Mr. Orange

I knew it would happen eventually... James had a minor medical emergency Tuesday night.  But it might as well have been the loss of a limb or a gunshot wound because suddenly the world and my perception of it changed drastically as I sped my son to the doctor late into the evening.   

This was the first time James has been sick in his five months of existence.  And I know it certainly won't be his last, but I guess the first time is always the hardest.  James' breathing had become labored and there was loud wheezing.  At times it seemed as if he was gasping for air.  The diagnosis was croup.  After an injection of steroids and a Nebulizer treatment James came around and shook off his strained breathing.  By the way, being the Carlock Champion that he is, Master James never once stopped smiling and flirting with his young female doctor and nurses during this ordeal. 

After things settled down and James and I spent the day together to regroup our mental facilities, I realized how during the frantic, troubled breathing moments Tuesday night nothing else in the world mattered aside from making sure my boy was going to get healed.  Nothing.  All of life's trivialities and inanity fell away and my true purpose in this world revealed itself.  "Keep the boy alive."  I have one task to complete in this lifetime.  One.  Keep my boy alive.  I say it as generally as possible because that goal encompasses many aspects of James' world, which includes safety, happiness, and a well rounded experience on this planet.