Daily Supports

1. My iPhone is my brain!  I use it to keep lists, my calendar, for news, and communication.  I am so lost with it.  I feel like I can't function.
2. My husband is indispensable!  We depend on each other for monetary and emotional support.  We also depend on each other for parenting support.  I don't know what I would do without him.  I have great respect for people who are single parents.  That must be the most difficult job in the world.
3. My family is very supportive.  Each one supports me in their own way.  The oldest helps out a lot around the house, especially with the youngest.  My son, the middle child, is my resident tech specialist.  He helps me out when I have technology problems.  The youngest is my shadow.  She is always with me and always knows how to comfort me when I am upset.  She and I are extremely close.
4. My co-workers help support me when things get stressful at work.  We vent to each other when things are tough at work.  This really helps because then we don't take things home to our families.  The last 2 years, we have not been able to eat lunch all together as in the previous years.  This has been tough on us.
5. My parents are there for me when only the advice from a parent will do.  They are always willing to offer an ear and are never judgemental.  I can call them for anything and they will help.  When I was younger they offered monetary and emotional support.  As I have grown older I look to them when I need advice or just need to talk. 

My imagined challenge was a physical disability.  This was not hard as we experienced this, to some degree, this week.  I had bunion surgery on my right foot on Monday and have been fairly helpless all week.  My husband has had to cook all week and the oldest has done most of the house cleaning.  Everyone is out of clothing to wear.  The youngest hasn't had a bath since Wednesday.  I feel like my house is falling apart.  If this were a permanent disability, life could get very difficult for us.  First, we would not be able to meet our financial obligations.  It takes both of our salaries to support our family.  Next, everyone would have to get better about working together as a family. This necessarily isn't a bad thing, though.  We have learned a lot as a family this week.  I learned that I don't need to be in control of everything and that the rest of the family doesn't really mind living in a pig sty, either.  My definition of clean is definitely different than theirs!  Everyone is still alive and I feel we have grown closer as a family.  My husband and I have faced many challenges in the 17 years we have been together and we have always come out on top.  I think this is because we have a great family and we are supportive of each other.