Yesterday Afternoon

So, yesterday afternoon was one of the best days ever! Actually, one of our friends visiting from out of town said it WAS the best day of her whole life... We went to the "Friday Sunset Club" which sounds a lot more organized than it is. It's just a casual get together at a sand bar, which a bunch of people with boats all turn up at after work on Fridays when we can. Texts and phone calls fly back and forth, but it’s pressure free and very casual. If you can make it, you are welcomed and if you can’t… well, we’ll miss you until next Friday.


 I think there were about 10 boats there, all filled with assorted friends, who come to recharge, catch up, and enjoy the truly spectacular show that Mother Nature puts on for us.  The water was Bahama Blue and crystal clear and there were two pods of dolphins feeding and playing at their "Sushi Bar".  Twice, a dolphin chased a fish so close up to, and almost on the sand bar that we all gasped and stepped back – rapidly, I might add. Sand and water were sprayed into the air and we all were completely awestruck by their powerful grace and close proximity. These dolphins call this area home and we can identify some of them by their dorsal fins because we see them fairly frequently. There is no schedule other than that provided by the setting sun.  


The end of the show was announced by very impressive storm clouds, tinted with sunset and shot through with lightning, rolling in. Everybody reluctantly, but hurriedly packed up beach chairs, towels, and coolers, exchanged hugs all around, and shouted out invitations and plans for the rest of the weekend as we piled into our boats and skedaddled before the storm hit. I wasn't smart enough to take any pictures, but a few people were able to get some great shots and have promised to forward them to me. I'll add them as soon as I get them. Times like this remind me of how lucky I am to have this life, in this place, with these people. They remind me that even when life is especially hard because of this rotten cancer, it is certainly worthwhile. I will grab every ounce of joy out of every moment that I can and savor it… like yesterday afternoon

And The Crowd ROARED

I am really lucky that I have a crowd around me cheering me on while I'm kickimg  cancer’s ass. Not everybody can say this and I do not take it for granted even for one second. Staples came up the idea of an “Easy Button”. I think we’d all be WAY better off with an “Applause Button” than an "Easy Button". First, for whatever reason, things that come easily to us, we just don’t appreciate – at least most of us. Maybe Mother Teresa was good enough to take nothing for granted, but most people, not so much. Second, there is just not enough applause and cheering for many people in this world.  A lot of people go their whole lives with no cheering.  That is sad to me as cheering isn't all that hard to do really – and it can change a life much for the better.

 The people that populate my cheering section are all different and from all sorts of places. Sort of like wonderful souvenirs of my life so far, I have packed them up and carried them with me. Some have been around since the beginning and some are new on the scene.  Some I am related to. Some have been friends for years. Some are new friends. Some, I have never met in person, but on Facebook, WordPress (where my blog is published), twitter, LinkedIn, and other similar places. I have noticed that the crowd, like most crowds, moves around and changes. Some people drift away, some I have asked to leave, some left for their own reasons. Some are diehards and I know that the chance of their leaving drifts between slim and none - Yay. Some bring their own crowd with them. They all roar in different ways too. They send flowers and gifts, visit, call, write cards and notes, and post comments and “likes” on various and assorted social media. Please feel free to like, recommend and share the hell out of this blog by the way. Different people, at different times, move to the head of the crowd and they seem to move there when I need them most. 

My Mom and my boyfriend have been the ones most involved with this whole process and have been beyond terrific. The rest of my family has also been really there for me. They say (actually one of my sisters told me) that you will find out a LOT about people when you battle a disease as dreaded as cancer. I was prepared to be disappointed. I was not prepared to be so completely overwhelmed by love, kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. I received more than 12 bouquets of flowers! I was given fruit, quiche, candy, teddy bears, socks, pajamas, cake, cookies, cards, a survivor’s bead for my Pandora, real food while in the hospital, and more. Smiles and gentle hugs were not doled out, but heaped upon me. It seems that people are taking turns coming to the front of this wonderful crowd and this happened in a big way the other day. This by the way is only one example of the many times this has happened with many different people, but it’s a good one.

 My brother, Chris called to see how I was doing and catch up a bit. Something that he said really resonated with me. I love that word… resonated…  Anyway he knew, from another sister – I have three and two brothers, that this past week has been pretty tough in regard to pain. I skate some pretty high mileage to deal with stress and to help keep my body is decent shape. The stress handling part works well. Proof of that is the couple of people still walking around and breathing that really deserved to be killed. At any rate, Chris knows this, as does anybody that has spent any time talking to me. When I told him that I was trying to skate through some of the pain he told me that I should “see” him on the side of the road, jumping up and down and cheering “go baby go!”. He said that I should just imagine him whenever I needed a boost like the people yelling for a team or a competitor. 

 So, I did. And it worked. I mean it really worked. I could almost see him on a corner waving and I could hear his voice in my head. And it help me get through a tough skate when I wanted to quit because I was too tired to be my own cheerleader. And because he was there, I kept going. And I love him for it. And I love everybody that has helped along the way. I even love those that haven’t helped yet, because we have not yet met. Because everybody needs a cheering section and I am lucky enough to have one now when I really need it... So dear cheering section, please know that your cheering is very valuable to me and priceless and irreplaceable. When my crowd ROARS, my heart sings and I get a little stronger and a little further along this strange journey of kicking cancer’s ass. Thank you and may the universe find some way to gift you for your loyal and warm support. At the very least, you know you have me, cheering for you, whenever and where ever you need it. Much love to you all.

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