When my husband was in the hospital awaiting a heart transplant (more later about this on the podcast), I lived by the following life rules to help me cope and do all the things needed for our little family to persevere.
- Each morning, I made the conscious decision to persevere in spite of whatever would happen that day and there was so much happening all of the time that I could not predict nor prepare for in advance.
- I wore a jogging suit every day to the hospital. I had only one at the time and washed it nightly. It took the guesswork out of what I was going to wear and it was comfortable…a two-fer!
- I made a playlist of all up beat mostly Christian songs to help me stay faithful and positive throughout the day. I never knew what I would find when I arrived at the hospital after dropping the boys at school and daycare. A positive frame of mind was a necessity to build up my endurance. I would listen to this playlist as I drove the boys each morning and then I’d crank it up on my iPhone earbuds as I parked in the deck and walked what seemed like miles underground to Duke University Hospital.
- I asked for help which was challenging. More often than not, I did not know what to ask for and was grateful when someone just showed up with cash or food or sent a card. When I did ask for help, I did not always receive help. Some people did not know how to help but others knew instinctively what I would need and were there before I could ask. Let’s just say, in times like this you find out who your true friends are.
- I took one moment at a time. I could not afford to worry about tomorrow or even later in the day. I dealt with each moment as it happened in real time. The only decisions I made in advance dealt with the boys and how they would get home from school or what they ate and wore.