Summer in the ICU: Learning to Appreciate the Little Things
When most people think about summer, they think about vacations, beach days, backyard barbecues, and long afternoons by the pool.
I think about the summer we spent in the ICU.
Years ago, Randy became very sick and needed a tracheostomy to help him breathe. What should have been a season filled with sunshine and family memories became a season of hospital rooms, monitors, doctors, nurses, and uncertainty.
I remember looking out the hospital window and watching the world continue on without us. Families were heading to the beach. Kids were riding their bikes. Friends were posting pictures of vacations and summer adventures.
Meanwhile, our entire world had shrunk to an ICU room.
The days felt long. The nights felt even longer. Every beep of a monitor seemed important. Every conversation with a doctor carried hope, fear, and countless questions.
At the time, I couldn’t understand why we had been handed this journey.
But something unexpected happened during that difficult season.
My perspective changed.
When you spend months hoping your child can simply breathe comfortably, your definition of a “good day” becomes very different.
The things I used to take for granted suddenly became precious.
A quiet morning at home.
A family dinner around our own table.
Sleeping in our own beds.
Watching Randy laugh.
Hearing him breathe without struggle.
Those became the moments that mattered most.
Life didn’t stop for everyone else that summer. The world kept moving while we stood still. And although that realization was heartbreaking then, it taught me something I carry with me today:
Ordinary moments are actually extraordinary.
Today, Randy no longer needs his tracheostomy. Something that once felt impossible became reality. And because of that experience, I appreciate our everyday life in a way I never could before.
Now, some of my favorite summer memories are the simplest ones.
Pool days.
Beach days.
Watching the sunset.
Sharing sandwiches and chips at the kitchen table.
Listening to Randy talk about his day.
Being home.
Safe.
Together.
Those moments may seem small to someone else, but to me they are everything.
The ICU taught me that joy isn’t always found in the big milestones. Sometimes it’s hidden in the ordinary moments we rush past without noticing.
So this summer, I encourage you to pause.
Take the picture.
Eat the sandwich.
Watch the sunset.
Laugh a little longer.
Appreciate the people sitting around your table.
Because there was a time when I would have given anything for one ordinary day at home.
And now that we have those days, I don’t want to miss them.
The hardest seasons of our lives often leave us with the greatest gifts. Ours was learning gratitude for the little things.
And honestly, those little things have become the big things.
With gratitude,
Elsie
Rise & Shine Life Coaching