Ramen Cabbage Crunch Salad

“I know, I know, I shouldn't have had it done.  It was late; I'd had waaaay too much to drink.

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I mean, people get tattoos every day, don't they?  Of course, they do.  Do you think you could write me a note or something, so I can sue?”

This past Monday night, in an ER, filled to the brim.  On the other side of the curtain, the doc shuffled his papers.

“Here, let's take off the bandage so I can see it.  Good grief woman(!)  Let's tend to the infection first.  From now on, no more late night/back-room ink jobs.  Promise?”

Just then, the flowered curtain on my side of the room parted.  The nurse came bearing an IV, along with a shot or three of pain medicine (the first sign of relief in hours).  My husband whispered in my ear

“Practice your yoga breathing; you're not going to pass out.  It'll be ok.”

Admittedly,  hadn't been feeling well.  The previous weekend a blur of sore throat/cough and cold.  While it wasn't quite a full-blown case of the flu, one could see it from there.

A late-afternoon trip to the grocery had ended with sharp, mind-numbing abdominal pain like nothing I'd experienced before.  The kind that doubles you over onto the kitchen floor, groceries strewn slightly, the ten-pound bag of ice left to melt.  Once I'd paused to collect myself, it was a heck of a long crawl to the bedroom

Shortly after I'd made it, I could hear his car pull into the drive.  “This has got to be an awful scene to come home to.”  I attempted the bravest face I could.  “I'm just a little under the weather, Loves.  Give me an hour or so?”

“You sure about that?”

I could hear his pacing, as she nervously fiddled with her phone

“What do you mean?  She's pregnant?”

“Yep, as far as we can tell, six weeks along.  It's nearly midnight, get some rest, the nurse will be back shortly with some medicine.  After that, you're free to go.  Oh, and, I wish you the best of  luck.”

The tempo of the pacing increased as the doc moved on to his next patient

“Now, what are we going to do?  How did this happen?  Oh man, I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell your Mother.”

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She tapped lightly on my shoulder, “Hey Sweetie, wake up; it looks like they've found you a room.  Ready to go?  The Doc will be by in the morning to go over what your options are to get rid of your

kidney stone.”

That's the funny thing about life; you never know what's going to happen.  One minute you're happily going about your day, the next, it's the middle of the night — your story one of many that will intersect in an ER filled with nondescript exam rooms.

From there, you're on a stretcher being wheeled through a maze of hospital hallways.  Every few minutes, begging your driver to stop so you can catch your breath and

throw up

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The past few days, certainly not at all what I'd planned.  Appointments, work, lunch dates, bike rides, and work-outs would all have to wait.  A house full of puppies and kitties left looking to my husband, wondering what was up.  Where is she and when is she coming back?

At the same time, as odd as it might seem, a change in plans may have been just what the doctor ordered.  A reminder that life is filled with so many things to be thankful for: a million and one blessings in disguise.

Once the pain was under control, and they'd found medicine to take away nausea and help me sleep, I was pretty good to go.

My room was really nice, in a brand new wing of the hospital.  All of my nurses, funny and wonderful.  I can't think of the last time I've been able to sleep, that hard, for that long.  It felt like heaven.  Not to mention, chocolate and vanilla ice cream at the ready to soothe after-surgery sore throats

There were beautiful flowers from sweet friends, get well soon emails, texts of hugs, and prayers from afar.  A bag full of apples, pomegranate juice, and pears because they're known to help a person heal.

A wedding ring I didn't want to part with, even during surgery, from a sweet husband who is an ever-calming force amongst the storm.

And a very favorite visitor who took the time to stop every night on his way home from work.  We've done many a night in the hospital together over the years. “I love you, so very much.”

A reminder that it shouldn't take an event to force us to slow us down and realize all of the wonderful people we have in our lives

to be so very thankful for

This salad was on the menu that fateful night.  It's wonderful

The noodles add crunch, texture, and sweetness to this terrifically versatile slaw.  As the salad sits and the noodles soak up the intensely flavorful sesame dressing, they'll soften slightly.  Be sure to serve it pretty much right away.

Enjoy!

xoxo

~ Adapted from All Recipes