Then my peripheral vision began to falter.

At first I thought my eyes were tired, so I got up and took a little walk. When I returned to the book I was reading, there were fuzzy bands running across the page and I was unable to focus. Looking up, I couldn’t focus on the faces of the people in the room either. Not good.

Skipping the dramatic play-by-play, the upshot of the day was an ER visit, slow and unusual speech and a bout of full body muscle tension that left me unable to move my legs, bend my torso or unclench my jaw. A cat scan confirmed no stroke and a muscle relaxant worked to return my faculties. My eyes are still playing tricks on me but the other symptoms have subsided, which points to the possibility of some kind of headache-free migraine (yup, they exist). I’ll follow up with the doctor later today to see what’s what. While I’m sure it is something manageable, I’m ready to play whatever hand I am dealt. 

In the meantime, I just can’t stop thinking about that gratitude list. Despite my best efforts to be intentional about appreciating the things I have, I still am prone to take so much for granted. Why does it take a scare for me to fully appreciate my health, a full table at Thanksgiving, a husband who is kind and caring in times of ease and times of trouble, great kids who love me, a sister who will drop everything to hold my hand beside an ER bed, the prayers of good friends and family and a faith that carries me through? How many wake up calls does it take to actually wake up?

So, while it seems so “last week” to ask about gratitude, I’ll throw out the question again…what do you have to be grateful for today? What are you taking for granted?