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Hey dere ho dere.
What's new, kids? Did everyone have a good weekend? Mine was okay. Not bad or anything, just shit tons of studying. I went to a baseball game on Friday which was fun, and then on Sunday some friends and I ran a race that went through the zoo, so that was nice too, but other than that it was physics till the cows came home.
Oh. So. Remder those pesky birds that live in my windowsill that I hate? I got so desperate and sleep deprived that I finally emailed my landlord asking for help. I can't get to them myself because my windows are bolted shut, but I begged him to call someone or do something because I was being driven mad by incessant chirping. Chirpscreaming. They're truly awful.
So he called some people and turns out, nobody can do anything until we have the birds evaluated by Conservation to make sure that they're not endangered. "But they are endangered," I thought. "Because I am going to smother them." Obviously, I'm not REALLY, but I don't go to bed until midnight or one because of school work, and then these fuckers start chirping at 5, so I'm exhausted constantly.
That being said, I suppose I can wait to make sure they aren't endangered. And I will just point out that I am sure they are, in fact, endangered for real. I'm sure they're extinct, even- a family of dodo birds perhaps. Because of course the only birds that would choose to take up residence mere inches from where I "sleep" are probably so ridiculously endangered that Conservation will end up offering them my whole house. "She doesn't need it," Conservation will say. "She doesn't sleep anyway, and she probably can live off her chub for quite some time." Go to hell, Conservation! I'm curvy!
I totally had a Monday today, you guys. The birds and I woke up early because we had to finish this big report and when I went to print it (obviously 7 minutes before I had to leave) the printer jammed and pooped out. I frantically emailed the last few pages to my friend who printed them for me (thanks, Katie) and then I booked it to school. It started pouring on my way, and by the time I got to my lab, I was absolutely soaked. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell you that I was wearing a white dress.
Just when I had convinced myself that my dress was not THAT see through, my grosso professor commented that he never knew I had a tattoo. My tattoo is on my hipbone. I was basically naked. Horrifying. It was like a combination of all the nightmares you ever have about school- showing up late big exam that day naked creepy professor who looks like the Hamburglar (robble robble) hellhole.
Plus my exam was dreadful. Whine whine whine.
I was in a pretty awful mood by the time I got to work. But then something lovely happened.
A few months ago, the project I'm on started following this (at the time) almost five month old baby who was in chronic respiratory failure. He is part of a large, beautiful, loving family that I adored immediately. In fact, even after our service with him ended, I would still go up and visit a couple of times a week because he was just such a doll. Everyone at work calls him my boyfriend. Dr Poop, to his credit, knows about my relationship with this baby and is very supportive- the one concession is that he refers to the baby as my "weekday boyfriend."
It started off as a joke, but then I think everyone realized what a wackadoo I am because they would say to each other things like "Isn't Meg coming to see Harry today? She KNOWS it's his 7 month birthday!!" And when I'd finally be able to sneak away from the NICU to go see him, I'd walk in the room and his grandparents would help Harry hold up one little fat finger and they'd say "Meggie is the number one girlfriend!"
That's because I told Harry once that it was okay if he had other girlfriends, I just didn't want to know about it.
Anyway, so obviously Harry and I were in super baby-creepy lady love. He was just so cute and happy and such a good sport about having a trach and a million different lines running out of him and stuff, and when I'd make him laugh he'd throw his baby head back and smile, and when he cried it would be big fat silent tears because the trach prevents him from making any real noise.
So, enough background. I got to work today and two different staff members saw me and ran towards me at the same time. I thought something was horribly wrong, but they said "Meg! Where have you been!? Harry got new lungs last night!"
You guys! My boyfriend got new lungs!!! Hooorrayayyyyyy!!!!!! This is such great news. Please forgive my gratuitous exclamation points!
I'm just so happy for him. Obviously I know we're not out of the woods yet, but I am just over the moon with joy. I'm so sorry for the family that lost their precious baby, but I'm incredibly grateful for and awed by their magnanimous generosity, and loving spirit. Because of them, lives have been saved and stories have new endings. That beautiful giving family is full of brave, darling, miraculous souls.
