If you’re reading this the day it’s written (Sept. 28, 2022), I’ll be in the neurosurgery suite or in a recovery room at Atrium’s main hospital campus in Charlotte. Because…

Today’s the day! 

This is what we’ve been waiting for since we first learned of my cerebral hemorrhage in May. The neurosurgeon has set aside 2.5 hours for the procedure today. Then, if all goes well after a day or two here, recovery time will be a short couple of weeks at home. 

We’re praying that with this procedure, I’ll start moving forward again (even if a bit more slowly to start) rather than continuing to tread water.

Over the last several days, I’ve been doing a good bit of thinking about one of the risks involved in this procedure. The area of the brain where this dAVF is located controls my vision. The primary risk being visual deficits that aren’t recoverable.

The first part of this week was spent just being thankful to my Creator for my eyes. They actually have perfect vision. It’s just that the way my brain is perceiving what my eyes see has been skewed a bit by the brain bleed, giving the same effect as impaired vision. 

Thinking about all this one recent morning as I was hiking my daily 4 miles, I stopped, stood still and looked up. Have you ever done that? If not, I highly encourage you to ignore the odd looks from your fellow hikers and just do it. Today’s the day!

It was mesmerizing to look up through the trees on a clear, blue-sky day. There were so many shades of green on a single tree branch. The older leaves and the newer. The limbs catching the sun and those in the shade. I never realized! I just stood there and tried to let that view seep into my memory.

Fall is eagerly anticipated here in North Carolina. While some folks are excited for pumpkin spice and sweater weather, I look forward to the short drive up to the mountains from our home in Charlotte. The views from the Blue Ridge Parkway or the top of Grandfather Mountain are breathtaking when the leaves are at their peak.

But while mountaintop views are inspiring, sometimes the best views are right in front of us everyday. Only they’re somehow missed in the rush to do life. 

It could be a sunset seen from the car on the way home from a crazy day at work. It could be watching a goal scored or a routine being perfected by your favorite little human. Maybe it is a furry friend’s face waiting at the door to welcome you home. 

Often, I have to remind myself to look up from my screen to witness the scenes of life around me. To breath more slowly and enjoy the sights in front of me right now — the ones that can so easily be taken for granted because I see them every day. To look for the depth and variety of color in the ordinary in the same way an artist does when standing in front of a canvas. 

To let the things I see fill my mind and heart with the beauty of simply living this messy life.

Today is the day. For me, it is a day to start physical recovery while practicing the lessons I’ve been taught during the long wait. For you, I pray today is the day that your eyes are fully opened to the blessings in your life — and that as you are inspired and encouraged by what you see, you look for opportunities to inspire and encourage others.

Today is the day. Go seize it. Carpe diem, y’all!

And as always, ‘God knows. Trust.’