This has been an extraordinarily fantastic day. My blog is usually so filled with frustration, sadness and despair – but not today.
First, it is a warm, slightly-breezy, summer-calm, bright, quiet, Paul-Newman-eyes-sky June day.
Now take a deep breath for this wondrously lengthy run-on sentence:
Since I no longer work in a building dressed in office clothes in a windowless area where I am isolated at a facing-a-corner desk, under pressure must-make-money selling advertising over the phone, BUT, rather, am now employed as a writer – typing tip tap tip in my hippie skirts and comfy t-shirts, from home, on the couch, for a charity I love, with the TV tuned to “light classical” 1270, all windows open, house clean, food & drink for whenever I feel like eating, Almanzo-kitty and Jack-dog at my side or in the yard, breezes and birds calling me outside where I stretch and break from work to water plants, walk barefoot to the park, garden a little…whatever I want so long as the work gets done, I am grateful because this alone makes every day like a fantasy-dream come true.
I can’t really express how I feel the need to pinch myself each day. I wake when I want and I don’t have to go anywhere at all. The work I do feels like painting a picture or making nature art by a stream. Creation. It’s a joy for me to write. And I am unbelievably blessed.
What a deliverance.
As the shock begins to wear off I am finding myself breathing slower, feeling more relaxed, smiling inside and out. I sit in meditation easily. My head and heart are clearer. I’ve befriended new neighbors and gotten closer to old ones, and when I do not have writing work, I love to spread the word about Modest Needs, the foundation for which I am now director of communications.
But that’s just the groundwork for this awesome day.
Jonah’s caregivers, P and N, drove him up to this “second chance eye doc visit” (after the failed appointment-cut-short exactly a week ago today). I met them at the van and Jonah came bounding out, smiling wide and with a fresh new hair cut. We walked around outside and in the lobby for a good 20 minutes before they called P’s cell to tell us to come up and into an examining room. Usually I underscore every last detail of all this, but today I will simply tell you Jonah was an angel. A “normal” kid could not possibly have been more cooperative or have amused him/herself any better. After waiting those 20 minutes downstairs, we waited again from 10:30am (when they called us in to a room) until 11:30am (when the doctor finally came in) and I tell you he was the picture of patience.
He walked in tight circles and we played “high five” and sang songs – everything from “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” to Guster’s “Keep it Together” to “B-I-N-G-O” to “Bye Bye Blackbird.” I gave him a green octopus and many white tic-tacs. He asked for hug and more hug and kiss eye and more kiss, over and over, his repetition sweet music. I held him tight and kissed his eye, the top of his head, his shoulder…we made a game of it — we made a game of everything — he was happy and giggling, asking for donut? even as I made up a song about him asking for donut. N and P are incredibly cool and we were able to talk and laugh among ourselves and along with Jonah.
Donut? Donut? he asked several dozen times, lest we forget. He knows the drill: Number one: doctor. Number two: donut. Donut? Donut? “Yes, Boo, of course!”
He never fell apart, and we checked out and walked back downstairs. I hugged P and N goodbye before kissing Boo soundly and sending him off to get his beloved donut.
I’m not going to ruin this post with details about Boo’s eye. Later. For now, just pictures. I took several – here are some good ones:
First I opened the door of the van and gave him green octopus
Happy boy, waiting in the lobby
Walking into the eye doc office
…and being a really good boy for his ultrasound!
It was damn near a miracle.
Today I pray one of my two main prayers (the other is please):
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!
The Never Normal 