It’s been quite a week for me. I went to work on Monday, just like I go to work every Monday. My boss came in and we talked about our weekends, same as every other Monday. She went to another room, and I continued my usual Monday morning tasks. How was I to know that all that normal Monday stuff was going to suddenly end?
The short version of events is that Cyndy had a medical emergency and died. My coworkers and I watched helplessly, and even though the paramedics came quickly, it doesn’t seem like there’s much anyone can do in moments like that. I called her sister, who is my long-time friend, and delivered the news. This was all the worse because my friend just lost another sister a couple of years ago.
When someone dies you think about your own loss, or in this case, I’d try to comfort my friend. It’s a personal grief. When the boss dies, so many other things have to happen, and even more particularly in this case, I had to become the boss. It was clear from the beginning that there were practical things I had to do. There wasn’t any time for me to have a meltdown with everyone else, and I was feeling too shell-shocked in that moment to contemplate my own feelings anyway.
Cyndy was the type of person who knew everybody. She was a devoted “Nana” and had a huge family. She had professional relationships that spanned decades. She knew all her neighbors and kept friends for a lifetime. She’d be thrilled to know there was a long line for her at the funeral home.
I’ve had my moments this week thinking my irreverent thoughts about her hoarding/composting methods of handling paperwork, but I doubt that’s going to be including in her eulogy. I’ve also thought about the times I butted heads with her and went home irritated, but in a way that just makes her feel more human, more vulnerable, more of a loss. I found her both very likeable and maddening, but in the end, I owe her a debt for her teaching me the finer parts of her job.
On a practical blogging note, these sudden changes are undoubtedly going to impact my posts. I’m going to try to keep posting on a regular basis, but work has to come first. My Friday posts may become Saturdays or Sundays, or I might curl up in the fetal position and sleep away my weekends. I enjoy blogging though. It’s an outlet for me, and I really enjoy talking with my blogging buddies. I’m going to do my best to keep participating.
My deepest sympathies to the Troha/Strazar/Marino family. Cyndy’s obit is here.
What’s all this got to do with “myth”? I suppose the biggest myth is that we can count on the boss being here tomorrow, or our sister, or even ourselves. Sudden deaths remind us to make our lives count while we’re still here.
