Is the Shot Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Whew! I mean really, whew! Yesterday was rough! Little things went wrong and and affected me more than they should have because of bigger problems. The day made me bitter, and it was hard to keep that dour attitude in check. I’m sitting here, staring at a shot glass, asking myself if it’s half full, or half empty.

The Little Things

Everything I did took longer than expected, completely cutting out my writing time. Despite being on-call for the day job, I had planned a late night Heroes of the Storm gaming session with Matt to celebrate his birthday. Before we could finish, work called with an emergency that took almost 3 hours to resolve. Normally I would have expected this, but it was salt in the wound after spending most of the day waiting for my Mom to come out of surgery.

Cancer

She was diagnosed with breast cancer and they were performing a double mastectomy and reconstructive. My mom isn’t young, and it was easy to worry. It didn’t help that we waited for 6 hours, about 3 hours longer than projected, in a cold waiting room at the hospital with uncomfortable chairs and poor communication.

Cancer Is Unfair

She’s been a cancer survivor once, and at 72 is going to do it again. But it’s frustrating that she has to deal with breast cancer at this point in her life. Shouldn’t she be on a beach getting served something with rum in it by a gorgeous young man who winks at her? She deserves that!

Survivor

Mom faced surgery like a champ.  (Moral of the story: don’t smoke, kids.) It was tough seeing her after surgery, but she’s a tank and we had to talk her into accepting pain meds because she’s “got a high tolerance for pain.”

A Challenge

It’s not always easy to decide if the shot glass is half full or half empty. Some things aren’t surmountable. Cancer? Cancer can go to hell stay away from my mom! (And everyone else while you’re at it!)

A Full Shot Glass

The day could have been tragic. While it was upsetting and stressful, I have a lot to be grateful for. Mom survived surgery and is recovering. I spent the day waiting with my dad and sister, and the time together was good. Despite being cut short, I was able to sneak in some time gaming with one of my oldest friends on his birthday. It was a great reprieve from an otherwise stressful day. I even received kudos for my efforts at work.

The only thing to do with that shot glass is fill it with something tasty and drink deep. I deserve it.