Life happens-
My father retires followed by:
My mother breaks her leg and then follows it up with a torn ACL. So much for dad enjoying retirement.
Grandma dies and then grandpa moves in with mom and dad. So much for things calming down.
Parents go to New Jersey for birth of new grandchild. Father has a confluence of major medical issues. Severe illness almost kills him, he suffers a major heart attack and ends up on unconscious on a ventilator for three weeks.
Docs wean him off with a trachiostomy. Dad is not happy that I refer to him needing a flute to speak, but I am so relieved that he survived I can’t help but smile.
Midway through what is going to be a six month ordeal my sister has emergency surgery and has to have her gall bladder removed. This is followed up by my father’s triple bypass on July 21 and then the birth of my daughter on July 23.
Dad recovers and returns home where he continues his recovery. I go from being responsible for a family, grandparents, parents home and normal responsibilities to having the basic family stuff.
Dad continues to improve but grandmother goes downhill. Docs warn us that it could be any day and suggest considering a hospice.
Since there is not much going on my grandfather’s pelvis decides to give out. Surprise he is on the floor at Costco. Fortunately it is a minor break and the recovery is relatively quick for a 91 year old man.
Many other things both good and bad take place during this time, but what do I find aggravating? The jackass at the gym who has more money than he needs just won $10,000 in the lottery, as if he needs it.
Whatever. I keep telling myself two things:
1) My if life slowed down and resumed normalcy wouldn’t I be bored.
2) Be thankful for all that I have and I really am because G-d knows that it could be worse. I could be living in cleveland.
I sometimes think that G-d has a sick sense of humor and does these things to us because he really likes us.
I think that the key thing here is how you look at things. At times we have been frustrated, but overall I still feel very lucky.
Not to mention that I am too damn stubborn to give up or that if the moment is right I am the kind of guy that will hit on 17.
My mom and dad retired a few years ago, sold their house, bought a bigger camper and went on the road. After a couple of years of this, the company my dad retired from (Bethlehem Steel) went bankrupt, he lost most of his benefits and he was still too young to draw social security so he went back to work. After that my sister got into some trouble and ended up moving in with them with her three kids (all in a 35 ft. travel trailer). They had some minor health problems and more financial problems. Now they live permanently in Texas, mom and dad are both working, and they say they’re happier than they’ve ever been. I guess it is true that it’s not the destination, but the journey.
So many of the things you listed could have turned out really bad, but have instead resolved. I would say that you are a very lucky man.
P.S. Clevelanders feel the same way about Los Smogville that you feel about them.
King David supposedly had a ring that contained the inscription:
“This too shall pass“
He had it there so that whether he was happy or sad, he would reminded that nothing lasts forever.