Mother's Gifts

 to laugh at one's self

Mother gave me many gifts:

life, love, how to cook, how to care for another,

how to build connection, relationship,

appreciation of the natural world,

right now I am feeling the great gift

of laughing at one's self,

of dismissing the moment's wrench into questioning despair,

of finding how to just laugh at it all,

understanding that the universe has the perverse about it,

and must be more endured than fought,

you cannot win the lottery,

so laugh when the odds are stacked against you,

and, once again, the results work to break your spirit,

the glitch stymies you,

no way forward gives itself to you,

so just laugh,

just give in and accept that what is

is beyond your control,

that irrationality of outcome is baked into the system,

whereas reaction to that perversity is within your control,

Mother had not been able to walk for half a year,

when she tried to get up, I told her

"Mother, you haven't walked in six months,"

she looked at me with incredulity, and announced:

"Either you're crazy, or I am,"

we are all crazy,

and do much better when we realize it,

and just laugh

when we have no control over the moment.

by Henry H. Walker

May 25, ‘26