Putting things in perspective

We were here today!

Here we sit in a coffee shop in Chinatown in DC.  We have had a busy day walking around looking at all the monuments – Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, etc. and then went for a while to the Smithsonian American History Museum. It has been lots of fun, but exhausting. I’m grateful I had some time to lie down for a while and watch a chick flick in our room.

Last night it was almost a comedy of errors when it came to getting sleep. First someone was having a fight on the street below, then the alarm clock in our room suddenly went off. Just as it quieted down, someone had pulled the fire alarm. It appears security was confronting someone and that is how they responded. The evening was topped off by our neighbors coming in drunk and going back and forth to their room shouting and knocking on each other’s doors. At home, all I have to contend with is Mike’s snoring!

Luckily our noisy neighbors checked out today, and Mike bought me some earplugs, just in case.  Chrissy just said, “I love you guys,” out of the blue, and all is well.  I was struck with gratitude today as I walked arm in arm with my daughter how blessed we are to have this time together – and that I’m healthy enough to walk all those miles and up and down the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial. Seeing several friends pass away these past couple of months brings that home.

Having cancer helps put things in focus. Why wait to take a trip to DC? Carpe diem as they say. If it weren’t for the “C word,” I probably would have let myself be a lot more grumpy about our loud and crazy night. How important is a night’s sleep anyway in the scheme of things? We’re here together having fun and spending quality time. I’m alive and healthy. Thank you God!

And thank you Pat, for watching our house and taking care of AJ our cat! We know everything will bne back waiting for us when we return, including our wonderful friends and family.