a downpour that missed Steffi's House and Yard

I had a lovely chat with my doc this morning. I like her and have had her now for some dozen years. We are on a friendly platform -- meaning we always manage to spend just a few minutes on sharing trip plans or reflections on trips taken. This time I was curious about her most recent trip. She'd been telling me about it for a long time now. This summer she will have gone for the first time to Europe. With kids and husband. She has traveled plenty as she is by birth from Korea, but Europe is a first for her. She was excited. The plan was to go to the north of Norway and then to Scotland. To hike, to admire the landscapes.

Predictably, the trip was a total success. As she reflected on it, she said to me -- I'll never forget it. As we stood on a mountain summits after a hike, I felt this wave of gratitude. Here we were, healthy, together, witnessing something beautiful.

When you are a doctor, you see it all. Sometimes you heal an anxious patient, sometimes you don't. You see families break up from the tragic spillover effects of medical crises. I suppose one gift you have after a rough day is that you develop an ability to feel gratitude for all that is yours very deeply. Many of us say we're grateful for what we have, especially around Thanksgiving, but that gratitude is fleeting. We move on quickly to groaning about some inconvenience or aggravation. 

I've had some near misses in life. Maybe we all have had those. Mine were sometimes my fault -- recklessness seemed to have been my middle name at times. How else to explain such horrors as unprotected sex or drinking excessively? Youthful transgressions? Perhaps, only some of them weren't so youthful. People are often boastful about their past misdeeds. Who can come up with the most egregious story of crimes committed? Me, I'm just glad that mine were all misses. That recklessness didnt lead to damage. That poor health and so many surgeries all resulted in cures rather than a death sentence. Like my father, I've always felt grateful for being so darn lucky. That things worked out (for the most part). That I got to 73 without crashing. That I wasn't at the WTC on 9/11. That I was born in postwar Poland rather than in the middle of that horrible war. That I learned English by immersion, that I escaped storms while riding a bike, that I had two daughters that I loved, that I found something to love in a person who is so different than me. Lucky. So yes, life is very much like the downpour I experienced this morning while driving Millie to doggie daycare: it happens in some spots, it misses others. Chances are you've had some lucky breaks too (or else you wouldn't be reading this). Stay grateful. For each and every one of them.

 

My pup is tired! Late nights, early wake ups. And a full day ahead! 

 

 

 

Breakfast, on the porch, with market flowers.

And a morning of doc visits, weeding, and to be honest -- lying on the couch and wondering how long my luck will hold. 

 

In the afternoon I am with the kids. First the boys. And truly, it's heartwarming to see the older one show his little brother how to "do school!" 

 

Then Snowdrop, and to their home. The new routines take some getting used to. We're not reading yet -- not me with the boys nor with Snowdrop. We'll get there! For now, I do some online shopping with the girl for sweatpants for the three of them. After a minute, she takes the laptop from my hands and says "here, let me do it... you're too slow!" Click click, to the checkout, auto fill  here, credit card there. I shake my head -- it's too easy. Shopping is just too easy. You could pick up my laptop and fill the cart with thousands of dollars' worth of stuff. No I couldn't. I dont know your security code! I dont tell her that many vendors have that stored in their memory bank as well.

She asks to tag along with me to pick up Millie from doggie daycare.

 

 

 How those kids love my snuggle pup! Truly a teddy bear parading as a dog.

 

Ed comes over in the evening. I scramble eggs, we watch the last episode of Clarkson's Farm. Not to spoil it for those who are still set to watch it, but I have to say, it's a bit of a downer. People have issues. Not to state the obvious, but even very rich people! I come back to the idea of gratitude. For all the days we get to be with people we love. Deep gratitude. 

with so much love...