Here’s another indicator of how well I feel. When something needs doing, I do it. For instance, as I walked into the utility room yesterday evening, my son said, we’re nearly out of laundry detergent. Thirty minutes later we had some. As the crow flies the store is 1.3 miles away. As the car drives, it’s 1.6. Previously, I would have mounted an expedition worthy of Everest. I would have planned, made a note, put it on a list, scheduled it for execution, and probably forgotten I needed to do it. I like the new me.

So, what’s the difference? Depression. Mine appears departed, as in gone. Chased away by diet and exercise and the holy spirit of my late wife, unleashed when I decided to clean out her closet. I like the idea of auroras. After all, we are made up of little, tiny atoms that got together one day and came to life and that’s a lot of energy. So, we’re bound to leave some in the universe as we go about our business. I’m guessing there was a lot locked up in that closet. Now its out in the open with me. Yeah.

I’m going to draft off this for as long as I can. I’ll keep walking around stirring things up. I took a bunch of our old king sheets to the local Methodist Church yesterday. They take them down to the valley and the border along with sewing machines and the like. They get repurposed. It’s fun thinking of our sheets giving comfort to a small child or family, coming up from or living in Mexico or Texas. Pharaby was a kind and charitable person and it’s a fitting way to remember her and given that she was a seamstress I know she’d like that.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale