With Isaac preparing to pound down on North America, some are bracing, some running, and those of us in the Midwest are dancing barefoot and praying it will rain.
Oddly enough, it feels like we’ve been battling a hurricane for the last month, but have little to show for it. I’ve been drowning at work. Responsibilities, deadlines, and juggling balls have been pounding on my head. I thrive on a fast pace environment, but I’m not a fish. I don’t have gills, and eventually, I must come up for air.
My husband has been blessed with wind beneath his wings as he starts a new and exciting job. It’s an excellent position and something he enjoys. It’s also a challenge. He has stepped into some major responsibility and the same wind that lifts him one moment, will just as quickly turn and slap him down. Thankfully, we’re used to the wind and he loves a good battle against the elements.We received some chilling news a couple of weeks ago. Fifteen to five on a Friday afternoon I received a call from my father-in-law. “Call me as quickly as possible; Riki (mother-in-law) has been hurt.” One quick trip in a life flight helicopter and a very long weight in the ER “waiting” room later we learned she faced a long but promising recovery. For someone who has never before broken a bone, seven broken ribs, a broken clavicle, fractured vertebrae and a punctured lung is quite a laundry list. As serious as it was, we were reminded daily that it could have been much worse. A hospital is not a place where you see people at their best. I could never work there. Nearly every person I saw had dead or desperate eyes. They were so tired, so distressed, clinging to any hope they could find and slipping. Time in Riki’s room was a breath of fresh air comparatively. We’re such a fun loving family, even though the “No Laughing” rule had been enacted, we failed miserably. Instead of huddling in a shell and wishing the cold bitter snow would go away, we made snowmen, through snowballs, and enjoyed the fluffy white. I just wish I could have lobbed a few snowballs at some of the other visitors.
There have been a few glimmers of sunshine admits the storm. After Admiral’s trip to MU, he’s been healing quite nicely and seems to be sound. He’ll start back to work next week, fingers crossed, and although the 20 minutes we’re spending a day hand walking him could easily become tedious, he’s such a gem, that I think I’m actually going to miss our walks. Nutmeg’s run in with a strange sinus issue resolved in the best way possible – quickly and without complication. We’re headed to Kentucky this weekend for some fun at the Kentucky Classique Event at the fabulous Kentucky Horse Park. This will be my first event without my trusted side-kick (husband) since our wedding, but a good friend and knowledgeable horse woman is traveling along to help with the sanity and take in the sights. We’re also proud to announce a new addition to the family. Nope, we haven’t purchased a new animal, and I am most certainly not expecting. This baby is all my husband’s and it packs a punch. While dashing back and forth from our farm, to his parents, to the hospital, we stumbled upon the find of the century, a ’74 Charger in pretty darn good shape and at a to-good-to be true price. I couldn’t turn him down and now he’s grinning from ear to ear just thinking about “her” purr.
It’s been storming, but the worst always seems to skirt right by. Even with the craziness, confusion, and daily grind, we have so much to be thankful for. Roger Miller once said, “Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” Right now, I’d like nothing better than a splishy-splash day to go walking in the rain. Maybe Isaac will send some our way. Won’t you join me, and enjoy a fresh perspective?
