Returning soon

Mum sounded so frustrated and somewhat lost almost as soon as we started talking.

 First she warned me about how I must be careful in the coming year, because according to the lunar calendar, the Year of the Rabbit will be rough for the Rat (ie me). As much as I respect tradition  and the roots of my culture, I don't see how it can help anyone by telling them that there will be 'bad' things in the coming days. The thing with such prophecies is that it often makes people afraid, paranoid, makes people afraid to live in ways they otherwise would. Of course, one should not taunt life and prophecies, but one should not have to live in fear and in constant wonder of what terrible event will befall them either. I can understand why she's telling me; it's because she wants me to be safe and secure.

Then the conversation turned to brother's wedding.  Originally, the in-law-side offered to host the wedding banquet in their home town, in the centre of the country, mainly because they did not want my mum to exhaust herself arranging things. But mum suddenly changed her mind today, and wanted to move the banquet to Taipei, where we live, because tradition dictates that it should be the groom-side that must host the event.

Already I can tell that she is worried and becoming stressed about having to organise things, and mum basically asked whether I could go home soon to help her out, because she feels she really cannot do things on her own.

This is where it got a bit funny, and I think I made her smile--which is a good thing! I had originally told her around two weeks ago that I would be heading home on the "27th". She just assumed that it was 27 January, the date closest to the Lunar Near Year celebrations, and she didn't really ask any more. But in fact, I had booked my flight for 27 December, just after Christmas with my cousins in Vancouver, as I intended to surprise her with a visit so I can be with her while she's doing chemo treatment, and also because it would be so much easier to just cross the Pacific from the West Coast of Canada.

 Hearing the anxiety in her voice, I decided to tell her the truth, even at the expense of ruining the surprise. Of course, she became more reassured and her voice changed there and then. I told her to really take it easy, to calm down and not to worry and wonder too much about the wedding, because otherwise it would really strain her health. She said she would do that.

What made me happy was that she actually said she felt great. She felt really alive, and even though it's just been two days after her latest treatment, she is already back to her normal self, eating what she wants and likes (without feeling sick and/or throwing up), and also going outdoors to exercise.

Anything sure beats being at home all frail and having to stress about my brother's wedding. The countdown to going begins already.