Have you ever had one of those days that's just utterly overwhelming? You know, everything's going wrong, you can't quite figure out how to do things, and you just feel like you're at your wits' end?
I've had a few weeks of that, and it's getting to me. It's nothing terribly serious, of course, but I'm dealing with new medical stuff, lots of new joint pains, and I've had several moments lately where I just feel completely out of "cope". Then someone comes along and makes an offhand comment that somehow resets my cope levels and makes me feel so much better.
Today my family and I went to a local burger place. We go there often enough that the staff recognizes us and jokes around with us. Today was no different, and we had several laughs with them while we were there.
That's nice, and it did cheer me up. But as we were leaving, I had one of those moments... the staff member we'd been joking with earlier stopped us on our way out the door. He told us that he really does love to see us come in, because we brighten up his day and make it just that little bit happier.
I'm not going to lie, I smiled and thanked him, and my husband told him that he makes our days better too. We walked out to our car and I had a bit of a happy cry...
Sometimes life with chronic illness can feel overwhelming and endless. Sometimes it feels like it's too much and it's not worth fighting through. But those moments when someone tells me that I make their life better?
It totally makes everything worth it. And I'm crying again thinking about it, explaining it to my husband who was wondering why I was suddenly sniffling. Those little moments of connection are everywhere, and they connect us in so many ways.
That kind word you give to someone can affect them so much more deeply than you could ever imagine.
