Life is a Bumpy Road

​     Inexcusable, I know. I missed last month’s blog and I nearly missed this month’s. But to understand why, you’ll need to know a little about my personal life. You might not give a rat’s ass about what goes on in my life. Here you go, anyway.
            I have been married to the same man for 40 years. That’s four decades of ups and downs with a little screaming here and there but mostly connectedness. We have two grown children. One lives in New Zealand with his Scottish wife and my only grandson, who will turn five at the end of September. My son has had quite a number of health challenges including losing his colon at age 20, several back surgeries and severe migraines. Health care in New Zealand is free (or nearly free) so that’s a relief for all of us.
            His problems pale in comparison to our daughter, who until very recently lived in Alaska. Five years ago, she was injured in a sledding accident. She shattered her knee and the bone directly below. When she had surgery to put in a plate, the doctor screwed up and severed her femoral nerve. (If you don’t know what that is or what it does, look it up.) The bottom line is that her left leg will never be the same again. The doctor’s mistake set off a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. (You can look that up, too.) She needs almost constant care. Happily, she’s just moved down to Texas with us and bought the house across the street, where she lives with her ginormous guard dog. (See the photo.)
            I know this sounds like a bad movie. But it’s all true. (For those of you who are interested, there’s more. But I’ll skip that for now.)
            The bottom line is that life is fragile and it’s easy to spend a lot of time and energy wishing things were different. As my son says, “The essence of all misery is want.” Constant dissatisfaction can ruin the happiness that lies right in front of you. If you accept your life as it is and relish the joy in a child’s smile, the beauty of flowers and the taste of a good meal, your life gets easier. Trust me. I know.
P.S. Yes, my daughter won a malpractice suit but did not get nearly as much as she deserves. There’s a cap on pain and suffering in Alaska.
P. P. S. This blog is late because I’ve been helping my daughter move into her house across the street. Forgive me?
 
 

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