MORNIN MAMA
Because my hours at work have changed, and my days are now longer and i'm trying my damnedest to counter act the 8 hours tied to a computer by hitting the gym after work, which gives me less time to homemake during the week, so i'm out grocery shopping at 8:00 p.m. and house chores at 9:00p.m, plopping on the couch for a quick check of the tube, then crawling into bed by 10:30, tossing around a couple of times adjusting my pillow radio speaker in order to hear my favorite all night show, George Noory and occasionally Art Bell talking the supernatural stuff, i'm then hugging the pillow at 6:01 and trying to come up with some way to get out of starting another day at the office. After helping get a husband and son off and out the door, i have 45 minutes to shower, get dressed, have a slurp of coffe, pack a gym bag, pack a
healthy lunch and head out.....well, this morning it took me 1 hour.......so i had to switch gears and take a shorter route into the office. Now normally, I go the great white way, no not the expressway, I tried that once in 1977 or so....(yes, Virginia we had an expressway then) and got the holy crap scared out of me and swore I would walk the 9 miles into work if necessary, but never would I get on an expressway in rush hour traffic unless of course I was heading out of town......anyways back to my story.......my usual path takes me down well known streets of Memphis, usually those used by folks who live out in the county and travel into the medical center and downtown to work......that would be Poplar or Union, or Walnut Grove......several days I go through my old stomping ground, which is now part of the largest all black community south of the mason dixon line.....Orange Mound.....sort of zigzagging, trying to avoid traffic lights.
I had 25 minutes to get downtown and I had to pull out the big guns.......which meant Lamar Avenue........so left the house at 8:35 and destination......Barron and Lamar. So why don't i just take this route everyday? Truth?.....the usual reason would be that it would take me through a large section of run-down, worn-out, no body driving these streets in a non-commercial vehicle has insurance, or any type of license or permit, such as drivers license, or a gun permit. (Just a little word of caution to anyone who might find themselves on the streets of Memphis, use Poplar, Union, Walnut Grove, Central to go east and west) You don't want to go North or South unless you are driving with a life long Memphian....just trust me on this)....
Anyway, once again back to the story........it takes me 6 minutes to get from my house down to Lamar, the two schools I pass were already in session, so not stops or slow downs there......
I turn onto Lamar and no sooner had I gone a block.....when I was swept up in a sea of emotion.
Memories of traveling this street with my mother, came rushing at me. The shopping centers we frequented, the restaurants we ate at, the theatres we sat in, the streets we took to go and visit old friends and family..........I struggled to catch my breath before the tears flowed.
I would have given anything for the next 10 minutes to be able to have her sitting beside me.
Laughing and talking about some silly something or other that she had seen or experienced. My mother was the worlds champion at laughing at herself. She did the most outrageous things without meaning to and when most people would die of embarrassment she would just laugh and pass the story on to those she loved.
Those memories of her sense of humor helped stop the waterworks, also a quick look into the rear view mirror and for a split second recognizing how much I resemble her, how I even grip the stearing wheel like she did brought me back to myself.
As I sit here typing this, I fight back the tears and I hear her voice telling me that nothings changed, that she still loves me. She is also telling me......."Look kiddo, you have no business being on Lamar Avenue by yourself, who do you think you are.....the Queen of Sheba?....."
That is a little inside joke she has thrown into the conversation, so I know she is trying her damnedest to have me lighten up.
Things happen for a reason atleast that is what I've always been told. Maybe I needed a conversation with my mom and being late and driving an old route into work was just the catalyst neeeded to begin the dialogue.
Its time to begin the job at hand, and with that said, I want to tell you that I have changed my mind about turning off the comments section of my blog........I am welcoming comments again now whether I get them.....or not......I need to be open to them. So if you are so inclined, feel free to leave a comment. Have a good day and keep your ears open, cause you don't know who might be trying to speak with you.
