Iguana says: Please Be Kind

I feel as though someone has set the reset button on my appreciation of life in general. I am glad for it.

Simple things such as waking up this morning for it being to bright.

I opened my eyes and looked around the room and smiled. Here I was sleeping in a bed that was mine, in a room with my possessions. A sun shinning in on me. It was so nice.

Then to follow leaving my apartment to pick up my laundry and just seeing the happy kids in the street, walking to school with their mothers.

Then walking my 15 minute walk to the gym. Knowing I no longer had to take a 30 min subway ride again.

Followed by walking to the grocery store and for the first time in seven months I bought groceries! I bought pita bread, jello snacks, crackers, hummus, Chocolate Soy Milk, Apple Juice, Rice cakes and TV dinners (Lean Cuisine of course).

I wanted to fall down on the floor and just raise my hands up to the sky and say thank you to someone.

Now I'm not saying my life was horrible in Crown Heights, but I never really noticed how nice these things are when you don't have them. But I survived and as this week progresses I realize how much I missed real life. I have sample everything I bought today. I need to be careful or I'll get plump or something.

I look behind me and see my bed...

MY BED!

My body still aches from the floor and all the nights I slept. When I leaned into the PS2 and made my back sore.

My body still isn't used to feeling food that's normal. I'm used to trail mix for seven months straight.

I'm not used to space to move in my room. I have so much laid out and have room for more!

I am going on a date tomorrow night and the guy said I should pack a change of clothes in case I spend the night. I laughed and smiled to myself and answered, "I'll do something like that..."

And for the first time I thought to myself, "But I want to go home and sleep in MY bed." I don't know when I ever thought that in the last four years? That I had a bed that I called my own.

Now some people may read this and roll their eyes and say, "Is he still going on about this? He didn't battle Cancer or anything." And I say true.

But I also say when someone is pushed to their emotional limits they have every right to revel in the good times as they did in the bad times.

I feel reborn and it's a nice feeling.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep and I'm going to lay in bed with my legs spread...because I haven't been able to do that in a year.