"Keep your friends close ..."



LowTide Morning - September 22, 2018
"Keep your friends close ..."
I receive a phone call. The voice on the other end is urgent. "I lost Mom. I left her to browse while we were shopping and now I cannot find her anywhere. I've circled the store more than once. She's gone!"
A tiny lump forms in my throat.
"Have you checked the restroom? Notify the store clerks," I respond. When someone goes missing, I know the quicker we respond, the better our chance is of finding them.
"Another shopper is helping. We looked in the restroom. She is nowhere in sight!"
I've been in similar shoes, albeit much younger shoes.
Years ago the words, "I lost Mom," would not have gripped me like it does today. I probably would have rolled my eyes and said, "Oh brother, here we go again."
In my younger shoes, Mom and I were shopping at a mall with two anchor stores, and we agreed to browse different departments within the same store and meet back together at a designated location. I did my part. I browsed. When I started searching for Mom, I could not find her anywhere. No, I didn't just pick up a cell phone and call — this was the dark ages before cells phones. Young people have no idea what it was like back then. Unbelievable!
I gave up finding Mom according to our agreement. Clearly, there was a breach. Not to worry. This was not entirely out of character.
Finally, I abandoned the store with our pre-agreed meeting point and ventured through the mall to an anchor store at the other end. I see clothes happily flying from the middle of the sales table. Mom!
At the time, rather than panic, there was a pinch of annoyance.
Now that Mom is much older, more vulnerable, and in unfamiliar settings, we panic when we can't find her.
Holding on the phone, I hear, "Mom! Where were you?" Mom finally popped up from behind a rack of clothes. Who knows where she was or what she was doing? She can buzz around undetected with the top of her head effortlessly below the racks of clothes and displays. Missing person report? Not today.
Oh, what a relief!
The saying, "Keep your friends close ..." perhaps could be altered. Keep your friends close and keep your aging parents closer.
~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran
[LowTide is an eclectic collection of discoveries and reflective writings.]

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