I'm riding a big wave of happiness today; I'm home, I'm mobile, I have two great boys and Dave - what more could I ask?
Exactly six months ago today I was walking around my office like a big buffoon, saying to anyone who would listen: "Today is my half-birthday!" (And indeed, no one could think of any appropriate response beyond, "Okay....") The next day my quiet, uneventful little life as I knew it was completely uprooted, shaken upside down, and pitched out the window. Now I'm not going to drag that whole story out again, but the reason I'm bringing it up is to say that in these past six months I've had one really important lesson ground into my psyche: You absolutely cannot take anything for granted.
Of course we all know that fact in theory, but how much do we really believe it in practice until something completely dramatic and unexpected happens? One minute you're walking around babbling about your half-birthday, and the next thing you know you're flat on your back in the hospital connected to wires and tubes and not even sure if your baby is going to make it through the night. One day you're so proud of yourself for never having spent a night away from your beloved boy, and next thing you know you're spending eight weeks away from him.
And then there's this: One day you're starting to think you've pulled through every imaginable physical challenge, and then you walk into a piece of furniture and can't even walk straight for six more weeks.
So you can maybe start to understand why today, of all days, I am just glowing with happiness from head to toe. I know, everyone wants to blame it on the new age-y chiropractic massage I had this morning, but it's really true. I have this sense that everything is so fragile, and perhaps fleeting. So today, for one day, all I can do is just be happy about walking around in the world - and having amazing people with whom I can share the walk.
