mw left today for a six day kayak trip around the san juan islands. i woke up to my third migraine in two weeks. i probably haven't had three in the last year, so it's a little frustrating. two weeks ago i hurt my back. can't-get-up-off-the-chair-without-moaning hurt my back. it's definitely better. but it's not great. so my point is this. i am whiny and i am entitled. the root of my whininess goes much deeper than the pain. the physical pain i can handle. it's not wonderful, by any stretch of the imagination. but hurting my back and dealing with the migraines is so much more emotionally and mentally taxing. the kids don't understand why i literally cannot get out of the chair. they don't understand why i can't feel my left hand or see out of my left eye. or why we have to hurry home from the pool before i can't see to drive. they don't understand why student loans and bills and dad out of town and family thousands of miles away causes stress that manifests itself in debilitating headaches. i don't expect them to understand. they're so little. and yet, somehow, without understanding any of what causes it, they make it better. cw makes breakfast and calls mw to tell him i'm down. aw lets the baby crawl in the shower with her and then she diapers and dresses him. bw tones down his crazy and watches cartoons. they pitch in and help me keep things together. and i know this time of backaches and migraines will pass. i know it will. i also know that for now, while it's here, the kids will help me feel better. they can't make the physical pain go away. but they have a knack for easing the emotional aches and pains.