When I first moved to this neighborhood 18 years ago, there was a woman who walked early every morning. I’d see her on the drive to work. That wouldn’t be unusual except she was. She was short and slim with a huge fluff of white hair. She wore signature red lipstick that you could see from outer space. Every single day! Her clothing was very colorful, like you would find on small kids. All that wasn’t the most unusual thing about her.
She didn’t just walk, she hopped, skipped and threw her arms around. At first I thought perhaps she was challenged in some way but there was a rhythm about it. After a few days I realized she was doing an exercise routine. Either she had earplugs or she knew it.
She made such an impression on me that I posted about her early in my blogging days. You can find it here. That was back when I had few followers.
She always waved and I beeped my horn. I ran into her in the grocery store once and she said “I know you!” What she meant was that she recognized me from driving by. We didn’t exchange names or anything else.
The beloved husband and I called her the crazy lady and that was meant in a good way. Not everyone who is crazy is bad. Some are unique.
I continued to see her over the years. She was a very dedicated walker and she lived in one of the neighborhoods surrounding me.
I didn’t see her much last summer but it was a dreadful summer with a lot of rain and super-hot weather even in the morning. During the fall I saw her strutting her stuff. Arms flailing and it was a great sight. Almost as if normal returned.
I didn’t see her during the winter which was very mild. As I think back now, that was unusual. She had wonderful (and colorful) winter walking clothes.
This past week I saw her obituary. I almost missed it because I don’t know her name. There was a picture of a smiling happy woman with white hair and red lipstick. I was intrigued so I read it. There was a paragraph dedicated to her “unusual” walking and all the friends she made along the way. She died in hospice so she must have been ill for a while.
You don’t know need to know someone to feel a sense of loss when they die. Perhaps we can blame it on all the other stuff going on but it’s one more normal that is lost.
Rest in peace Margaret and know that you always brought a smile to my face.
Janis said it best … the quirky people who cross our paths in life are the ones we remember most … and there is a real sense of loss when they’re gone. Margaret sounds a lot like the little 80-some year old spitfire who lives down the street from me … except for the colourful clothes 🙂
Thanks to you, Margaret’s spirit lives on.
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It’s the crazies and the kind ones we remember best. The rest? Who knows?
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So true, Kate. I hope I’m remembered with a smile and not a grimace.
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Kate, A “crazy” lady can be very endearing, especially one that walks by the beat of her own drum. I also have found certain people have really made an impact in my life and when I hear they have passed away, I have a great sense of loss. Even, if I did not really “know” them. A good reminder on the people we touch along our paths.
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When I first saw her, I thought she was crazy but after a while, she was part of the landscape. A soothing part that made it all home. I now wish that I would have hopped out of my car last fall and gave her a hug.
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Awww….Hugs to you, Kate. xx
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This was a nice tribute to this woman – she reminded me a little of Mike whom I spotlighted. There was a lot of nutty things that he did and I wondered about (like wearing shorts until the first snowfall and again by March long before most people even got out of their sweatpants) but then you realize they were kind of nice to have around and pass the time of day with.
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I love you care. And I love your last 2 paragraphs.
Everyone needs to smile and wave right now. The world is so different
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OMG! It is! As the designated family grocery shopper (most expendable person?) I went this a.m. They limit the number of people in the store at one time. That’s a good thing except for the wait (which wasn’t all that bad — I go very early). Seriously though, in a store, it’s almost impossible to stay 6′ from other people at all times. All shoppers were wearing masks. Most of the grocery employees stocking were not. Do they know something I don’t? Back to Margaret, I miss her because she was part of normal. I also miss her because she had guts I don’t and didn’t care what people thought! Stay safe.
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Lovely post Kate, so many layers of meaning in it, and above the fun and the courage which you convey through your description of someone who seemed to live her life with zest
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Thanks. She was a neighborhood monument. So many changes now.
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A lovely post Kate. Thank you for sharing this fun lady with us 💛
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Thanks.
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I love quirky people and the world is sadder when we lose them. I’m sure that she would have been pleased to know that she brought a smile to your face. Keep on dancing, Margaret.
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Especially quirky upbeat people. Yes, she always made me smile. I wished I had her guts.
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What a beautiful eulogy to a woman you didn’t know. Personally, I wanna be just like that crazy lady! 💗
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I do too!
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Proof once again that we are all indeed connected ❤ I love that you "missed" her when she wasn't following her normal routine. No doubt Margaret is sporting a colorful set of wings.
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I’m sure they have hot pink and purple on them. A lot of her clothes were those colors.
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What a very special and lovely blog today! And you are right….one does not have to know someone to feel a pull on your heartstrings for them. May she RIP and you enjoy the warmth her memory brings to you.
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Thanks!
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Hi, Kate – It is so true that you don’t need to know someone to feel a sense of loss when they’re gone. Sadly, we’ve been reminded of this more and more over the past several weeks.
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That is so true.
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Nope, you don’t need to know them well to have been affected by them. Or to pray for them, which I did. Yep, us kitties pray too.
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There are neighborhood kitties I pray for too.
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You’re a sweetie!
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Very true! Sometimes people affect others in ways they will never know about. This is a nice tribute to her 🙂
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About ten years ago, maybe more, I went on a neurotic bend to try to thank some people who influenced me enormously in my work life. In the day to to day, you don’t say anything but looking back you realize that you received something, maybe important affirmation, that affected your success.
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That is very true! Sometimes its even just making you feel positive about something in a passive way. But it matters!
