When It Rains...

I usually try and keep my updates business or personal development related. But every once in a while, you just have to vent.

Living in the Midwest, the winter months can be a marathon. The constant gray skies, the inconsistent temperatures, the wind, the snow, the 30 minute commutes turning into 90 minute commutes, etc. I have lived in the Midwest most of my life except for a stint in Seattle, so I am used to the winter blues. However, I have never had to experience winter with a 19 month old who attends daycare. And when I say daycare, I should probably change the name to "Petri-dish" care. My daughter has been sick for the last six months...no big deal, it is to be expected when she is in a room with 6-9 other kids. However, since Thanksgiving, she has been a walking Petri-dish that has brought me wonderful gifts like bronchitis, the stomach flu (TWICE...but hey, at least I haven't had to work out this winter), two sinus infections and a cough that apparently I am going to have forever. My wife and I have just learned to live with it, but it definitely adds a layer of stress to the winter months.

The "icing on top" moment happened this weekend. My wife was out with some friends for her birthday and I was home with my daughter. The flu hit my daughter and she began a rendition of vomit-tag the likes I have never seen. This continued for several hours while I was trying to keep my daughter in clean pajamas, change the sheets, clean up the crib, clean up the carpet, explain why "puppy" and "blankie" had to be washed and try and get the laundry done before the next attack. Saturday was vomit free, but our daughter was still obviously sick. However, the furnace decided to go out at 7:00 PM...Luckily it was repaired by 10:00 PM. The point in all of this is simple...Life isn't easy. We all know this. But we need to remember that the great things in life do not come to us easily. We have to collectively work our way through situations and remember that even the most difficult times and events usually have some highlights along the way. Even as my daughter threw up on me for the third time, I had to chuckle. She threw up all over me, and before she started crying, looked at me and said "Yucky." I couldn't have agreed more and realized that despite a less than desirable situation, my daughter correctly learned a new phrase. And 10 years from now when I hear my daughter say something is yucky, I will remember the first time I heard her say it...And that is something pretty special.