I was hit with a major, earth-tilting crisis with a family member this week that brought me to my knees and almost broke me. When I was literally at the point when I did not think I could take another stressful issue piled on top of work, school, Pumpkinhead, Chapin, and my crappy health, life dealt my family a major blow we could not have imagined. It made me put everything immediately on hold, including canceling a contract cite-checking project with almost no notice other than a hastily typed e-mail, 72 hours away from Pumpkinhead (hasn’t happened since he was born), missing the first few days of the semester, and taking a few days off work without even checking e-mail or calling in once. When I did call Pumpkinhead, he mercifully didn’t even seem to realize that I wasn’t at home because he was having too much fun playing with his Daddy or with my cousins. Work didn’t have as oblivious of a reaction….

Fortunately the crisis has passed (I hope) and things are looking up. My tears aren’t as close to the surface as they have been the past few days and the knots in my shoulders are starting to untwist. At the tail end of the 72 hours, I did still have to undergo the torturous three-hole skin biopsy I had scheduled (“Mother F&^&er!!!!”) and am off for some very nasty multiple-hour procedures tomorrow morning). However, my perspective has changed a lot in the past week, or maybe my tolerance level has just decreased. I’m not sure what it is but I think I’m going to start saying no a bit more to the things I don’t want to do and the people I don’t wish to deal with so that I can reduce my stress level. I started this week by meeting with the Dean to ask for accommodations at school while I’m dealing with the pain during this diagnosis phase. Amazingly enough, it looks like they’ll be able to do a lot for me. More on that later when my brain is up to higher-level thinking.

Thanks to Butterflyfish who has stepped up to take care of the roundup for me this week. You’re the best, lady.