The last two months have been riddled with stress,tragedy, sadness, sleepless nights, extra hours worked... I've spent most of the last two months writing grants and clocked about a week's worth of extra hours on top of the regular 40-hour work week over the course of the two grant writing blitzes. The first grant was super stressful to write. It's always harder when you have to collaborate with another agency, especially when getting data is like pulling teeth without the proper instruments. Working till midnight one night and 10:00pm on another...crazy! We only had about 2 weeks to write the second grant before its deadline, but that one was a breeze in comparison. No burning the midnight oil with this one, but I went to bed every night completely exhausted.
In between all that writing, I still had my regular work-related duties...and life in general to live. Yet, I have to stop and think that my problems are miniscule in comparison to the bigger world picture. Aside from the North Korea threat to bomb Guam (now that was truly scary), my problems are really not problems. So I missed out on some sleep, worked massively long days, got a bunch of paper cuts, and my wrists were achy after hours of typing all day. Because in the midst of all that a very good friend lost her two-year-old daughter tragically.
A true Angel on Earth is now an Angel in Heaven. This little angel...I've held her, shared meals with her, changed her diaper, got whisper soft kisses... was forgotten in the back seat of her daddy's truck on a very hot day. He didn't realize that he forgot to drop her at day care until 7 hours later. I got to read about it in the paper the next day, gasping out loud and startling a room full of people at a strategic planning meeting. The day she was buried was the most heart-wrenching for me. I've experienced the deaths of loved ones, but this one was far more heart-breaking.
A great reminder to remember "The Gift of an Ordinary Day."
