my eyebrows tell the story

I am in Colorado.
My mom had valve repair surgery a week ago.
I have had the privilege of getting to be here during part of her recovery.
It has been so good to be with her.
And so hard to see her in pain. Ugh.

She is a trooper. She is determined. And she is funny.
Yesterday when Dad and I were trying to figure out who would leave to get dinner
and who would stay in the room, Mom said, "I think I will leave."
She is ready to be done with all this.

The last week has been good and stressful and crazy.
Just yesterday before heading into the hospital,
I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

Sweet Mercy Days.
My eyebrows looked wild.
WILD.
I had to go dig through my mom's bathroom drawer to find a pair
of tweezers.

For some reason, when my life gets crazy, my eyebrows are the first thing to go.

I am on the tail end of 8 months of writing deadlines.
I re-injured my back right before mom's surgery and am walking around like a 90 year old.
It is the last week of school for the boys and I am half way across the country.
I have jury duty in a week.

And my eyebrows?
I am Ernest Borgnine's doppelganger.

Sorry, Scott.
My husband REALLY notices eyebrows.
Which is ironic since I am REALLY horrible with eyebrow upkeep...

Partly because I have terrible vision and without my glasses I can't see my own eyebrows
so plucking them is in an exercise in blindness.

Partly because when stress creeps in I don't even think about my eyebrows.
BECAUSE OF ALL THE STRESS.

I looked at my eyebrows and thought of Barbie, Leslie, Melissa and Darshini...
all my friends who have done eyebrow interventions for me over the years.
(I am not joking...my eyebrows have merited friendly concern...followed by plucking or waxing.)

And I did my eyebrows.
For me. And for Scott. Because I get to see him tomorrow
and I don't want him thinking,
"Why do I want to watch Dr. Zhivago when I look into Sue's eyes?"

Mom is on the mend.
Life is good even when it is crazy.
Tomorrow I get to hug all 4 of my boys.
And my eyebrows look a little better.
Things are looking up.