Friday, December 27, 2013

The opposite of gratitude involves women behind veils




That's Door Number 9 at the Social Security Administration office where I walked today, pushing Sophie, for our 1:15 appointment. I had thought we were summoned to prove, again, that Sophie is still disabled, but we were actually there for a random review. Evidently, these happen randomly -- maybe once a year, or maybe every four months, you never know, the clerk told us. You'll come back separately to establish her disability for another year, she added cheerfully. I was in a funk from things unbloggable when I started out with Sophie, determined to walk it off. What I didn't realize was how far the building was and how difficult it was to push Sophie in the wheelchair part of the Duet bicycle and how hot it was outside. Can I reveal that I wept a bit behind my sunglasses? When I finally pushed through the doors and went through security, I was too overcome to even care that a tiny wizened old woman with what appeared to be a sheet wrapped around her head, shielding everything but her eyes, glared at me as she sat waiting. Well, I confess to recognizing perhaps a modicum of irony in her stare/glare, and I might have muttered freak in a veil in my mind, but I pushed Sophie past all the gawkers and collapsed. For some godforsaken reason, Sophie is choosing to withhold liquid today, so I spent the rest of the hour waiting and trying to coax her to drink from her sippee cup.

When the review was finished, we walked back home, and while I would have preferred to lie down on my bed, remove my sunglasses and have a good cry, I was kept alert and wired by the jackhammers digging the trench on the side of the house. But now I'm boring myself, so I'll call it a day.

Sayonara. 

May the force be with you.

11 comments:

  1. Dammit. Sorry.
    (on another parallel lives note, my Sophie and I also spent this morning at the SS office, but it was much less of a "prove it" experience)

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  2. Hell. Sometimes the things we are NOT grateful for far outweigh that which we are grateful for and that's all there is to it.

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  3. wish i could be there with an ear to lend and a bottle of wine to share :(

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  4. Jackhammers and things un-bloggable should never coincide with a random review. Crapola.I hope you're drinking some leftover Christmas punch. xoxoxo

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  5. No fair that things unbloggable are stacking up with the suckage that is bloggable.

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  6. Ugh Elizabeth. That was a freak in a veil experience.

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  7. for some reason I have not yet received a review call for Maggie. It will come, I am certain, but we are closing in on two years. I thought it came the other day but wonder of wonders, it was a notice that Maggie is getting another $7/month in benefits. She's saving for a car.

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  8. I raise my cup of coffee to all that is unbloggable and to those brave enough to reveal their tears.

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