses I’ve experienced in my life is their effect of making me suddenly, unexpectedly, excruciatingly present.
The summer my older brother died I was painting a friend’s 2-story 4-bedroom house a soft pale yellow. I was about three quarters of the way through when the news came. All the prep work was done: power washing, scraping, sanding, caulking, priming. The first coat of the siding was done, second coat halfway. Scaffolding was up, ladder placements standardized, awkward corners all attended, trim decisions made, wasp nests sprayed out. Zero rain in the forecast. I was on a roll and set to finish inside of two weeks. [Read more…]