During COVID, I found a place to swim outside.

I could book a lane for an hour and just swim. When the world seemed so unknown, I knew that for one hour, I could submerge myself in a pool and swim.

It became my solace. My place.

As I swam, day after day, week after week, I watched the seasons change until the world slowly opened up again. And things became normal.

I found myself back at this pool this week.

Somehow, the seasons had moved from summer to fall. The leaves were orange and gold. A squirrel had found a pumpkin.

A very noisy nest of birds was preparing for a migratory trip.

And the light.

That brilliant autumnal light, peeking through the trees and dancing across the water.

It was magic.

And I swam.

And life felt normal. More normal than it had felt in a while.

And I was grateful.

I am hoping that normal is the direction we are headed. And right now, things seem to be pointing that way.

Cynde had chemo on Friday. Before each infusion, she meets with her gynecologic oncologist. They draw blood, review numbers, and assess how things are progressing.

In summary, everything is moving in the right direction.

Her white blood cell count looked good. So good, in fact, that she didn’t need the evil/helpful/prickly little med fairy to rattle her bones.

We are looking at just one more round of chemo.

Cynde feeling good with her Suzzipads.

And…

They are weaning her off TPN.

This one is big.

Really big.

It means fewer tubes, less reliance on the central line, more sleep for Cynde and Pops, and a return to something a bit more normal.

Because eating. Eating actual food. Is kind of normal.

And I say normal knowing full well that this family is anything but normal.

The last two decades have taught us to tread lightly when it comes to normal. We’ve learned that normal can be fleeting. That life can change in an instant. That sometimes the things we take for granted are the very things we find ourselves longing for.

But those same two decades have also taught us something else.

To embrace the normal. Embrace the Phews football games, marvel at how tall, strong and stinky they are. Laugh loudly with friends. Notice a pat on the tushie from your Hubs. It is all love. It is all life.

Embrace it fully.

Embrace it with a hug that wraps both arms around you and gives you slightly uncomfortable, full-lipped kiss.

And if you know this family, you know that hug and kiss.

Embrace it.