Storytime

Well - we've had a bad run here with the blog.  I had told Susan that I would write it last night, ended up working until 11:30 and it slipped my mind, somehow.  Then, our plan was to make up for it with two posts today.  Susan spent over an hour earlier today writing a post and wanted me to review it before publishing...we just logged in to go over the draft and it had vanished from the site.  Needless to say, we're annoyed with ourselves and the site.  As disappointing as it is to us - we don't have the time or energy to worry about it.  Onto the thought of the day.

I really haven't told that many people at work about Noah's stroke - it's one of those things that doesn't really come up.  Almost everyone in my immediate department knows and my good friends at work know - but I haven't brought it up much more broadly.  I told two colleagues today.  One noted, in jest, that the "Live Strong"-like purple bracelet that I wear everyday nicely matched the purple tie I was wearing today (wearing one everyday during May for part of my streak).  The other was making small-talk, asking how old Noah is (19 months) and where he is in his development.  I'm getting better at telling people and keeping the ensuing conversation minimally awkward for the other person.  Time does make most things easier; more normal.  That said, I do worry about what Noah will have to go through - likely his whole life.  At the CHASA picnic on Saturday, I was talking to a young girl, Olivia, and her father.  She is probably 13, or so, and they had just moved this past summer, translating to a new school system for her.   At her old school, all of the kids had grown up with Olivia and they knew the story and it was no big deal.  But now, at the new school,  it has been "annoying" to have to go through her story to a whole new group of classmates. 

I worry about Noah having to do this himself when he's older - how will he tell his story.  Kids can be mean - really mean.  But, at the same time, I look at the past year and see that things have certainly become easier for me.  I was recently reminded that Noah doesn't know anything else - everything for him is his normal.  Keeping things in that kind of perspective is not only important, but comforting to a degree.  Noah is an amazing little boy - he's incredibly social - and I know he's going to be much better at telling his story than I ever will be.