And the Hopping Continues…

I wrote a post a few months ago entitled “The Year of the Kangaroo.”  If you’d like to get caught up with how 2018 has fared so far, click the link.  We’ve had one additional surgery, that was not previously mentioned. My grandson had a double inguinal hernia repair when he was two months old. The hopping continues!

As we headed into December, I fully expected to take the last week off and just recuperate from the year. This is still the plan except that a few weeks in January may follow since I will also be laid off on 12/21/18. Reminding myself that we survived multiple medical emergencies this year provides a sense of gratitude that this is not a stroke or heart attack…but a job loss. Not fun at four days before Christmas but I am in a dual income family and will survive. I’m more concerned with my workmates and students that may not be as fortunate. I have not slept much lately. 

This year has been a pretty interesting experience…not always bad, but definitely catching me by surprise on a regular basis. Years of strife tend to bring about the best lessons, however. Here are my top ten lessons learned from 2018.

1. When your father has a racing heart rate that you know is his A-fib acting up post heart attack, even if you trust that he is safe enough for you to drive him to the ER, call an ambulance. Otherwise, you may have to hear him say “Honey, my bypass grafts are twenty-five years old and could just give out at any time” while you are sitting in 5pm traffic. 
2. If you are a first-time grandmother and have not been with babies in over twenty years, take the time to really look at the diaper area. This will prevent you hearing that a hernia was diagnosed six hours after you left.
3. Get the airline ticket insurance. This will save you a great deal of money when you have to cancel multiple trips due to family emergencies.  I’ve never used it prior to this year but have used it twice in 2018.
4. If your husband is hospitalized for the same condition multiple times a year for ten years, ask politely if a surgery will correct the condition. Then enjoy the fact that the surgery did, in fact, correct the condition and try not to beat your head against a wall for not asking for it ten years earlier. 
5. Send fifteen years working very hard so that on the 16th year, when everything falls apart, no one will complain when you need to take a ton of time off.
6. When you are removing all of your personal items from your office after hearing that you are being termed, ensure that the Travelocity Gnome that you bought at 2am one morning is turned off.  This will keep you from spending five minutes wondering why you keep hearing someone saying “That’s Amazing…” while your driving and assuming that you’ve finally lost it. 
7. Don’t buy Disneyland passes just to get a cheaper price for the day. It’s not cheaper if you never go again. 
8. Find something in life that brings you pleasure. Try exercise…or journaling. Both have taken a back seat to my current favorite – chewing. On a related note – Weight Watchers does not work if you don’t follow their program. You will not lose weight just because money is coming from your account – unless you count that your wallet is lighter. 
9. When your world is turned upside down and you see everyone around you looking dazed, realize that these are the moments that you can truly see exceptional human behavior. It may not make your situation or anyone else’s easier, but it will renew your appreciation for how much we have the capacity to take care of each other. Breathe that in…it will give you the ability to get through anything. (It’s also OK to pray for a miracle in a crisis. Sometimes you get the Hail Mary pass. Even if you don’t, you will walk away knowing that you did everything you could.) 
10. When you survey the year, focus more on the moments of joy rather than the moments of pain.  This year:
    • My beautiful grandson was born.
    • My son and his family moved back to San Diego, putting all three of my boys within arms reach.
    • I received my first award in a writing contest.  Thank you NSNC!
    • I had two poems get a second look from Blue Mountain Arts.
    • My father survived another heart attack.
    • I made new friends and reconnected with some old ones.
    • I watched 87 of our VN graduates pass the NCLEX and continue on with their lives as nurses. 
    • and the list goes on.

So…2018…what a year! 2019 is around the corner. After looking at my lists, I have a feeling it will be pretty similar…moments of joy and moments of pain…and I can live with that. 

Happy Holidays!