Holy Moly

So I feel a bit like Austin Powers bringing this up....

The thing is, I have a lot of moles.  I believe I have my father's genes to thank for this.  I try to keep tabs on them and so far I've always gotten a clean bill of health from the doctors when I've had them checked out.  Last week, however, after I took a shower, I noticed that one of the moles on my side (sort of higher up below my armpit -- a real tricky area to see on yourself) suddenly had a very dark circle around it, about the circumference of a finger.  Well, of course I got pretty nervous and showed Chen.  His reaction was no less reassuring (picture a face mixed with horror and fear), so I quickly made a doctor's appointment.

Seeing this thing suddenly appear on my otherwise healthy body caused a range of reactions in me. 

First:

"I'm gonna cut it off, chop it up, and make some guacaMOLE!!"

Okay, maybe I wasn't going to make guacamole, but I did just want to chop it off and have it GONE. 

Next:

I immediately imagined my imminent death.  Why?  Why does my mind go there right away?  Wouldn't I have at least a fighting chance if it were cancer?  Nope.  Not in my crazy, worried mother imagination.  I immediately consoled myself that we had just bought life insurance, stressed about how the girls wouldn't remember me, and hoped that the many hours I've spent documenting my motherhood experiences on this blog would give them some insight into who I was.

I'm a freak.  I know.

"We're not supposed to talk about the bloody mole, but there's a bloody mole WINKING ME IN THE FACE!!"

And that was just it -- this thing was there, not necessarily winking me in the face, but right here on my body, arriving without welcome and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Fortunately, I got a doctor's appointment pretty soon that same morning.  The guy took one look at it and said, "that's a bruise."  (!!!)  Which reminded me that I had recently taken a bit of a tumble down our stairs, and in the course of the fall, I probably pinched or jostled the mole.  Well, although I felt a tad sheepish about my overreaction, the feeling of relief/gratitude far outweighed any embarrassment.

Nevertheless, while I wouldn't wish that morning on anyone, there is good to be gained from a danger-free near death experience (okay, okay, I know that's a serious exagerration, but for a little while that morning, it didn't seem so outlandish).  Sometimes we just need a little good ol' fashioned fear struck in our hearts to be reminded of the simple joys and blessings all around us:  healthy bodies, chubby baby bodies, toddler insights, family cuddles, giggles, stories, and tomorrows.

So, I guess to sum it all up, I do indeed have my father's genes to thank for this reminder.

Nice to mole you--meet you!

Nice to meet your mole!

 Don't say mole.

I said mole.

Smiley face from The Lettered Cottage