Daily Living
Mom left a voicemail
Mid-afternoon on a Thursday
“I need you to come over and turn on the heat”
When I looked at my phone and saw the message
My evening changed
Not drastically…she lives relatively close
But certainly different than what I’d planned
A slight, subtle change
The way her age is creeping up on the both of us
It’s not that she can’t push the button to turn on the heat
It’s that when she pushes the button
She can’t see the words on the programmable screen
She doesn’t know what is happening
A simple task is lost to her
And picked up by me
Extra time added to my commute home
A slight disruption
No big deal
Yet, we both know
Nothing Ever Happens on My Street 