Yesterday started out pretty well. I got the go-ahead for my next work project and then I had a surprisingly pleasant call to Lexmark customer support, ending with the agent offering to send me a replacement printer. But the day ended with a decided thud. I got an email from my husband's best friend (who lives in England) saying that he was recovering from a brain hemorrhage and a major stroke that occured during surgery to repair the hemorrhage (in his words, he had the same operation that Nate did in Six Feet Under). This was all quite a shock as we hadn't heard from him in months (my husband is very lax at keeping in touch, unfortunately) and had had no idea that he was ill. Miraculously, he seems to be recovering quite well, even though the doctors warned his girlfriend that there was a very good chance that he would die or suffer severe paralysis during or soon after the surgery.

On the one hand this news is a bit of a wake-up call, i.e. you better make the most of this life, because none of us knows how long he's got. On the other hand, it's a very worrying reminder about the fragility of life, one that I'm sure we all would like to skip.

I've got a headache and I feel emotionally worn out right now. K is withdrawing into his shell and won't talk to me about how he is feeling, even though it's obvious that he's suffering. I'm hoping this is a temporary state as a result of the news being so out-of-the-blue, but I worry that this is a symptom of the growing distance between us. We should be supporting each other through times like this, not suffering separately in silence.

Anyway, I'm going to go try some cleaning therapy. Maybe decluttering the house will help me to declutter my mind...

I so sorry to hear about your friend! It's wonderful that he seems to be recovering, but terrifying that he had to go through such an awful time.

My husband is very much the same - he withdraws when he's upset or scared. He eventually seeks me out, but it's usually after he's worked through the worst of his turmoil on his own. Men are funny that way. Or weird...

Lots of ((((((HUGS))))) and I hope the cleaning went well!

That is shocking news to hear. I believe thinking about our mortality from time to time doesn't do us any harm, carpe diem etc. But it's unfortunate when it's the misfortune of loved one that serves as the reminder.

Just wanted you to know I'm thinking about you and hoping you're doing okay...

((((HUGS))))

Thinking about you too. Hope you are hanging in there. ((((hugs))))