#28 The new year

Just like every other day I took my sleeping pills after dinner last night and by seven-thirty I was ready for bed…but then I had to actually get up to my bedroom. My friend Jenn and her boyfriend Kenny (yes Jenny and Kenny) came over yesterday to stay with us for a few days to help me with some housework and visit. Rick grilled some chicken and we had fettucine alfredo and he poured me a glass of wine that was pear flavored to go with it. Jenn lit a bunch of candles and we visited for a bit, catching up on everything that we’ve missed out on while I’ve been home recovering, I really enjoyed having someone here to talk to other than Rick. I felt kinda bad for wanting to go to bed but these days I need to get a good nights sleep or I’m not good for much the next day, and lets face it…I can be a bitch. Rick and Kenny went to pick up Jesse from my mother’s house so it was just me and Jenn here but she was willing to try to drag my wheelchair up the stairs to put the clean sheets on the bed for me. I crawled up the steps and we managed to get everything put on the bed and all thirteen of my pillows had fresh cases on them so I had Jenn run downstairs for the third time in fifteen minutes and grab the Paula Deen book I’ve been reading. I arranged everything so that I was propped up on all my pillows so that nothing hurt and had my book ready and Jenn filled me a glass of water to put on my bedside table and then she just stood there looking at me. She wanted to make sure I was all tucked in and had everything I could possibly need before she left me alone. Now I know what my kids felt like when I tucked them in every night as they were growing up. I don’t like feeling like I need anyone to help me do what should be simple things like going to bed, but what a relief it is to know that I have friends who are going to take care of every little detail. Rick came upstairs as soon as he got home and Jesse came in with two of her friends to say hi to me before they left for the party they were going to. It was kind of weird having all those people in my room just looking at me. I said goodnight to everyone and they all filed out so I could read my book long enough to get sleepy.  I remember waking up at midnight and seeing fireworks outside my bedroom window and I could hear the noise from people yelling so I just closed my eyes and went back to sleep. Oh how wonderful it was to be able to sleep in my comfy bed again. We’ve only had it for about a year and before that we never really had the money to buy a nice pillow top bed so this one is very special to both of us. When we went to Hawaii last year and left Diane and Jenny to take care of the house and the animals they both threatened to take my bed home with them while I wasn’t there to stop ’em. I woke up at my usual 4am but had to go back to sleep for a while because I couldn’t get my wheelchair back down the stairs and I didn’t want to wake Rick up so early after he was up late, see I can be nice when I want to. I know that Diane and Jenn will do whatever they can to help me when I need them so that takes a huge burden off of  me and Rick. We don’t often ask for anything from anyone and I hate the idea that I might need to ask for help but it does give me a look at how everyone else feels when I jump up to help them with anything. Since we have to learn from everything that happens to us I can’t help but think that I’m being tought a little bit of humility. Not something I’ve had much of before but I’m getting a big dose of it lately. My new year’s resolution is going to be to learn to accept help or assistance in the manner in which it is intended.