I happen to know that another baby I followed for a while was the recipient of a liver from the same little one who gave Harry his lungs. That baby and I were not in a relationship, but I'm elated for him as well.
It was just nice to have a gift of perspective, you know? I so easily fall into that trap of the Low Down Dirty Suburban White Girl Blues. Wahhh, my test is hard and wahhhh, my dress is wet and wahhhh, my car smells like crayons. Snap out of it, Meg. Life is full of miracles. And if I don't have to fall asleep every night praying for some other baby to die so mine can live, my life is pretty much just fine.
booya!Labels: on the job |
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| 16 Comments: |
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Thank YOU for the gift of perspective. I was in dire need of some myself today and you provided it.
P.S. I miss my Meg-alicious.
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<3 there are no words for that story. Really. Just <3 x 1000.
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Oh, Meg...
Early on in this post, I was already planning on leaving a comment declaring my adoration for you for the "robble robble."
And then...
I fucking love this post.
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Aw man. I'm going to be late for work now because of this post. I thought I'd get a quick read & head out the door, but NOOO, you had to make me cry with the sweetness and now my stupid mascara & eye makeup is all smeary. *sniff* I'm really happy for you and your baby boyfriend!
PS: I hate your birds so much.
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Your heart is huge. You have 120% profound greatness. You spread happiness. The human race needs you.
~ Piney
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Meg, if only I could reach you right now, I'd give you a huge hug. Give your boyfriend a big kiss for me--in a non-creepy old lady way.
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i really, really love how you are able to give us that perspective. i always get stuck on the part where the family lost their baby, and you have been teaching me (slowly, because i'm a super slow learner)to see the miracles in grief.
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I've been reading you blog (stalker style) for months now. You're obviously good people and have a great sense of humor!
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Thank you for providing a step stool to get out of my own whine rut. I've been desperate for an attitude 180.
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Jesus, Meg. You made me cry in the middle of Multicultural Counseling.
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oh curly, i miss you too!
iw- i'm glad you liked it. what a good day that was.
pdw- robble robble!
lainey- thank you! we're happy too! and thank you for hating the birds. I told them how much you disliked them. It burned!
oh piney, i wish i could take credit for anything. I just lucked out and got to witness a wonderful thing.
Gwch- I will! He's such a good (albeit sloppy) kisser! And at only eight months, too!
kelsi- balance and phoenix and nothing is ever really gone, you know? xoxox PS i'm totally the slow one.
fussy, you are too kind. and your name is too cute.
lemonadde- gosh, me too. I was absurd this week.
d- everybody cries! multicultural counseling should be a safe place...
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Your bird story is so Coutnry Transplant, Get Me Out Of Here. I, myself, am woken up by the crash of garbage men dumping cartons of empty bottles into recycling trucks at 5am on Tuesdays and Fridays. Now don't you miss city living? But seriously, get a white noise generator. They cost like $30 and they block out sounds like endangered animals and disposal of vice evidence.
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I will need regular Harry updates now. But since he's your boyfriend that should be easy to manage. I hope you guys don't break up now that he's all "breathing easily" and stuff with his fancy new lungs. Poor other family though...not fair for them at all, and yet, hopefully they know how many lives their little baby is affecting with their donation!
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I love your blog! My parents had baby birds in a nest next to their house and then a crow ate them. So, you know, maybe that will happen. But then you'd probably feel guilty.
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Hey remember that time when I outed you on your blog about going to med school?
And I said you'd make the best pediatrician in the world, and the world's children could use your strong heart?
Yeah, I still mean it.
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'my car smells like crayons' is going to have me snickering for the rest of the day.
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Name: A Lover and a Fighter
Home: New York, NY
About Me: "It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information."
-Oscar Wilde
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Thank YOU for the gift of perspective. I was in dire need of some myself today and you provided it.
P.S. I miss my Meg-alicious.