Avalanche

The last two weeks have sucked. A couple of close relatives have had bad health news, a not-that-close relative passed away way too young (leaving two children behind), Mike’s been out of town, and I’ve had all the usual stuff to juggle. I was talking to a friend about it and she said, “It’s an avalanche.”

YES! That’s exactly right. It feels like everything is tumbling down, all at once, leaving me stuck.

I am extremely lucky to have lots of help. My colleagues are incredibly kind, picking up my slack at work when I had to head to the hospital and offering to help even with personal stuff, like picking up Michaela or keeping her overnight if necessary. It hasn’t been necessary– my parents have stepped up big time and the babysitter we’ve been using has been super flexible. We have a cleaning lady coming every other week, so the house is clean and tidy, and I make ample use of local restaurants.

I also have been trying to keep things in perspective. My relatives’ prognoses are good. I have a roof over my head and (too much) food in my belly. I work a comfortable, white collar job and have a lot of control over my schedule and working conditions. There are people with problems that are way worse than mine.

I’m digging my way out from the snowbank.