As Cee excused herself from the dinner table to go to the bathroom, David and I watched her hobble slowly down the hallway. “When did this become normal?” David asked defeatedly.
Normal these days is having an almost-five-year-old who doesn’t dress herself. Who sometimes needs help holding a cup. Who doesn’t like to be hugged or cuddled because it hurts.
Given all that, I don’t know what to say when people ask how she’s doing. I’ve always tried to be a “look on the bright side” kind of person, but the truth isn’t all that bright right now. My standard “We have good days and bad days” isn’t even true anymore. The current bright side truths are kinda depressing:
“She’s alive.”
“She doesn’t have leukemia.”
“We have a couple good hours most days.”
“Cee is eating food.”
“She takes her medicine without losing her cookies.”
“We only woke up 3 times last night with her.”
“Her left hand is the one with pain, so she can still color sometimes.”
It’s probably just easier to say, “She’s doing fine.”