Being Prepared and Unprepared

The invitation to be a guest on a podcast arrived in my inbox. I accepted. I was sent the time and date for the taping as well as a list of questions regarding the death of a child, writing, and grief. All topics I was familiar with---like breathing.

But when Claudia, the Being Well Informed podcast hostess, emailed me moments before the show was to start, she told me this was a webcam interview. No over the phone stuff. Her segments were both on YouTube and on her podcast streaming service. I gulped. I was not prepared to be presentable for her audience. When my devotional came out, my publisher was big on setting me up with various radio stations for over-the-air interviews. I could be dressed in anything, have my hair in five different directions and still be able to talk over the phone. After Claudia told me that my interview was going to be showing my face, I asked her to give me a couple minutes. That was after I thought maybe we should just cancel the whole thing. I went upstairs to comb my hair, add some lipstick, and jewelry. A woman needs her earrings!

The next decision was what I was going to have as my background. Back in the days when we had Zoom Sunday School classes I sat at the pub table in our kitchen with the lime-green pantry door behind me. But Carl was in the kitchen frying kielbalsa for Jambalaya and that sausage does not have a quiet sizzle. I was not familiar with the video recording service that the hostess told me she was going to use but I knew I needed my laptop and an uncluttered background. I flew into my daughter's mauve and pink bedroom (what used to be her bedroom; she moved out years ago) and worked on the logistics. I placed the computer on top of a tall stack of cardboard packing boxes. The bedroom has become a storage area where packing supplies for Carl and my online business are kept. I shut the door while our dog, Bella, breathed on the other side. I hoped she wouldn't bark. The minutes ticked away as I checked the lighting, turned on a lamp, and the ceiling fan. I made sure the walls were free of cobwebs. I found a chair and sat. When I logged into the video service, I was greeted by the awaiting hostess, and the interview began. I was late; but I made it.

What a treat it was to be asked questions about grief and the benefits of journaling for dealing with the loss of a child. What an honor to be on Claudia's show! And isn't this just like so much of life---we think we're all set and ready, when really we aren't. Much of life is scrambling around. Adapt and adjust----I've been doing it for 25 years since Daniel's death.

There are two ways to listen to the interview---with a video or without. Of course, I hope you will listen via the podcast link, but if you want to see me seated in front of a mauve door and pink wall, watch. :-) Here's the video - A Parent's Survival Tools When Losing A Child.

Here's the podcast of the same segment.