Embracing the Disruption

It's weird to be home on a Wednesday.

Wasn't expecting this, really. When I was booked for a day surgery procedure, on a Tuesday, to blast away a nuisance kidney stone that had found a cozy little spot in one of my "tubes", I called the doctor's office to see what the recovery time might be. Return to work on Wednesday? No problem. Just don't do any heavy lifting.

However. At the hospital I was reminded that there's this little thing about not driving or being by yourself for 24 hours after anesthesia. Oh. And then, my body is telling me it needs to recover from all that "action" inside. Okay then!

So, here I am, at home, with my faithful hero Ken, both of us having had to rearrange our Wednesdays at the last minute.

And I find I'm quite okay with that.

That may seem obvious to most. But for us Type A, highly structured, I-have-my-week-all-laid-out-so-don't-mess-with-it individuals, this kind of disruption can wreck havoc on the soul. Normally this kind of hiccup in my week would send me on a rant, complaining how every time I try to lay out a schedule of balance and sanity, something comes up to seriously disrupt the plan. The nerve!

But maybe, just maybe, I'm growing in spirit. Because today, and throughout this entire episode with one nasty little beastie of a kidney stone, I find I am able to embrace the disruption. In fact, I am very, very grateful that I have not experienced the kind of pain that is often described for kidney stones, or for the procedure I've just had. I'm so glad for flexible and understanding colleagues who are willing to change their own well-laid out week, to accommodate me, and who express care and concern over any kind of annoyance this certainly brings them. I am over the top loving it that my husband Ken has willingly and without complaint stayed home to be with me - and OFFERED a quick Tim's run this morning! And how this disruption has actually provided us with a rare space of hours in a row to be quiet together in our family room with a fire on.

I am encouraged and affirmed by the prayers of family and friends. My Mom prayed over me on Sunday when we visited - such a blessing to be prayed over by a parent. And there are used-to-be orphans praying for me from half way around the world, which I still find astonishing. And, of course, the wonder of all the others in between who've emailed or texted or called just simply to say that they cared.

Isn't all of that a gift? Why wouldn't I embrace the gifts of this disruption?

I'm glad I'm growing, but a little sad too, for all the gifts I've missed before. I regret my previous tirades, endured by those around me. Sure, I want to be remembered as a diligent and faithful worker. But hopefully, from now on, I'll be able to make some new memories of a more gentler, less self-centered person.

Someone who can embrace disruptions with grace.