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I miss Margaret now through you. I’m sorry she is gone without your getting to know her. John and I are similar to Margaret. I’m sure people think we are crazy, because we wave to every car that passes us. Recently a man came out of the cafe we pass and said he was glad to see us. He must have been inside on a regular basis, but we didn’t see him. It was fun to exchange a few sentences with him. God bless you, Margaret, for bringing smiles to Kate’s face.
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Yes you are like Margaret — smiling and upbeat. We need more like you!
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What a sweet tribute to her! Sorry for your loss. You are very right about the ways we can bond with people, even if we rarely talk. ❤
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It was truly a neighborhood loss.
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Sorry you lost a neighbor and acquaintance. It is interesting how people are part of our lives that we don’t ‘really’ know. May she rest in peace and have an opportunity to lead a heavenly walking group.
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I bet she’s up there like a drum majorette, leading the gang.
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This right here: “You don’t know need to know someone to feel a sense of loss when they die.” I have felt that way about a lot of people who I didn’t really know, but yet they left an impression. Thank you for sharing this.
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It was like I lost a friend.
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You did. Even if you all did was wave and have one brief exchange, she was a friend.
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Om ami dewa hri (Tibetan blessing)
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Very sweet, Kate. Someone like that you just keep rooting for. – Marty
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🙂
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Beautiful tribute, Kate. She probably doesn’t know how she always made you smile but I bet she does now. It’s funny how you see people around town all the time, you exchange words on occasion but never really know them. And then, like Margaret, they’re going and you feel it in ways you never thought you would. She was probably quite the personality. God rest her soul.
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She was also a reminder of a friendlier day. The neighbors who were here when we moved in have moved, downsizing or to warmer climes. The new ones coming in are younger with kids. No one goes outside so the feel of the ‘hood has changed. She was a throwback that’s gone.
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This is a great piece. It’s very profound in the way that it shows how someone we don’t even know can make a difference in our lives. She brought normalcy and smiles to your life. Such a simple thing. We all don’t know where or how we’re making a difference. Thank you for sharing this story.
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No we don’t. Sometimes it feels like no one notices us at all but you never know.
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Good tribute, Kate.
Now . . . go out and do a CL Strut down the middle of the street!
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I’m going to pull weeds in celebration of her life! I’ll sing along.
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I love how she did her thing, her way. That is a good way to live (as long as your thing isn’t harming anyone).
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I admire it. I’d feel weird doing the exercise routine she did while walking.
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That’s sad. I’m glad you recognized her picture.
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I check the obits daily. I’ve caught a few deaths I wouldn’t otherwise know about. Even relatives I haven’t seen in decades.
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We caught one a few years ago of a very good friend of H’s mother’s. I was devastated because we had not seen her in a few months.
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Something similar happened to me right after Christmas.
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So sad, but how lovely she made her mark with so many.
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And people who didn’t actually know her.
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I know exactly what you mean.
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Sending condolences on the loss of what sounds like an interesting neighbor and woman. Funny how some people we don’t get to know but who become woven into the fiber of our lives have such an impact on our hearts and minds.
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I found it odd too.
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Loses pile up on other loses in times like this…all one big jumble. So sorry for your loss.
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There are layers of loss with some worry tossed in. Strange times indeed.
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Such a good way to remember your neighbor. Clearly she made a positive impression on you and many other people along the way. No wonder you miss her, even though you didn’t know her per se.
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She did. I’m sorry now that I didn’t get to know her name so I could wave with a name.
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we are sorr… it is as if a part of our world is gone… somehow…
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Yes, there will be much more “normal” lost.
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Lovely tribute, Kate. RIP Margaret. I’m sure she’s still getting her steps in. Did the obit mention her age?
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Yes. She was 71. When you saw her walking you couldn’t guess her age. She was very peppy!
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What a lovely memory of a unique woman who became part of your routine – of course you miss seeing her – I’m sure a lot of people do. Sounds like “one of a kind”. I think all of us find comfort in our “usual” at this point with everything ELSE spinning somewhat out of control. She was part of what felt right for you and many others and now she’s gone – no doubt carrying on her walking routine in Heaven. I bet her close friends miss her – I’m sure she was a whole lot of fun!
Hugs, Pam
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I think she was a very upbeat person. The obit was about her friendliness and happiness with life rather than a list of organizations she belonged to.
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Aww Kate… what a beautiful tribute to Margaret. Your words make this post so powerful, moving and full of kindness and comfort, too. I am happy she and you shared the contact you had with her. I am thinking she did rest in peace. That’s my hope. I just feel that she was happy and at peace in her life and I just know she found peace in the end. Thank you for letting us know about Margaret.
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I always wanted to ask her if I could take a picture. When I saw her I didn’t have phone/camera and when I had them I didn’t see her. She was a cheery sight always with a big smile. I once saw her walk with her husband (they were laughing and giggling) but the rest of the time she walked alone.
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Doesn’t surprise me to hear they were laughing and giggling. There are treasures of life to learn from Margaret and in this lovely post. A gift really this morning in these difficult times.
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They looked like a good couple. They seemed happy together. He didn’t seem embarrassed by her “unique style.”
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Kate, I keep thinking maybe she was dancing to the tune “Happy” by Pharrell Williams!
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I suspect she had a lot of happy tunes. If you put on Mony, Mony I will start dancing like no one is watching.
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Yes, there are some that really leave an empty spot. Especially someone who brought a smile to our face on a nearly daily basis. RIP Crazy Lady, thanks for making Kate smile.
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My sense of loss was a surprise to me but there is so much chaos right now that it just adds to the mix.
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Funny how some people can enter our lives in unique ways and leave a lasting impression. May she Rest In Peace. ❤️
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Yes. I was surprised at the deep sense of loss I had. She died in hospice so I’ve been trying to figure out when I last saw her. I’m sure I saw her in the fall.
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