* I wrote this post a while back and never shared it. I find it particularly poignant these last few weeks as everyone's normal has been upended.
A while back #4 and I were riding in the car on a particularly windy day--40 mph windy. We were driving along and hit a stretch of road where there were open fields the full force of the wind could be felt pressing on the car. At this point, a little voice piped up from the back seat, "Today, I am thankful for gravity."
What you realize is that when life is not normal, is how often we take normal for granted, how we never even think about things (like gravity) that make it possible for us to function. For instance, some people stress eat, I, apparently, stress write. I have found that I write best under duress or when something momentous is happening in my life-- and what this blog has made me truly realize is that most of the time, that is not the case, hence the lack of content. Most days, we all are just moving along holding ourselves together with the day in day out normalcy of our lives, a fact that I don't think we fully appreciate.
These last few months have been busy, #1 put a ring on it--an Aggie ring that is! We flew to TX for a brief couple of days to be a part of the ceremony and to celebrate with him. He is now in Germany for the Spring semester. *Update: he is now being sent home because of Covid-19
#2 spent the Fall coming back from school to get a series of steroid shots in his jaw to kill any remaining tumor cells that may have been missed by the surgery. A visit to the oral surgeon last month was positive, things have been healing really well, it appears there is no tumor re-growth, but we will scan again in a few months to verify. *He is also at home because of his school canceling in-person classes.
#3 has been participating in a clinical trial to hopefully prolong the "honeymoon phase" of her Type 1 (the phase where your body is still producing some insulin) that has involved numerous day trips to Detroit for copious blood draws. She also just started her club volleyball season and we are learning how to balance out blood sugars when practicing 9 hours a week. *Her sports have been put on hold
#4 just keeps us on our toes as always, delivering occasional lectures as to how we can improve ourselves (organization, diet, exercise). You name it, she has an opinion. *Her world is relatively unchanged--she just to deal with her siblings more often :).
Life has gone back to normal, or at least our new normal. We were able to go on a family vacation in December (which found me weirdly tearing up on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride). In my opinion, if seeing an animatronic Johnny Depp is the only thing making me cry, it is a good day. Embrace the everyday, regular, uneventful routine of your life.
Today, I am thankful for gravity. *And even when life isn't normal, don't forget gravity is always there, we just need to be reminded sometimes.
