Round and Round

I found myself in a parenting workshop this morning. I didn't go because my relationship with Catticus has entered some other level, I went because I was invited to attend and it's my job to attend community events. So there I was, sitting around a horseshoe of tables with a group of parents, a cup of tea, and a Lemon Cream biscuit. It was an interesting morning. I learnt about the developmental stages of childhood, about parenting styles, and about how Ben 10 is not actually about a ten year old boy called Ben but about a boy called Ben who can turn himself into any of ten monsters when faced with a situation he doesn't quite like. It had relevance at the time.

Exactly a week ago, I was sitting in another horseshoe. It was a community support and prayer group that Ma'Regina wanted me to attend. We walked from the bungalow to the meeting and sat down together; she pulled my chair close to hers so that she could hold my hand in her lap. We sat the two of us, and then I helped her up when the time came to stand and pray. And then I helped her down again, and fetched her tea while the group leader welcomed everyone and asked us all to reflect on the last week of our lives. Ma'Regina had to translate a little, she whispered in my ear and the group leader paused when he saw our process.

The Monday before last, I was sitting in the too-full office of one of my community health partners. I sat with the service-manager, and it was cold. The electricity kept tripping because too many people had too many heaters on. It was instantaneously dark and we couldn't see, so we'd switch from the conversation that I needed to write down, to the conversation that I didn't. He's a nice guy, this service manager. He told me about how he's trying to change his name from the nickname his friends gave him in high school two decades ago, to something more professional. "The people I know from then, they call me Maboyz. The people I know from hey, the last few years, they call me Donald."
I smile and reach out for a fist-bump in the dark: "Ah, Donald, my friend, I know exactly what you mean. I can tell you where I know someone from, depending on whether they call me Jen or not. I used to be Jenny."

Three Mondays and three conversations. I had tea out of mug this morning, an enamel cup last week, and no tea the week before because the kettle kept turning off. Variables yes, but each week I've heard about cycles. Parent to child. Past to Future. Metaphors of relay races and students passing batons to each other. It's been kind of meta having the same conversation about how life repeats itself...