The Grand Illusion
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.