Big Sigh of Relief

 We've survived May!

(Well, technically, we still have to make it two more days. But I'm assuming we'll make it. Looking at the glass as half-full and all that, right?)

B graduated! She even pulled off straight A's this semester, which considering the sheer number of absences this year (something like 25 days) was impressive. Hallelujah! And as I pointed out to her, she is under no obligation to attend any kind of school ever again in her life unless she wants to. Am I against college or even life-long learning? No, of course not. But B has her own path to find, school is a huge trigger, and she has these voices in her head (no doubt from well-meaning teachers and advisors) telling her she's smart and they need more women of color in STEM and she's wasting her potential if she doesn't continue on and get some "worthwhile" degree. She needs to truly believe that she has value even if she never takes another class in her life. (Please, I beg you, if you have a personal relationship with B-- or another kid like her, who struggles with mental health-- don't tell them what they "should" be doing with their lives!)

As of right now? She'd like to work with kids or maybe animals (NOT as a doctor), and she really doesn't need college to do either of those. So we'll see where she goes from here. We're in no rush to shove her out the door.

K and S also finished up their school years. Now I have a sophomore and a 7th grader. Strange. I haven't had only two kids in school since 2009! K is just glad his freshman year is over, and S? She is dreading junior high with a passion. It's like she has my memories of junior high in her head or something. But I'm hoping it will go much better than she fears. (None of my kids have had the kind of horrific junior high experience I did, so odds are in her favor.)

What about the other big May event? My surgery? I've had so many questions so I guess I might as well explain things here. I had a full hysterectomy plus some fixes to my prolapsed bladder and rectum. I was warned that it would be a long recovery...but I admit I underestimated just how awful I would feel. I honestly thought I would at least be up and walking around without problems a week after. HAH! B's graduation was a problem. It was held at the basketball arena at ASU-- which meant parking a distance away that I could in no way walk-- and I could not yet sit in a normal chair without extreme discomfort. (Anybody like those hard plastic arena chairs even without a billion-- ok, maybe a little less--stitches in their pelvic region?) Terence bought a wheelchair before my surgery, as he was not overly optimistic about my recovery, so I got the fun experience of getting pushed through the crowds and worrying that my husband was going to ram me into someone. The arena had reserved the first two rows of seats as ADA seating, but luckily for me, the usher found me a seat in the reporters' box with chairs that had a little padding.

It was still not comfortable. And the ceremony was loooooong. Why on earth do so many people have to speak??? Worst of all, I forgot my glasses so I could not see even my daughter's extraordinary afro from our seats. I could only make her out by putting my phone camera on maximum zoom and having Terence help me figure out where in the world she was. Yeah.

Perhaps I should give in and wear my glasses all the time. *sigh* I'm still rebelling at this proof that I am not as young as I used to be. 

Anyway, I am slowly but surely recovering. Every day is a little better than the last. Sitting in chairs is still the worst though, and I cannot walk faster than a slow amble. My abdomen looks a little better-- like I have seven healing stab wounds instead of an ugly mess of swelling and bruising. There have been a couple things that have gotten worse instead of better post-surgery, but I'm trying to be hopeful that it isn't permanent. As Terence constantly reminds me, it hasn't even been three weeks yet.

June is also meant to be a recovery month. It's OK to take it easy. (That's what I keep reminding myself.) And strangely enough, other than sending out the kids on several trips/camps, I really don't have anything stressful hanging over me. I've promised Makena I will do my best to finish writing Sheralie #7 during the month, but that's about it.

Here's to a long, boring summer! (Hey, I can only hope! I've had enough excitement to last a good long while.)