You Just Have to Laugh

I need to tell a couple of funny stories, but I want to preface the first one. Our way of coping with this thing has been to laugh whenever possible. The kids have heard Micah tease me about symptoms, and they've heard me poke fun at myself more often than not.

Yesterday I received a beautiful, unexpected gift: a silver necklace stamped with the phrase, "Each day stands alone." It was absolutely amazing, and it made my day. I've been wearing it proudly ever since, and it came at a time when I particularly needed the reminder that we don't borrow tomorrow's worries.

In the evening, when Micah and the kids got home from school, Henry caught a glimpse of the necklace. "Wow, that's really beautiful, Mom! Each day stands alone--huh, too bad you don't, eh?" I laughed out loud. And he's completely right. I rarely stand without my trusty cane.

The second story happened this morning. Micah and the kids left for school, and I was feeling pretty good. I moved some little seedlings I'd planted into a bigger nursery box, cleaned up the kitchen, peeled some apples, and programmed our electric pressure cooker to make strawberry applesauce. I was feeling a little wobbly, so I went to sit down in the living room and look up more recipes while it cooked. After a little while I heard a beep, so I went back to the kitchen (phone still in one hand) and kind of absent-mindedly released the pressure without looking at the machine. Suddenly I had pink strawberry-apple juice shooting up into the air and spraying all over the kitchen. I was too surprised to realize what had happened at first. It was coating the sink, the counters, the overhead cabinets... Finally I sealed the cooker again and the shower stopped. What on earth!? I looked down and realized the beep had been to indicate that the machine was up to full pressure and ready to start cooking--not that it was finished. I shook my head, re-programmed it, and cleaned up the mess. I started a pot of decaf coffee (I've been ordered off of the regular stuff by my cardiologist), and poured a small bowl of cereal. I was still distracted thinking about other things. I picked up a bottle of maple syrup (I feel like I have to explain everything about my odd life lately--I'm off of refined sugars, too, so a tiny bit of real maple syrup is all I'm using for my coffee. Buddy the Elf was on to something...). All of a sudden, the bottle slipped out of my fingers, hit the mug of coffee, and sent both it and my bowl of cereal scattering all over the counter and floor. I looked around. The whole kitchen--that I had just wiped down from the strawberry fiasco--was covered in coffee and Crispix. Oy.

Needless to say, our kitchen is likely the cleanest it's been in weeks. I'm either going back to bed, or switching back to full-strength coffee. I guess, at least, there's some consolation in knowing this kind of thing happened to me all the time before I ever got sick...