If one thing has become clear to me these past few months, it’s that humans are incredibly flexible. Quality of life is subjective. A stranger, or me in my heyday, would see my current condition as completely unlivable and worthless, yet I still make every day count and that makes me feel fortunate. It’s amazing that people can survive and even thrive after these drastic shifts.
February 1999
Yesterday was a great day. The car was repaired early, taxes were lower than expected, I made a scrapbook with my mother with pictures from recent holidays (a week in Germany and a fun day out in Scheveningen (the kids were amazed at the size of the Kurhaus Grand Hotel)), a good physical therapist and a loving family. My life is going very well. People would call me mad for thinking that, but it’s how I feel. I’m still getting used to it myself.
Saturday, April 3rd
I’ve had a wonderful few days. My birthday was amazingly sunny, so I sat outside eating pastries. My room is a sea of flowers. I visited a forest in Groenendaal with the kids, which went swimmingly. It really was a hot day. The next day I finished my book, sitting outside in the sunshine. On Friday we went shopping with the kids to pick out things for the summer. I loved being there with them. Drinking coffee at the department store, the sun, the smells, the shopping: lovely.