Monday, April 6, 2009

A Brand New Year

Those of you who know me know the past three months have been pretty darn awful on some fronts - notably my health and that of my kids.

I have had rapid fire issues with migraines, ulcers, and a vicious reaction to a medication that put me almost completely out of commission for a big chunk of time.

My daughter is growing up and I had to buy sport bras, which was highly traumatic (as any mother of a daughter will know). She has also reached the sass phase, complete with flouncing and sarcasm (she is not quite TEN!!!) and I have been locking horns with her daily. (I still love you, Vivien!)

My older son had a trip to Dallas to the eye specialist scheduled which had to be postponed when I got so sick and then rescheduled - we were all in dread and he especially was under a lot of stress thinking for sure they were going to say surgery for the fourth time. A ray of light - when we finally made it there all the worry was for naught; he was pronounced 'not a candidate for surgery yet' and we have at least a two month reprieve. (Yay Chance!)

My 20 month old son wrestled a fifty + pound toybox away from the wall, halfway unplugged the heater cord which was (we thought) safely hidden there and inserted the tip of his right forefinger into the gap. Result: massive electric burn encircling the tiny digit. It scared the living dickens out of all of us, and is only now finally almost healed two months and change later. He will have a bit of a scar. (Duncan! WHAT am I going to DO with you!!)

I was telling a client and friend all about all of this the other day when she contacted me for a new project, and said something to the effect of 'This has got to have been the WORST year ever!'

"Oh, no, no,' she said. 'You cannot think that way. In my country (she is from the Middle East), we do not start the new year until spring! Our New Year was four days ago, so this is the new year, right now. You get to start over - all of the bad stuff is past and this is a brand new year!'

I can't express how much better I felt. Just hearing that from her made my day. I had been stuck thinking that the year had started sucky, and was prepared to accept that hanging over my head for the next nine months, but my friend showed me I could have a fresh start. I think I am going to follow her lead and this is my brand new year!

3 comments:

  1. I always see each new season, or birthday as a beginning to a new year and a chance to start over.

    I'm so glad Duncan ended up with only a burn around his finger!!! Ouch, but still...

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  2. Don't they always say that the child who is most like the parent is the one who gives the parent the most gray hairs?

    We have so much to learn from other cultures, yet we remain so ignorant.

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  3. Diane, sometimes you are so profound...

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