Two nights ago, I was sitting on the couch in front of the fire, happy and secure.  My son was tucked into bed, sleeping soundly, and I was laughing with my best friend from college (who was visiting town) and my husband.

Out of nowhere, the scene changed.

I had a sudden pain.  Then I went into shock.  My husband took me to the ER.  I’m okay now, but at the time I wasn’t.  I could not control what was happening.  It all came on so fast.  I had to reckon – briefly, but in a way that shook me – with mortality.

This morning, things took a different turn.

There was a power outage at my school, and the building is closed.  I have a day off.  It’s a magic day – a day to dig into the revision, a day to take my son to preschool and see his first show-and-tell, a day to have lunch with my sister.

A day I could not have predicted.

The lesson of this week is clear to me.  Today might be the last day.  Today might be a magic day.  I have my goals and my schedule, and I think I know what’s coming next, but I never do.  The illusion of normalcy is always only that.  It provides comfort, but no guarantees.  Anything can happen at any time.

Carpe diem.