Long Haul

October, are you really 11 days old?! One of my favorite months of the year is well underway and I feel like I want to hit "rewind" to start it over again because I've been too busy to embrace it.

First, I'm glad to report good news on the family front: my grandmother was released from the hospital yesterday and transferred to a physical therapy rehab center. I've kept most of you abreast of the situation, but in a nutshell: my dear Grandma Lida underwent hip replacement surgery September 24 and ended up with a boatload of complications that kept her in ICU for two weeks. Luckily, my mother and sister (saints, I swear) were able to stay in Vegas with her that entire time, grilling the doctors and nurses, playing nurse themselves and keeping Grandma's spirits up.

After having made two whirlwind trips to Vegas these past two weeks, I'd be happy not to see the inside of an airport until the next millennium. (My repulsion for Vegas doesn't help.) But one good thing that came out of it was my sister and I being able to celebrate our birthdays together, along with our mom, brother and cousin Steve. Even my sister's mensch of a boyfriend flew out to lend moral support and, naturally, toss back a few cocktails on the eve of my sister's birthday.

Yes, I am 36. (Pushing 40, as my wicked same-age friends like to joke.) Joke all you want, but I'm at a healthy, happy place in my life--happier in my 30s than I ever was in my 20s--so I say, "36? Bring it on!" Amusingly, my 34-year-old sister was carded at dinner the other night. I like to tell myself the only reason I wasn't was because I didn't order a beverage, choosing instead to greet the downslope of my 30s with mental faculties fully intact, knowing they could start deteriorating rapidly at any moment.

So, enough of that. Grandma is doing better; we hope she will have as much use of her leg as possible. Those of you who have met my Grandma Lida know what a remarkable, amazing, vivacious woman she still is at 79 and therefore get how difficult it is to see her laid up, spirits low, talking like it's the end. This incredible woman has more life in her than many people half her age and our family and friends have rallied around her to try and keep it flowing. For that, I'm immensely grateful to have these people in our lives.

Meanwhile, my job search continues, my schooling continues (for another 10 weeks), my education continues (forever, I hope). I have my share of uncertainties in my life right now, and yet I know I can face them head-on as long as Grandma and the rest of our family are behind me. The other night, I opened a fortune cookie with the message: "You have a lot to be thankful for." Like I needed reminding.

Posted by ayelet at October 11, 2007 10:56 AM