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Opinion; Mother’s Day From a Different Point of View

JUDY NOY WITH daughter Maya at age 7 and son Gideon at age 1, now both grown. Photo courtesy Judy Noy
JUDY NOY WITH daughter Maya at age 7 and son Gideon at age 1, now both grown.
Photo courtesy Judy Noy

It seems ages that I’ve been cooped up in this small dark wet space. I don’t even know how I got here in the first place. But the longer I’m here, the less room I seem to have. I can hardly get around. I used to be able to stretch out, move around, punch, kick, do whatever I felt like, but I can’t anymore. I used to like it here, no one bothered me. I ate and slept whenever I wanted. I had no one to answer to. I could hear light pleasant sounds even though I couldn’t see very well.

But now I just want to get out of here as soon as possible. I feel, after all this time, like a guest who has overstayed his welcome. I also get the feeling that if I don’t leave on my own, and soon, that somehow I’ll be forced to go. And even while I feel this way, trying to make up my mind, I realize that the decision has already been made for me. I’m now being forced to leave this comfortable place, which I’ve called home for so long.

I find myself now being pushed through a long dark tunnel, and ready or not, I’d better accept this fact, since I no longer have any say in the matter. The tunnel seems so tiny that I find myself straining with the effort of getting through, squinting into the darkness and hoping I’ll get through safely and with no complications. I’ve never been on a journey that is taking as long as this one is through this seemingly endless tunnel. There’s no way I can turn back, and after a while I think that I can’t wait to reach the other end after such a struggle, no matter what lies in store for me. Although I was reluctant to leave my cozy space, I’m thinking I can’t wait to get out and see what lies in wait for me at the other end.

At last when I think I’ll never get there, I burst through the end of the tunnel into a world full of light, so bright, that I need to squint, and even close my eyes for a while. I feel cool and dirty after such a long trip, but I’m lucky because in an instant I find I’m being cleaned and wrapped up so that I feel comfortable again.

And low voices all around me are whispering, “What a darling baby! It was certainly worth the nine month wait.”

 

Judy Noy

Norwood resident

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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