Touches
Talk about answered prayers. Yesterday the wind laid down, and I laid down with it. Together we floated in a pool of blue water beneath the sky. Above us the clouds turned gold as they hung over the evening sun and then gray as night approached. It was quiet except for a bit of music I was playing and I’m sure the wind was good with it because she stayed still and warm.
This morning it feels as though Mariah is on the move again, if we’re all going to agree they call the wind Mariah. Seems reasonable. There are lots of technical names for wind but let’s go with the poetic. It sounds better; besides she and I had a nice evening together in the pool. If I’m going to recall it, then Mariah is the winner hands down. Remember. Still and warm. A nice embrace.
Today I’ll be touched by human hands. A massage. It will do the muscles good and even the mind. An hour of someone carefully kneading my body with the goal of healing it is therapeutic. I highly recommend it to anyone who might ask. Hardly anyone does though. They have to come to it on their own, I guess. I just keep it as my special pleasure, along with the shampoo I get when the lady cuts my hair. That feels good as well. Hands on my head and hair with warm water. At my age, you take your touches where you get them and count your blessings.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale