Realignment

I'd been waiting for a morning that both my parents and I had off from work because I wanted to take them to breakfast. I was earning money and they had just celebrated their 35th anniversary so I wanted to treat them. Unfortunately, after some weeks it proved a morning like that wouldn't come for some time. So I finally decided to take them to dinner! I don't remember the last time just the three of us had been able to do that and it felt great to grab the check as my parents sat back and smiled like satisfied kids.

Dessert? Of course. We then went and got ice cream... another swipe of the debit card.

After an impromptu mini-midweek vacation at my parents house, I went back to Lancaster for work on Thursday. The moment I walk in the door refreshed, my boss tells me the restaurant is going to close. Dammit. 

"Do you regret quitting your job at the library?" My boss genuinely asked me later that day.

"No. I was so unhappy there," I genuinely answered her. But still, now what?

FLASH FORWARD!

Less than a week later, I was playing soccer tennis (I know, again with the soccer) and my ankle completely rolled when I landed in a crack in the court I hadn't seen. I've done this enough to know when it's sprained. I also knew, I could keep playing before the pain took over. So I did. Then I went to my friends' apartment, watched Dating Naked (curious show) and couldn't walk by the end of it. Dammit.

The following break of dawn, I woke Brian up to take me to the doctor's. He piggy-backed me into the Patient First office. 

The nurses greeted us, "That was quite the entrance. Most people just ask for a wheelchair." 

Right, hadn't thought of that.

Then 4 nurses (eager to get the day started, I suppose) got me all set up with x-rays which proved, I needed a splint and crutches. Dammit.

Not my favorite pair of shoes.

I was not going to be able to work my last days at Forknspoon and I was in for some transportation struggles for the next couple weeks. 

Then I received a phone-call from my family. We were putting my dog down that day. I laughed. How could all of that happen within a week? No job, sprained ankle, no dog. This life is supposed to be a lesson. That was all I could tell myself, while I cried.

Since I couldn't drive, Brian took me to my parents house to say goodbye. This wasn't the first time I've said goodbye to my dog. But that isn't to say it gets any easier. To be honest, no matter how much you know it is time, each time you don't go through with it... you bounce completely back.

The pup himself. 

Well after a day from hell, my family decided to give Remi (my dog) one more chance. It turned out he has diabetes and is doing much better on medicine. This life is supposed to be a lesson.

After days of hopping and bruising myself with crutches, I decided to go out with friends on this past Saturday night. I wasn't going to go downtown because of the crutches but they convinced me (not hard to do).

I ran into a lot of friends, sang karaoke, danced alone on the dance-floor, aggressively scared creepers away from friends, and fell down only once! The floor was wet, what are ya gonna do!

I think I embarrass myself better than anyone else could embarrass me. But I wasn't going to let the inability to walk, earn money, or see my dog keep me from laughing. (But don't be fooled, I yelled a lot too in the past week.)

So now I am in a stage of realignment. Again. But dammit, it is like my parents always say: We may not have been as smart as we should have been, but boy, we had fun.