Where is it?! It should’ve been here days ago. Maybe it was lost in transit. Maybe it’s lying low somewhere waiting to jump out and catch me off guard. I checked the mailbox—nothing there. I didn’t find it in my missed calls or in my text messages. And I thought rebooting my dilapidated iPhone would surely reveal it’s ugly little head—but nope. I refreshed my email and scanned Facebook thinking it was probably hiding somewhere in the dingy, dark corners of the internet. Still nothing. Where could it be?! I’ve got to find it before it finds me.
The last few months have been incredible. There have been sandy beach days, hearty, inappropriate laughs and lingering life lessons—-punctuated by brutal, stomach-stomping, life-altering bad news. And according to the schedule: bad news is long overdue. But it’s nowhere to be found.
Fueled with the best possible MRI results, Dad, Mom and Graham headed out for Yosemite. I anxiously awaited Mom’s signature late-night-emails, offering up the news of the day. They never came. In fact, aside from a single crackly voicemail and a stream of scenic photos, I haven’t heard anything from the road trippers. Instead, I hear Kathleen Bade’s familiar voice in my head, chanting no news is good news! (an ironic catchphrase coming from a newswoman).
Even so, I spent the past week living in a perpetual calm before the storm. Bad news had to be brewing, right? Yeah yeah, I know we’ve all been told in a variety of inspirational ways that we should dance in the rain—but I have like ZERO rhythm, plus I’m overtly opposed to being cold and damp.
So, in hopes of bracing myself for impending doom, I was suspicious of every email and every encounter with a friend. I thought surely this is the bad news I’ve been waiting for. I lingered on phone calls just a little longer, waiting for the Oh by the way…I’ve got some bad news. But the bad news never came. Instead, I found myself bombarded with good news (and lots of it!): A baby born, a test passed, a deal made, a race finished and a tumor shrinking.
I know, bad news will inevitably come again. But the good news about bad news is there’s an antidote for it—and it’s good news. If bad news is a storm, then good news is a windbreaker. Good news is a cushion, a brace, a shield. Good news softens the blow, so bad news isn’t all that bad. And I found that as soon as I stopped fearing the worst, I was able to appreciate the best. So bring on the howling wind and drenching rain—I’ve got on my windbreaker and I’m ready to dance!
xoxo
Hannah
