Update & A Little Perspective from a Cold Shower

The doctor came in this morning and told us the virus that has been causing Levi's problems is now in his chest, and his pulse oxygen saturation is too low for him to go home today. He has been irritated and just doesn't seem to feel good.

When I got my shower here this morning, the water was uncomfortably cold. I stood at the edge of where the splashes fell and, starting with my toes, inched my way into the biting droplets. I, of course, would have chosen a nice hot shower over this experience, but little by little, it became bearable. Eventually, I was comfortable enough to completely immerse myself in the water. I started thinking about how that shower was so much like having a child who is different. The discomfort at the beginning eases into peacefulness. Little by little, what seems unusual at first becomes the norm. Knowing that my child was in a hospital crib nearby hooked up to monitors, an IV, and oxygen wasn't scary to me because we've been through this before.

As I was pondering those similarities, warmer water started flowing out of the shower head. It still wasn't the steaming hot shower I had in mind, but you know what? That mildly warm water felt better at that moment than if I had started with the nice, hot shower I had been dreaming of. I appreciated it more and was more content than if I got what I wanted in the first place. Interesting, the perspective a cold shower can bring.