I have some very scary things on my summer list: hold a baby alligator, do a flip on a trampoline, watch The Sound of Music. This one, though, takes the cake.
When I mentioned this idea to my friends and asked for suggestions, most came up with practical things like, "You can ride a horse" or "shoot skeet". Not my friend Amy. Her immediate response was, "You can give me a shot!" This is just the way she thinks. It's sort of why I love her.
Amy struggles with a very real and debilitating disease. And while things are slowly getting better, she is forced to take a lot of medication and give herself injections every day. Except yesterday. Yesterday, I got to do it.
Amy showed up around 5:30, having put off her daily 2:00 injection just for me. She dumped what seemed to be an entire doctor's office on my coffee table (she even has her own waste container!) and told me to hurry the hell up. I really thought I'd have some time to warm up to the situation, but Amy said no, we had to do it immediately. Sometimes she's really pushy. ;)
It was really scary!!! I pretended to be brave, but I was sweating my ass off. Especially since I knew Amy was really nervous too. And I won't lie, she had to hold my hand when I inserted the needle. I just didn't think I could do that part with no help.
But I think I did pretty well - no blood, no eruption of medicine back onto her leg. I slapped a Band-Aid on it, wiped the sweat from my brow, and marked #3 off of my list.
This one might not seem like a big deal. But, it was a tangible reminder of what my friend goes through on a daily basis. I will openly admit that I can be very self-centered, worrying about the minute details of a fairly monotonous daily life, complaining about what I have and wishing for what I don't - and often forget how much other people are struggling. Sometimes you have to see something for yourself, be a part of it, touch it with your own hands, for it to take on its most real meaning. Life is real, it's short, and it's not easy for anyone.
2 days down. All summer to go. Stay tuned.
2 comments:
You did excellent friend!!! And now I have a confirmed partner in crime if we ever decide to become homeless heroin addicts!!! *Fist pumps*
Hey! Didn't know that you had a blog. I love this post. The first thing I noticed was Amy's cleavage!! You are a good friend!
Post a Comment