I'm not quite sure when it actually happened. It was somewhere in between trying to take up running again and thinking I could benefit from a bootcamp-style workout (i.e. The Biggest Loser) - when I tore the meniscus tendon in my knee. (Of course this was all just confirmation that exercise is actually bad for you!) Six months later I was finally able to coordinate a date when I could safely be a couch potato for a few days and have a nurse at my beck and call (a.k.a. - My Mom). So last Tuesday I had arthroscopic surgery to repair my poor, abused knee.
The kids were extremely concerned about the procedure and recovery. Who would pack their lunches? Who would drive them to school? Who would help them with their homework? Who would play with them?
I was home from the 6AM surgery by 10 o'clock - a little sleepy - but in plenty of time to welcome them home from school. When they walked in the door, they came running to see me. Ignoring the fact that my knee was the size of a bowling ball or that my leg had turned a smurf-like blue color from the antiseptic, they looked at me and said, "Why are you wearing your glasses?"
I must admit that vanity keeps me from wearing my glasses at all costs. The kids have probably only seen me in them once or twice. But, being the good patient that am, I followed the surgical directives: No contact lenses and no makeup!
When I wear my glasses, my husband calls me "Cooper". Not after Cooper, the neighbor's adorable blue- and brown-eyed dog, or even after the cute grey and white mini-Cooper that sits in their garage. He calls me "Cooper" after a funny, smart-mouthed, cynical blonde-haired girl whose name was Cooper and who wore glasses just like these. She was in TV series a couple years ago. The series lasted about three weeks.
So there I was in my "Cooper" glasses and chapstick, helpless to the world.
The kids couldn't have been sweeter. They made me cards and vied over who would bring me dinner in the Lazy Boy. Anna greeted me each morning with with an almond milk and stevia mocha she made with our Keurig coffee maker.
I have to admit, it wasn't all bad. It may be a rare moment in my life when I am forced to remain in the leather recliner 24/7, the television permanently fixed on the Food Network.
My parents left on Saturday. I am so grateful for the nine days they spent with us. I am grateful that they came down early for Grandparents' Day. I am grateful for the three school performances my dad was able to videotape and for the 17 loads of laundry that my mom washed, folded and ironed! I am grateful that they responded to the extra early wake-up calls to pack lunches and brush little girls' hair. I am thankful for the endless carpool trips to school. I am thankful that they stayed until I was well enough to drive to Costco! But most of all, I was thankful to them for being there, because being there for me is where they've always excelled.
Thanks, Mom and Dad!
