Dizzy Day

”MCF, wake up, I'm really dizzy!”

My dad always says what's on his mind and doesn't sugar coat anything. I remember the last time he woke me up with shocking news, delivered without much introduction. As with the morning on which my aunt's death was the first thing he greeted me with, I sat straight up in bed, which of course made me dizzy, and I had to lie back down for a few minutes.

He'd had this problem a few years ago, found when working under his car that everything spun when he got up too fast. Indeed, he took down a tree the other day when my mom wasn't looking and while I was at work, and though he denies any injury, a scar on his nose suggests he might have dropped a branch on himself while climbing a ladder. In any case, it's all a reminder that he's nearly 80 and has clogged arteries, and probably should refrain from some of these activities. It also reminds me of how many things I neglect around the house while I'm at work, in the gym, or out with one of my bands. At least my dad is with me when we're playing, so I can keep an eye on him.

Friday marked nearly 40 years of marriage between my parents, and their anniversary was not off to a great start. After checking his blood pressure, my mom determined that all his vitals were normal, and perhaps his ears were clogged. What followed was a true testament to the love of a couple together for so long, as she proceeded to put some kind of special chemical in his ears to unclog them. He lay his head on the table as the stuff fizzed and went to work, and couldn't hear for a while. Eventually the dizziness subsided, and the scare was over.

I had a bit of a busy day myself. After road work trapped me in traffic for an extra twenty minutes, I arrived at work later than usual. Things have been busy the last few weeks, as we're not only in a heavy mailing period that hits this time every year, but I'm working on some extra projects as well. “That's why they pay you the big bucks!” joked one of the directors. Of course, while my hard work and effort are appreciated, regularly arriving 20 minutes late is not, and on a day where I arrived 40 minutes late, my boss finally had to say something. He appreciates my good attitude and the work I produce, knows I'll stay late and get all my work done, and doesn't mind if I'm late now and then, but if it becomes a regular practice it sets a bad example for the rest of the staff. It looks like next week I'll have to start getting up a little earlier, moving faster in the morning, and avoiding those roads with the construction. Maybe getting to bed before 2 AM will help too...

Friday was a long day, but I'm finally getting through a lot of the challenging and bonus assignments, and a clearing is on the horizon. I was happy to find my dad seemingly back to normal when I got home, and he'd taken my mom out to see Nights in Rodanthe during the day. Other than a handful of movies they took me to see as a child, for years they didn't make it out to theaters. Within the last 3 or 4 years though, it's become kind of an annual tradition. Someday, a dizzy spell might signal something more insidious than a buildup of ear wax. They've had 39 years together, and I hope they have at least another decade or more ahead of them. No matter what, it's nice to know that two people can still go on dates after all those years, and enjoy the the time they have together.