By I’ve always been really, really, curious. I’ve also always been a really deep thinker. My parents think it is because I’m an only child by birth and the baby of my blood family. ..At least ’til my cousins started marrying & having babies. My mama used to call me her middle aged teenager, sometimes. I freaked out about stuff my best friends, who became my family, never did. My freak outs were, many times, related to my condition as well. My chosen siblings, I grew up with, didn’t always understand a particular CP-related freak out, but they understand me, better than I do, sometimes. A few weeks ago, post blog launch, when stuff started to get really difficult CP wise: I texted this particular group of siblings in a group text. I basically said, I do NOT know how to be an adult. This is so hard. Then throw in everything CP brings with it, and it gets a billion times harder.
To their credit: not one of them laughed, or told me I was being a drama queen. The responses were varying degrees of: “And you think we do? Thank you, Stace.” I was slightly confused. What? “No one has a clue how to be an adult. Life is hard and confusing for everybody. Every. Single. Person…Stace.” I took a relieved deep breath. I said, I love y’all so much. Thank y’all for the perspective reset. I needed it. “We all do, sometimes, you know that. How many times have you set one of our perspectives right? Any one of your siblings…not just us?” This is chosen family. It’s who we are. It’s what we do. It’s the choice we make every day and how we chose to live our lives. ” I knew where they were going next.
I said it before they could. Together. “YES, there we go. What else?” I’ve got two choices and the other one is NEVER an option y’all will let me have? “YES! Let’s go PLAY BALL. What do we have to deal with first? What’s the most pressing CP-related hurdle? ” We, I LOVE that word. I got a bunch of smiley faces in response. My AFOs have to have new straps ASAP. Dad’s fix is temporary. Tomorrow is Monday. I need to call my provider, for those, first thing in the morning and schedule an appointment for strap replacement. “Alright, then, we start there…tomorrow.” Thanks, y’all…really. I would be so lost without every one of you. I LOVE y’all so much. I’m a blessed, sis. I got affirmations back to everything I had just said.
What I’d forgotten, that day, is thriving in this human life existence is hard no matter who you are. We all have no idea what we’re doing. We all fail & fall. We all need: help, love, support, encouragement, and forgiveness in massive dosages. We all need them, but not everybody gets to have all of them. I do, and I’m so thankful for that…every day. With tomorrow being Thanksgiving in the US: I hope we all remember how much we have to be Thankful for. I hope every person, who reads this, is surrounded by people who matter to you whether that’s: blood family, chosen family, or friends. I want you all to know, yet again, how thankful I am for each one of you.
