I remember where I was standing when the phone rang on August 19, 2008, when my father called to tell me Mom’s cancer had taken a very serious turn. I sank to the floor in my bedroom, repeating, “What? Wait. What? I don’t understand. What?”

For the next six weeks, our family struggled to absorb the news. Then Mom started radiation, and we had a new set of problems dealing with the horrible side effects. In November, the radiation ended, and we were left with the after effects: Mom had lost 40+ pounds. And our lives were question marks on a roller coaster.

But somehow, life kept happening. We made it through the holidays. Mom slowly started feeling better, finding a little more strength. But it wasn’t until very recently that we left the fall’s state of constant crisis and settled into what we consider to be our new reality.

Our new reality is that Mom is sick, but she’s still Mom. She’s starting to do things more often, like go to a play with Sarah and me (that’s the picture). Almost every day she … err… tosses her cookies (sorry for the overshare). She is trying to eat more, but she’s still losing weight. But that’s what life looks like right now, and we’ve somehow come to accept it.

We’ve come to cling to that phrase: This is the new reality. It gives us peace to know what to expect, though we don’t like it. Mom knows that she’s going to be sick in the morning, and then it’s over. She hates it, but knowing that it’s a new constant helps her accept it and move through. I had applied that phrase to Mom’s situation, but I realized the other day that it applies to my work at Avenue Z as well.

All of a sudden, I’m in a new reality. My new reality is amazing. I’m an established business owner, not a struggling newbie. I have great relationships with a number of long-time clients, and they not only pay my bills, they make me smile, think of me and my family, encourage me as my company grows and share stories of their lives with me. It’s been less than 2 years since I started my company, and I’ve yet to borrow money, pay a bill late, miss a meal or go without a latte when I really want it. I no longer work 10-12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. My stress level has decreased, even though I still worry about how to get everything done. And I’m utterly happy with the path I chose.

It’s no secret that I’ve been blogging less here at Life on Avenue Z. A few of you have written (which always makes me smile) to ask how things are going, worrying that my silence is a bad sign. My blogging less here is less about me being unhappy and more about me being very content. My original title here was “The trials and tribulations of a new freelance copywriter.” I haven’t written much because I’m kind of out of the trials and tribulations phase. I’m thinking of rewriting the tagline and the purpose of this blog so that it more reflects my new reality, which ain’t so bad.

Look around your life… has a crisis quietly settled, leaving you with a new reality you’ve yet to recognize?

PS — another Mom update: We had some GREAT news in February. The big tumor in her neck that they treated with radiation has shrunk to 50 percent, and the other little nasty boogers have either stayed the same or decreased. Yeah. Take that Dr. Gloom who delivered the news with a horrifying timeline! This means that we’re no longer living on the doctor’s time prediction. Mom’s living each day on her own timeline, and we’re happy to share each day with her.