Expect the Unexpected

I just wrote in our district newsletter last month an article about expecting the unexpected as a leader so you would think that I would be aware of this by now, wouldn't you? Hah!

I'm learning just how little I am prepared for when the unexpected hits. I'll be going merrily along my way and bam! something happens that throws me into a tailspin. The tailspins don't last as long as they used to but it's still a bit disconcerting how much I'm affected by the unexpected.

This week has been frustrating, stressful and silly all rolled into one pile of yuck! But I generally can find the humor in a situation so I'm doing okay.

My knee pain just stinks. I can't sleep at night because every move I make drives a jolt through my leg. I'm going for my MRI this afternoon and I'm fairly certain I may have a torn meniscus because when I try to bend my knee, there is a point when it catches with a sharp pain and then it's the same when I go from a bent position to trying to straighten it out. That's on top of the pain I feel from the side where I have the torn MCL. 

The positive side is that I've been awake early every day and getting things done! In fact, I got up in time to see this beautiful sight this morning.

My daughter turned 19 yesterday and while I was a bit bummed I didn't get to spend it with her, she is coming home this weekend so we'll celebrate then. We sent her flowers and I'm waiting for her to send me a picture so I can see if they look like they were supposed to look. 

Dan has been "off" for about a week now - tired, achy, sore throat and just not feeling himself. He finally went to the doctor last night because he said he has been feeling the same way he was when he had Lyme's disease and ehrlichiosis before.  They started the treatment for Lyme's disease since he has the symptoms and was bitten. He went for blood work this morning. I absolutely hate those critters. Everyone in the family except me has had it at some point. In fact, both Nathan and Emily developed Bell's Palsy which can happen in the second stage of Lyme's without us ever knowing they had been bitten. Not everyone gets the bulls eye rash.

I've had to deal with other people's moods and trying to not let that affect me which I haven't done so effectively. I've been working on unexpected tasks, on top of my own list of things. 

I was sitting on the couch last night when I heard a crash. I went in the bedroom to see if the fan fell out of the window. No. I looked out the window to see if something fell off the roof and on to the deck. No. I couldn't see anything that would have made that noise and finally went back to what I was doing. 

I discovered the problem later on. My closet shelving unit which has a top shelf and then a hanging bar bent and pulled right off the wall.  Apparently, the weight of my clothing was too much for it! Three quarters of what I have in there is stuff I never wear because I keep thinking I'm going to lose weight. Uhhhhh.....that hasn't happened!

So I'm weaning out and donating it to charity. I guess the bright side is that it's forcing me to do a job I should have done a while ago!

It's been extremely hot and humid the past few days and I'm not a fan of that at all. However, on the bright side I sat on my couch in front of the air-conditioner most of the day yesterday and finished my district newsletter, much of my work for the upcoming retreat and a ton of correspondence I was behind on. 

So there is a bright side to the unexpected after all! Or so I'm telling myself! lol