Fun & Free Flowing Fourth

Happy Fourth of July! Today was a good day in a number of ways. Even though I have oodles of things to do, I found a way to let go of those concerns and allowed myself to enjoy the day. Even better, I was productive this morning and completed the evaluations for the students in my summer class. Then, my wife and I had a fantastic time exploring the Trader Joe's that just opened in Saint Paul. We have had various items from Joe's in the past, but this was our first foray into an actual store. We were in a hurry, but were certainly impressed. I would have liked to see a few more gluten-free items, and Joe's will not replace my co-op, but the store does have many impressive items. I remain perplexed as to how they can offer organic and fair trade items at such low prices, but I intend to give them the benefit of the doubt, although I do plan to do some research just to make sure.

Anyway, after making some fun purchases at Trader Joe's we headed to the lake home of a friend's mom. Our daughter was already there. We then spent the afternoon relaxing, eating, chatting, and laughing with family friends. We even got to play in a bizarre family kickball game. The entire thing was a hoot. My daughter did have some tense moments, and my poor wife had to fight fireworks traffic (and ridiculously poor planning by the Blaine Police Department), but on the whole it was a great day for all of us. Even the late return time did not get me down because I got to see fireworks for the first time in years. I have no doubt that I will pay for a midnight bedtime for a day or two, but it is important to have fun from time to time.

The realities of narcolepsy make so many days difficult, but today was a sweet gift. I certainly was sleepy throughout the day, but the whole purpose of the day was simply to relax. Thus, it was perfectly fine to be sleepy. I am proud of myself for being present with the fun and low-key aspect of the entire day, rather than obsessing over the numerous things that I was not accomplishing. I do think that I am getting better at living with this disease. That idea might be the most freeing thought that I have had on this fantastic Fourth.