Nine days left in this healing saga. It's been a journey of stress, fear, and some surprising self-discoveries. Turns out, I'm tougher than I thought, though my patience could still use a major software update.
I pictured myself blissfully at home, conquering my to-do list and finally enjoying my living room. Reality check: I was unaware of just how seriously this surgery would sideline me. My ambitions have been scaled back from "reorganize the entire house" to "expertly clean an open wound" and "master the art of sleeping on my back." I've also learned I'm less concerned with my appearance than I used to be. While a gaping hole in my nose wasn't on my vision board, my new aesthetic goal is simply "looks okay when it's done." When people joke about me getting a facelift, I'm just thinking, "Please, just let me look normal again!"
On the plus side, I'm ditching my night-owl habits for some luxurious early nights and mornings. I’ve also learned that my rigid Christmas decorating timeline is, in fact, a myth. The tree can go up later, and the world will not end. My house doesn't need to be cleaned daily—a true revelation.
This time has also made me realize how much I genuinely like working; I miss my work crew. And I really, really miss my kids and all the grandkids. I've also been reminded that I have more friends than I realized, thanks to all the texts and well wishes. It's nice to know I'm capable of handling things like this on my own, without needing my mom like I did when I was little. Well... I might have replaced her with my husband.
The countdown is officially entering the single digits, and I am so ready to rejoin the land of the living.
