This morning as Kathy and I walked, she talked a little about ADHD in the classroom and suddenly I wondered if the fact that I started three separate and unrelated knitting projects last night in the space of 45 minutes is indicative of anything . . .
But that's not what I meant to say here! (And is that also indicative of something?) What I MEANT to say is that Kathy and I also talked about Louise Plummer's mother who I didn't know and who Kathy never met. But Louise told me once that her mother would sometimes end a discussion with the statement "oh well." It was her why of shrugging her shoulders and saying "what are you gonna do?" when faced with one of the life's hard realities. Only she was Dutch, so she said, "Oh vell." And that's something Kathy and I regularly say to one another as an acknowledgement that we haven't solved any of the world's problems by the end of our walk. We say "oh vell," just like we're Dutch. And then we think fondly of Louise's mother.
I love this because it just goes to show that we all bequeath little legacies to our fellow human beings--even the ones we don't know.
Thank you, Louise's mother.
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7 comments:
Adult onset ADD = true. Dammit.
Have you seen the Modern Family where the little sister is going on and on about the little brother having ADHD and then it shows clips of the dad being ridiculously ADHD? It's HILARIOUS. It's the one called Starry Night. Watch.
Beautiful.
My sister spent six months in therapy to learn to say, "Oh well," with that exact meaning.
Just have to say that I love your blog. Whenever I can, I take the chance to take a quick look over what you write, and every time I chuckle at your eloquent way of writing. Thanks for the smiles.
I am seriously overwhelmed to see my mother come up in your blog. It's like a resurrection. Thank you.
Louise, I love your mother, too. My maiden name is Dutch. Our family has a Dutch Crest and everything. Which is why the automatic connection with your mom. It's like we're related. Sorry for you, but you know, can't pick your relatives.
And Ann Louise, you are on top of your writing game. Time to write that YA Novel.
I really like this story. My mom and I will end conversations about people and their questionable actions with a hearty "But bless her heart she tries so hard."
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