In an Emergency: Break Glass and Use

   I must apologize for my lack of communication in the past several weeks that have seemed like a month or more. It has been difficult to find time to actually think, let alone write about anything that didn't have to do with leg braces, surgery, crutches, staples, bandages and lots of change in what had become a "normal" (you know my definition of this) pattern in our lives since Vancouver. Just when you think things are going along on a delicate setting, you go into a heavy duty spin cycle as life simply gets in the way - again.

   Mind you, I am not feeling sorry for myself. Quite the opposite (most of the time). I truly feel empathy for my husband. He's the one going through all the pain. I'm just here as support, chief cook and bottle-washer, Dr. Mom and occasionally Nurse Ratcheted from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." It is another chapter in this skating saga that always seems to teach us something, whether we want to learn or not.
   What I have learned is that sometimes "lemonade" isn't QUITE enough when things are seemingly spinning uncontrollably. Sometimes you need to break the glass and take firm grasp of the........

   Thanks to my new friend Molly, who taught us all a lot about really making lemonade (see this month's issue of Skating Magazine for a wonderful two-page article about her Kindergarten class and their involvement with us during Vancouver), as things started to get really sour, Molly sent me the best thing possible - an Emergency Clown Nose. It reminded me that, throughout these adventures and misadventures, I have been able to somehow keep a sense of humor. It hasn't always been easy, but I have tried. The point was, well, elementary : Don't stop now! 

   We all have our "moments" when things seem to be more than we can handle. It mostly comes when one thing piles on another until we feel as if we are going to collapse under the weight. That's when it's time to break the glass and break out the Nose!! Remember it at all times. Remember it at work, at home, at competitions. Remember humor can extinguish a lot of things. It's all a matter of attitude.

   I'm not sure if the circus is coming to town this summer. After this year, I'm not sure it matters. Our lives have been a non-stop circus for the past 21 years now. Hmmm...maybe I should start charging admission.
   "Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and Girls. Step right up and see the bearded lady, the Siamese twins, the two-headed sheep...all the wonders of the Big Top. And, yes, don't forget the clowns!" 

   Don't EVER forget the clowns.