I've Got Life On My Mind

All day today I've been a little jittery. Just feeling really good physically and able to do much more than even yesterday. It makes me a little nervous. You know, when is it going to end? Am I going to do something to mess it up? Eat the wrong thing? Forget to take my meds? Over do it? All things that are super easy to do when you are just a little jittery but feeling physically finer than usual.

I figured out why I have been so jittery. It will come as no surprise that how long I am going to live is really on my mind. I can usually remind myself that no one has any guarantees, etc., but today (and yesterday) that comfort has been elusive. So it finally struck me while I was reading a Dora book to Bennett, yes, I am going to live. As a matter of fact I am living right now. Does the actual number of years I get in the future really matter. Not really. It's all so abstract - why not be here, now? It was like a bolt of lightening hit me - all that worrying just getting in the way. For what? For nothing, that's what. I will never know the answer, none of us do. We all hope for a good 80 or 90 or 100 years, but none of us knows. While this might scare the crap out of you, it makes me feel so much better.

Just like this blog makes me feel better. It's like a layer of anxiety washes off of me every night when I post. It's freeing to be able to write how I feel and know that people I love will read it and feel it with me. I have to acknowledge that I am asking you all to do something that is hard - to come on this journey with me. It's not been easy, and it will get harder. But then it will get easier again, so hang in there. Thank you all so much for your well wishes and your offers of help. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and will call on you when we need help. For now we are muddling through and plan on hiring someone to come clean a couple of times a month. That will help so much.

I'll keep you posted.

Different Day. Thank God.

I have to use that old cliche - what a difference a day makes. I feel good, strong(ish) and with the exception of an hour or two of bad thoughts, I had a great day. An easy day with Bennett who is still getting over a cold. Pat came home early and took B to the park with BFF Avy. I had a few hours alone which I thought I would use to take a nap. I didn't need one, or my fear didn't want me to have one because all I did was lie there and think of scary scenarios.

I have to admit that I was online today. I was doing some surfing about canning (which I still want to do, but am banned from touching produce, so can't) and came upon an interesting site. As I was reading, it became clear the blogger's mom was in the midst of chemo and before I could look away, I was reading stats about life expectancy etc. It totally freaked me out. I am grateful for every day and I pray that I will read the archives of this blog when I am 80, but 2.4 years or 7.5 years or whatever this study said completely fed my fear's voice and that was that. I basically spent my nap time crying and worrying about Bennett liking her new mom better than me, or worse not remembering me at all. It was b. a. d. bad.

Yesterday, when I was prone all afternoon and talking to my mom, she told me I needed a project. I whined a lot about how the projects I used to do are not compelling and the sweater I started knitting last winter is going to be too big now, etc etc. Just thank your lucky stars you are not my mom, the conversation was pretty pathetic on my part. So...my mom sent me an encouraging e-mail and I have spent the evening knitting while watching Top Chef. I even repaired a sweater that a friend gave me to fix last year. Ahhhh, that feels good. I am definitely knitting tighter than I have in the past - pulling that yarn a little too hard while making a cap to cover what will be my shiny pate.

I thought I was going to miss the losing of the hair, but Pat informed me that I have a bald spot on the top of my head. Oh man. I knew the front was getting pretty thin, but a bald spot? I better knit fast! Now I just have to figure out what the markers will be for the big shave. How big a bald spot? How many bald spots? Just how thin and dead does my hair have to look before I can get the nerve to shave it? And why does it have to be in winter? I should have planned this better.

That's some painful irony there.

On that note, I will say goodnight. I will ask outright for prayers and good, right thoughts. I really need them tonight to chase the fear away. Together our voices and thoughts will drown out that wily, unwelcome fear and bring in the light.