Pink Story: Thankful for Wrinkles

I left the doctor’s office with a prescription for steroids.  I was still in intense pain.  I had ice packs on my face all day long.  I literally laid my face on an ice pack.  I took one with me on my trip to the doctor.  I began driving down the road holding this giant white ice pack on my face.  I quickly found that wasn’t going to work, not because people were probably looking at me because I looked crazy, but because it wasn’t very safe.  I had a difficult time seeing and I was driving on cold roads with one hand.  Realizing that it was 34 degrees outside, I rolled down the window.  I hate to be cold.  It can be 80 degrees outside and if the air feels chilly, I will roll up the windows, but here I was driving with my windows down in 34 degree weather and I wasn’t cold at all due to the burning of my face.

I went to the pharmacy.  I walked in with my balloon face and picked up some steroids.  The pharmacist was very empathetic and hoped I would get better soon.  I drove home with the window open anticipating my ice pillow when I got home.  

The steroids worked.  The puffiness started to go down.  I was getting better. After a couple of doses of steroids I found a wrinkle on my face.  Oh, the joy at finding a wrinkle under my eye.  I had no wrinkles on my face all week.  I had been a balloon like what Shrek and Fiona did to the snake and the frog.  I am thankful for wrinkles.  I am thankful I can feel the pain in my breast again.  (The pain in my face distracted me from my radiation burning breast.)  I am thankful I can open my eyes.  I am thankful I will be able to go back to work.  I need to remember this.  I need to remember what the opposite of health feels like so that I will be thankful for my health and not squander my energy.  I need to remember how horrible it feels to give my students a substitute when I am not prepared for one on days when I simply don’t want to go to school.

This event reminded me not to take my health or energy for granted.  Please don’t let me forget when I am tempted to squander it all in laziness.  I was so miserable before the medication kicked in.  I couldn’t even read or write.  I spent the morning with an ice pack over my whole face.  I was so blessed to be writing again.  I was blessed to be enjoying the warm fire.  I was thankful I had a nice shower and got dressed.  I want to remember to be thankful!