“The More Things Change…” – Nathan

Greetings friends! Well, it is that time again as I am once more honored to be a part of your daily intake of reading. Although I often share the awesome craziness of our lives and how our three boys with CTD have gone through some tough spells, everything is on the right track now and this post will be a bit different. Today I would like to talk a bit about consistency, which is something that my family doesn’t really consciously consider very often. Without thinking about it though, consistency has crept into our lives, especially as it pertains to our nine-year-old Elijah.

I would like to mention that as a general rule, I have always thought of consistency as a positive thing. I always held pretty strongly that doing something well was good, but doing something well consistently was great. Unfortunately, like so many ups and downs that parents with amazing kids like ours go through, consistency has in some instances shown itself to be rather cruel when put into perspective.

Consistency being cruel? While it even seems odd as I write it, today, while at a race of course, I was stung by what has become the consistency of our Elijah. Prior to the race, we were doing the usual hanging out and visiting when I began talking to a runner who has run alongside Elijah and I many times. Sometimes we even finish before him, but we cross paths at nearly every race, so needless to say, he knows Elijah. In addition to crossing paths at every race, this particular runner always tries to give Elijah an encouraging high-five, and every time (consistency, remember?) Elijah bobs his head to look around the friendly gesture to ensure nobody is hiding behind the hand. Never in over three years of running now, has Elijah ever returned that high-five. I know that this might be melodramatic to some, but to me the realization of stagnant progress I felt today really stung. The words I have never heard Elijah speak or the hug that he has never been able to give me have honestly never bothered me because that is just who Elijah is, but leaving one of his “buddies” hanging with a high-five is hard because I want so much for him to take just one baby-step forward after a significant time of consistency.

Will Elijah ever return that high-five? Yes, he will. One day we will be in the middle of a race that I wish would end already and someone will come up with that always recognizable gesture and without missing a beat, Elijah will match it with the familiar smack that speaks volumes without saying a word. How long do I honestly believe it will take before Elijah will perform this task? Well, I think he is sure to do it at our next race…