Paying it Forward

Have you ever had a migrane headache?

If you've never had one, consider youself blessed. First, I start by seeing bright lights floating in my vision. I have about 20 minutes from that point before the pain starts, normally right above my eyes and down the sides of my face. When it hits, all I can do is lay down with my eyes closed not moving.

In my life I have only had a few, I'm not sure how many, but less than five. In the last month, I have had two. This last one happened earlier this week. Lil' B and I were heading to the library for storytime while Miss H was at school when I started seeing the lights. We immediately headed home where I closed all the blinds and still kept on my sunglasses. Lil' B was so good. She happily cuddled with me on the couch watching Mickey Mouse and Elmo. It would have been lovely if my brain hadn't felt like it was exploding.

Then, I started to panic. How in the world am I going to pick up Miss H from school? I can't even sit up, much less drive. I tried for an hour to get a hold of Mr. Rose at work to no avail. Finally, I did the thing that I hate doing most in the world. I asked a friend for help. I don't know why I hate to ask for help, but I do. I feel guilty, like I am putting the other person out. But at this point, I had no other choice.

So I called a close friend whose daughter attends the same school as Miss H. She happily agreed to pick her up from school and even brought her home to her house so the girls could play while I rested during Lil' B's naptime. The one hour nap that I took made me feel like a new person. My friend truly saved the day.

Later that evening while the girls and I were getting ready for dinner, another one of my friends called me very emotional. Her husband was ill and she needed to take him to the emergency room. I didn't hesitate for one second.

"Bring Gabbi to my house," I said.

"But she'll probably need to spend the night," she replied.

"It will be fine. Calm down so that you can drive, bring her here, and everything will be okay."

The evening with three little girls under the age of four was a little crazy, but we managed to get everyone fed and ready for bed. It was actually kind of fun to see how life with three kids could be (although ours won't be in close as age as these three are seeing as how Baby Bud #3 has not even been conceived yet.)

And as I sit here reflecting on the days events, I feel a sense of peace for being able to repay my friend who helped me by paying it forward and helping someone else. I feel good for being able to do something, to help another friend, and I realize that when someone offers to help me that I should not feel guilty about that. Everyone needs help now and then. Just make sure to pay it forward. It feels awesome.