Hospitals and other red flags...

"Life is not orderly.  No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce." 

Natalie Goldberg

Natalie's words ring true to me.  Just when you think you've got things figured out, under control...you can count on some chaos.  In my case, if the Universe doesn't provide some, I can always whip some up!  In fact, self-made chaos is the best--that way I can pretend I have some influence on the outcome.

But that's not the flavor of chaos I'm discussing today.

Right now I'm thinking of how it feels having a flat tire on the way to the interview.  THE interview.  I'm thinking of finding out that you've been downsized.  Well, yes, your company, but really:  YOU.  And how about those doctor's visits?  "The bloodwork came back..."  Unless the next word is NORMAL, who wants to know?  I'm talking about catastrophic chaos.  The type that takes you a couple of years find some humor in, and that's if you're lucky.

Catastrophic chaos usually has an element of surprise to it.  Here's what happened to me this past week:  early in the week, I got a call from a friend who lives nearby.  She calls me frequently, sometimes just to discuss the latest headlines (she gets her news from talk-radio and I get mine from NPR--still, sometimes we  recognize a headline or two from the other's news source).  My friend told me that she was feeling sick, some kind of stomach thing.  A couple of days later, she called again, asking me to bring by a few things because she was not well enough to shop herself.  I was happy to do it, left the goodies on her doorstep, as requested.  A couple of days after that, my phone had been suspiciously quiet.  Not even a commentary on the latest Criminal Minds episode.  I stopped by her house again.  There was no answer to her door or phone. 

Which, it turned out, was because she was barely conscious. 

She is now in the hospital, in intensive care, receiving treatment for her illness.  She is expected to recover, but currently cannot breathe without assistance.  Yikes.

Needless to say, this post is not about my catastrophic chaos.  My friend is dear to me and I am grateful that she is expected to recover, but her illness reminds me how very fragile our selves really are.  Sometimes it takes a hospital visit to remind me of that.  Sometimes, though, life is not that obvious, and you DON'T have a flat tire on the way to the interview, or you get a NEW job after the downsizing debacle.  As Natalie says, sometimes you drop a jar of applesauce.  On a good day, you fall in love.  Mostly, it's not up to you.

Life's interruptions, big and small, miraculous and catastrophic, they're all coming, to each of us as we continue our spin on the planet.  It reminds me to be humble and to be ready.  Whether it means changing the tire, getting to the hospital, sending a love note, cleaning up the damn applesauce, as long as you're here, you're in the game.  So play hard and clean, and remember that tomorrow is coming whether you invite it or not.

But if you can, PLEASE stay out of the hospital--it's so much harder to get your groove on there!