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I’m warning you now this post is going to be raw. I’m sharing it because of how easy it is to lose perspective.
I try to take Aspen to the park as much as possible (to burn some energy!) and one of the ones that we frequently visit is a few blocks from Ronald McDonald House.
Whenever I take him to the park I also bring a notebook for when he’s playing in the sandpit and I have two minutes to jot down some thoughts and decompress.
The other day I was sitting near the sand, writing how I was stressed about a few things and this one family seemed to catch my attention.
They were talking to some other parents and had a daughter in a stroller. I didn’t think twice and went back to writing.
Twenty minutes or so went by and these parents were still standing chatting. There were lots of open benches, but I glimpsed twice at the little girl quietly sitting in the lilac and black stroller while the adults spoke.
That’s when I heard the word chemo and noticed the blonde little girl with ringette curls had patches of hair. My heart instantly dropped.
Here I was writing about my “stress”, mad at Aspen for making his room a mess for the 5000th time while there was a three year old little girl battling a terminal illness. I looked at the parents one last time and back to the little girl who had a smile on her face.
Needless to say, this put everything Into instant perspective. The same perspective I get when I see an elderly person sitting next to a caretaker. Blank faces on both.
Life is so short and can change in an instant. Live for the now, as if tomorrow isn’t promised (because it’s not). Appreciate the little things, your good health and each day realize that no matter how bad things may seem- many have it worse.
