Who will pluck your chin hairs?

A friend of mine has a pact with one of her college buddies-if one of them falls into a coma and is lying in a hospital bed, the other one will come running secretly with tweezers. She will take care of business. This is what friends do. She mentioned another friend has the same type of pact with a trusted friend but it involves a uni-brow.

This all seemed very funny until last week, when my college roommate fell down right on her face at 10 pm.  A blood clot hit her brain and caused a massive stroke. After being on blood thinners for a night, the swelling of the brain was still so great that surgery was performed to remove a piece of her skull and relieve the pressure. That piece of skull now resides safely in her abdomen where it will stay healthy until it can be placed back in its rightful place.

She has a great network of friends and family who are watching out for her (no tweezers needed) She is 47 years old.

The initial shock is finally wearing off and I have stopped crying every day. This Sunday, church was doing its best to get me to cry. Typical of when you are actually paying attention to life it speaks loud and clear to you. The Bible verse for the day was Matthew 25:13. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the hour or the day.”

When I awake, I feel heavy and then I remember why. My friend’s life is desperately altered and we don’t know what her future looks like. If I look deeper though, it isn’t only because I am so worried about my dear friend. I am also thinking-if this happened to me, would I have the level of support I need? What girlfriends would fight for me, everyday? Do I have someone who would question the Doctors? Post CaringBridge updates? Make sure I didn’t have too many visitors? Who would help mother my children and be their role model? Who could provide the emotional support needed from a friend--which is different from a spouse who would be so emotionally drained? Am I at peace with all of my relationships? Is there anything I need to do so I would have no regrets? Do I have someone who would run over secretly with the tweezers?