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This is a bit of a real life post, mainly because there's no way for me to explain why I haven't been writing other than to tell you guys what I've been through. I don't want to go into too many details, because it would be a long story and I doubt everyone needs to know it. To make a long story short, my mom was recently hospitalized for a couple of days and for most of them, we had no idea what was wrong with her. Thankfully, she was well-cared for and is now back at home, recovering from a nasty bug that involved her blood, some freaking tubing coming from her neck, and a lonely father-daughter duo who tried to fend for themselves for a few days.
This post isn't about what disease my mom has, or what kind of treatment she had to get. She's recovering now and is out of harm's way, so it isn't anything life threatening (anymore).
This post is about what we all learned from this experience and it's a message that doesn't get repeated enough, it's about appreciating what you have.
There were moments where we didn't know if she would pull through, we were imagining the worst scenario of all. We had a glimpse of what life without my mom would be, and it wasn't something I was ready for.It was scary and serious and it made us all think twice about how we live our lives.
I am so grateful to have my mom back at home. She really brings a warmth to our house and so much life. She has always given me the best advice she could give, and always has my best interest at heart. She's brave and strong and a little crazy sometimes. She drives me crazy some days, but she also knows exactly what I'm thinking about all the time. I don't even want to image what it would be like to not have her in my life, because she is such a huge part of it. She's my best friend, my rock, and my loudest cheerleader.
I also must give a shoutout to my dad, because in spite of how much we may fight sometimes, I feel like we both did an effort in the last couple of days to not get on each other's nerves. I found myself to be more attentive to what he was saying and to be more patient with silly things that usually infuriate me. And we both kept brave faces for each other when I think we were scared shitless on the inside.
Through this experience, I think I learned to be more patient with my parents, because unfortunately, we all know our parents won't be there someday. Every time I want to shout, or frown, or give attitude, I hope I remember how awful it felt not to have my mom at home. I want to remember how beaten my dad looked sometimes, as best as he tried to hide it. I want to remember how scary it was to think that the universe could really just flip everything upside down all of a sudden and you wouldn't even have a second to process it all.
(my crazy family last Halloween)
Finally, I want everyone to know that it's true what they say - You should never take a day for granted. Say I love you. Call up your parents, or your cousin, or your best friend, or even say it to you dog. Just say it because people won't always be there. Look at the people in your life and try to picture your life without them. Say yes to that coffee with that friend you haven't seen in a month. Save up for that summer in India.Stop making excuses for what you want to do with your life. Take a pen and write the first line to your next novel. Grab your camera and go out in the world and find that beautiful shot. Wear those leopard-printed pants you're so scared of pulling off. Run that first mile in your new workout routine.
What I'm trying to say is what I heard a while ago in one of my favourite films:
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
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