New Reality

There was an article in the Los Angeles Times the other day about an injured soldier and his wife. She blogged about the ordeal they are going through. One of her quotes really hit home for me. Here it is:

"People think what a great story it is, and what blessings we've had, and how Ryan has overcome great odds. But they don't think about the daily repercussions of it. The heart of the matter isn't something you can therapy away. It is what it is. It's our new reality."

The article was a very positive article but called her journal a "frank approach to tragedy and a reminder that reality can be daunting and that life for this couple can never be the same." Well, duh!!! What is it about our society that always wants to focus on the silver lining, the upside, the positive, the good to come out of something horrible? There's so much support that could be provided to people in need if we were willing to face the hard realities of some people's lives. I have a whole new perspective on the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" philosopy embedded in American society. And isn't it odd that telling it like it really is, as this woman is doing, is considered to be so odd they actually point it out in a newspaper article?

Talk to any young widow and they'll inevitably tell you that people eventually become less supportive and sometimes even frustrated by their inability to get over it and move on with their life. Well, for those of us living the daily repercussions and the new reality, it's not so easy (even when we want to make things better and move forward too). Even when it looks good on the surface, chances are there's still alot of adjustment going on underneath or behind the curtain.

It's a new reality alright. One that still feels foreign, unwanted and unreal. Which brings me to the concept of time. I'll write about that later.