1. I think I like Callum's new routine of waking to his alarm at five a.m. FIVE! I'm not sure it'll last, but he's waking up happy, and we have tons of time together in the morning. Leisurely mornings do this family good. However. My alone-time is impacted, but I'm alone all day. I think I'll survive.
2. I think I've been feeling really uninspired and blah about the meals I've made this week, despite the blog being rather food-heavy. Ever feel that way? When nothing you make feels appetizing or inspiring? I'm doing all the things I want to do (fish at least once a week, more fresh veggies, more and more interesting side dishes), but still, wah-wah.
3. I think I've received such moving comments about migraines here at SPL this week. Amie wrote this about about her sister: This piece really hit home. Not for me so much, but for my 15 year old sister. She suffers from chronic migraines, and has for years. It's to the point that she winds up, almost monthly, in the ER or Phoenix Children's Hospital. It has led to her having to be enrolled in online high school, versus traditional, which has cut her off socially. She has bouts of severe depression and weight loss due to constant nausea. She has severe anxiety whenever she is at a social function because she is so paranoid of getting a migraine. It's just awful, esp for a kid her age. I'm going to forward this blog to her, as i think she may feel a bit of camaraderie.

And Lauren (the other Lauren!) wrote this about her own experience: I get migraines about once a month, sometimes less, sometimes more, and they too seem to be related to barometric pressure and aged cheese, as well as a lack of sleep. I am so grateful that I don't get them more frequently, because they are so debilitating. I get blind spots, throw up, and have such excruciating pain that I literally cannot get out of bed. And then the migraine hangover lasts for two days after that. It is horrible when I get them when pregnant or nursing because I cannot take anything to prevent them once I feel one coming on. My paternal grandmother also suffered from them, and my sister. Crazy illness, it is.

My neighbor Jean also suffers from migraines and her insurance won't cover the meds that kill the pain for her. I know that when I'm hurting, she's likely hurting too, and we'll often touch base in the middle of the street and ask, "How was your week? ... Yeah, Monday was a bad one for me too."

It's remarkable to me that there are so many of us out there, all muddling through in our own way, trying to make it work somehow. All slightly different, but connected by the common aspects of this experience. If anything, maybe we can be a community and support for each other. I never dreamed that this would turn into a migraine blog, but I'm here for you if you want!

4. I think one of the many things I love about Neel is his thoughtfulness. One day last week, for unknown reasons, he'd backed the car I usually drive into the driveway so that I pulled out instead of backing out when I had to go somewhere. When I mentioned how much easier this was for me, he's been backing my car in ever since.
5. I think that this week especially, I've been inspired and buoyed by my beloved friends and community around me. Theresa wrote this beautiful post (many of you will have already read it) about balance, Jenni wrote a great post about blogging that I've been meaning to reply to all week (I'll get there, I promise!), and Julie of White Tapestry wrote a post about figuring things out that still has me thinking. Finally Annie had a great post over at Insideology that had us all chatting. To top it off, a phone call with Mark that had me in fits of giggles (and still does) and lunch with my dear friend Marianne was just the balm I needed after last week's rough go. Clearly I need to do both of those more often. What we do without our friends, near and far? What would I do without you all?