What is Normal?

For the last couple of weeks I've been anxiously awaiting the start of the new year. The holidays are always hectic. No matter how hard I try to keep everything organized and planned, it never happens the way I want it to. There were so many things that I didn't get done. We didn't have a kids' Christmas party for the nieces, nephews, and close friends; we didn't decorate cookies; I didn't get treats up to Caden's school for the support staff; we didn't make our gingerbread village (in fact, I've hidden it... out of sight, out of mind); we didn't go on an official tour of Christmas lights (it was more like... look Caden, there's some lights... as we drove home from wherever we had been.); and the list goes on. The week of Christmas was a disaster... my grandfather had some health issues, my parents were not able to come here, I had to call out Scottco on Christmas Eve morning to clear an overflowing laundry drain, I had to work Christmas Eve, Michael and I argued, our plans for Christmas day didn't quite work out like we planned, I ran my car into a utility pole, and Cody started feeling bad. Good grief. Needless to say, I was looking for a fresh start with the new year.

Well, here it is into the new year and things are not much better. Cody is sick with Mono. While I know it's just Mono, he's still sick. He still feels miserable. He has about a 2 hour window when he feels somewhat "better" but then after those 2 hours, he crashes. He's still my child, and I'm still his mom and I can't make this better. So while it's just Mono, and not some horrible disease that he'll have to live with forever or have surgery to repair, it's still something else that he has to go through, it's still something that I have to watch him go through. It's another spring semester set-back. This is the THIRD year in a row where he has missed part of his spring semester. (Freshman year- appendectomy and a small bowel obstruction, 2 surgeries; Sophomore year- dislocated patella and torn MCL.) This is one of his hardest academic years. He's taking Pre-AP Physics and AP History (college credit class). He can't afford to get behind in these classes, in any class for that matter.

Last night I mentioned to my dad that I was so looking forward to the start of the new year, to a new beginning, to get back to normal. Then I said... "whatever normal is". So, what is normal? After every little set-back during the week of Christmas, my dad would remind me of a phrase from a country song, he'd say... sounds like life to me. While I got a little fed up with life, he was right. It was just life. There's nothing normal to life. Living life is normal. Going through trials and struggles is normal. Running my car into a four foot utility pole that's been in the same location of our driveway since we purchased our house is normal. (Michael had to remind me that the pole in our driveway has always been there, it had not moved or just been placed there.) Let's face it, running my car into a utility pole isn't "normal" but it is life.

Stuff happens.

Defecation happens (to put it nicely).

Life happens.

This is my journey through life.

~jen