Sometimes love comes around, and it knocks you down

Something incredible occurred to me today. It all started out when the stupid cable guy neglected to re-wire my parents' entertainment set, leaving a thick black wire running from the hall closet to the family room. My mom was really excited to show me something this morning and when she came running in to display her newest gadget her back foot caught on the cable. She took a nasty fall, landed directly on her elbow, and the blunt force sent her into waves of nausea from all the trauma. She was in lots-o-pain and I immediately went into diagnostic mode…

(Can you wiggle your fingers? Yes. Can you lift and bend your arm? Yes. Can you rotate your hand from the supinate to pronate positions? No. Radius must be broken. Not compound… just a hairline fracture maybe….)

After deciding she wasn’t going to go into shock, I ran and grabbed my dad. He was in his truck out front, stopped what he was doing, and ran inside. He went into action to protect and tend to his wife. He lovingly wrapped a sling around her shoulder and forced her into the car to take her to Urgent Care. I sat back in awe in the empty house of my parents, shocked at the love and sacrifice they display for each other on a daily basis. He had a busy day, full of important meetings and appointments- disregarded all of his previous engagements and drove my mom around from doctor’s office to doctor’s office to hear what the best plan of action would be. Final diagnosis? Fracture: on the Radial Head. (I hate to say it, but I totally called it. I should be a doctor)

Meanwhile I grabbed some lunch and frozen yogurt for my friend Tiffany who is on bed rest with her first pregnancy… 2 months from her due-date. She is what I like to call a high-risk patient.. for cabin fever. 5 weeks of doctor prescribed couch time would be enough to drive anyone crazy. Except maybe a World of War Craft addict. I pulled into her driveway at the same time as her husband, Scott, and we spent the afternoon catching up on our families and watching Pushing Daisies. Throughout my time there Scott would randomly come into the family room to bring her some water, medicine, mail, or to ask me what kind of mother’s day gift he should get her (thusly forcing Tiff to plug her ears). He was so loving and patient with her. I looked up incredulously after he had grabbed us both drinks and she just said, “Make sure you pick a nice-guy.”

And that’s when my epiphany happened. I think I’ve been living my life in such a way that does not leave much room for help. Kindness is a luxury I have not afforded myself, because letting people help you requires vulnerability. I guess I thought of accepting help as accepting that I had weakness or that I would become a burden. But seeing the way those two men took care of their individual wives- there was no malice, resentment, or bitterness in their eyes; only love... it was something really beautiful to witness and be a small part of. Cheers to all the good men out there who are taking care of their women. I applaud you.

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