Mom (Dale Espy Little) in 1999

Beginning about twenty-five years ago when my mom was the age I am now, and continuing for the next eighteen years until she died, she had one answer to the question, “How are you?”

“Exhausted! Simply exhausted!” she would say. And then she’d go on to do some feat that demonstrated amazing stamina or strength or that old standby, ‘getting a second wind.’

So often and so consistently was that her reply that it became a sort of mantra or words-to-live-by in our household. Unhappily, I am beginning to understand why she said it just like I’m beginning to get behind afternoon naps and little snacks ‘to keep my strength up.’ Today is one of those days. The scary part is that it seems the less I do the more exhausted-simply-exhausted I become.

ad nauseum…

This morning, for instance, I leapt out of bed and did my ablutions so as to be ready when my new BFF Kamakshi-from-India called at 7:00 a.m. This marked the third day that she continued to work on my computer. Against the well-meaning advice of every voice in my head, I left her in charge while I went to the final Community Historian Class and Luncheon in Ilwaco. As I left my office at eight forty-five, the cursor was zipping around on the laptop screen. It was stressful and I could feel the exhaustion creeping up.

The class was grand. Collections Manager Barbara Minard talked to the group about saving vs collecting, about the kinds of artifacts that are appropriately donated to small museums, and then gave us some hands-on practice at getting objects to tell their stories – not just their names (or their identity) but far, far more. It was an exercise in observation, asking questions, speculating, and pooling our knowledge. We did very well. Afterwards, I was exhausted, simply exhausted.

Maddie Nailed This One

Lunch was build-your-own-sandwiches and a lot of talking amongst ourselves. Many of us are involved in projects with overlapping information and are planning ‘next steps’ that may involve further collegiality. The noise level reached epoch proportions – laughter, conversation, more laughter. It was a grand finale to our sixteen weeks of class!

Unbelievably, Kamakshi was still working on my computer when I got home shortly before two. I checked in and then took a nap. When I woke up at 3:30, she was just finishing up. And I was exhausted-simply-exhausted!