Precious life

Life. Big topic. Too much to cover, but I thought I would just jot down a few of my recent thoughts on this subject. Some people squander their days away sitting in front of computer or tv screens playing video games. Some people....most of the people I know...spend more time with co-workers (out of necessity of course) than with the people who mean the most to them. Some people waste their days away wallowing in anger or frustration about their current situation. Some people fiddle away their days just thinking about tomorrow. Some can't let go of the past.

I always wonder what I would do with my time and energy if I didn't have to work so much. I wonder who or what I would be like. I guess I will cross that path when I get there. Today, I am thinking about a friend of mine. I would call her a kindred spirit. Yesterday she had her fourth open heart surgery. I will not go into details because she, like me, would not like that. She is not an open person. She thinks about so many things but doesn't reveal her true thoughts or feelings to the average Joe. Only the lucky ones get to know who she really is. I am one of those lucky ones. She amazes me in every way. I don't know how I would deal with having to go through so many surgeries and operations. She never gets to feel just "healthy." There is always this thing or that thing that she has to worry about. She has seen more doctors in her short life than I hope to ever see in my entire life. She knows the side effects to most medications because she has either taken them or has been told she will need to take them. She has had to adjust her diet according to each medication. No salt. No green foods. No this. No that. The thought of losing salt in my diet would just about put me under the ground. Nope, not her. While she has a rebelious spirit like me, she has tried to be as obedient to the doctor's orders. When she was told she would need another open heart surgery, she did nothing but believe things would be fine. We all worried for her, but she continued to look forward to climbing stairs again. Eating food again. Being herself again. Amazing.

Although I normally see this person on a daily basis and am constantly reminded of how truly lucky I am, I still get caught up on the small things in life. Sad, I know. I sometimes waste my life away watching Law and Order at night rather than taking a walk with Tim. She can't even take walks. I sometimes get frustrated when Mya wants to walk up and down the stairs to look for her stuffed animals when she can't even get up and down stairs without help. Sometimes I get angry if a meal takes a little too long to cook, when she can't even eat most of the foods I enjoy.

I just received word that the surgery went well. She will have several weeks of recovery, but she will recover. I think that is the best part. Thinking about her these past few days has made me want to do things a little differently in my own life. Last night, Tim and I turned off the Tampa Bay vs. Texas game for a little while and took a walk. We talked and laughed and soaked in the night air. When we got home, we played with Mya for awhile before going to bed. We were all laughing so hard. I can't even remember the last time I laughed that hard. So life...too many things to say. Today, I am just grateful to be healthy. I am grateful to my little family who keeps me grounded and happy. I happy to have friends who teach me even if they don't know they are teaching me. This friend I am talking about would kill me if she knew I wrote about her. Luckily, she is not a blogger so she won't be reading this.