Is This Retrograde?

It’s 4:30 in the afternoon and I have been so sedentary that my watch stopped telling me to Stand Up. It now just says “Give Up!”

I tried today. I really did.

It’s been that kind of week though, hasn’t it?

As if 2020 isn’t challenging enough, Mother Nature decided we Minnesotans have had just enough of seeing friends outdoors for the year. She dumped a bunch of snow on us and then followed that up with ridiculously cold air to freeze the white stuff solid on top of the leaves that are still falling.

My friends from California say it has something to do with the planet Mercury being in retrograde. Sigh.

So here I sit - In the midst of this funk - wondering what Sue Wink would do with this sense of ennui. And wondering how much she would laugh at the idea of retrograde planets affecting life on this Earth.

I’m not really certain Sue was ever lazy like this. She was constantly moving – a font of energy that inspired action all around her. She used to quote her mother’s credo – “Get up early. Dress for the day with pizzazz. Make the day count. And always work to stay thin.”

And she did all of those things – inspiring others as she went. Oh, how I miss her now. 

Sue was my Other Mother when I was growing up, presiding over the house I ran to when my parents were being, well, annoyingly parents.  After my mom died when I was 22, she remained a touchpoint to my childhood until she died somewhat abruptly a month ago.   

If I’m being honest, I didn’t think Sue would stay around too long after Dick Wink left. They were a couple for more than 65 years until Dick died last summer, following a series of unfortunate events that left him unable to fight off an infection. They were a power couple in the musical life of my hometown. And to me, they were a haven of home every time we returned to Mansfield.

Sue surprised all of us by rallying and thriving in her newly single role. She saw friends, engaged with family, danced at her granddaughter’s wedding, and re-engaged with her art, garden, and church groups.

Dick and Sue Wink, laughing as usual…

And then COVID hit. I know the solitude – without Dick – was so hard for her. She just hated the shutdown of life that happened in the Spring. And her girls were very diligent with all of the virus precautions to ensure they didn’t infect Sue. When the weather warmed up, they did arrange for happy hours on the patio – spending time in the safer air outdoors.

Turns out the virus wasn’t the issue. Her daughter Dayna took Sue for a haircut where her longtime stylist noticed Sue had a yellow pallor. A number of doctors and tests later told Sue that advanced pancreatic cancer provided a deadline for making her days count.

And count they did. Her daughters, her grandchildren, and even great grandchildren along with in-laws, and friends filled her time. We made it to Ohio in time for a wonderful visit – time to thank her for providing a haven to this neighbor child. And time for a final COVID-violating hug.

It appears this exhausting anxiety-filled planetary retrograde, along with the freeze in Minnesota, will lift the first week of November.  Maybe then I can get up early and dress with pizzazz to make the day count. Working to stay thin will be a stretch…