Reflections

In the past year it seems that I have come in contact with a lot more people in some sort of negative physical condition. I wanted to first say illness but that word didn’t seem to cover it. People with cancer of all types- lung, brain, prostate, ovarian, skin, pancreatic; folks managing serious vision issues, a child with Crohn’s, with brain injuries, with autism; someone with shingles, people with depression. Whew………………….

To initially meet these people you would never have a clue what is really going on…..what happens in those private moments or what is going through their minds and the minds of the parents of those kids. They carry themselves with immense grace and life.

By no means do I criticize those in similar situations who openly express their distress – we are all different and cope differently. But I am amazed and then again not amazed by the many people who have serious issues going on in their lives and by the way they carry themselves, you would never know it. It is not that they have become resigned to their fate. To the contrary those who I know are very much determined to prevail and are on various levels frightened, get discouraged and experience “why me”. But they have not stopped embracing life, not pushing ahead each day, pushing aside the physical and emotional pain enough so that it does not define them. I knew someone who had been though a few sudden job losses and had also gone through some serious medical issues and he shared that you just put your head down and move forward, little by little, and sometime day by day hour by hour. You pick yourself up when you stumble but you don’t let the stumbles define who you are. You continue to admire the sunrises, be at awe with a sunset or the night blaze of the Milky Way. You pray, you laugh, you cry and you embrace the life that you have as imperfect as it is, give thanks for all that is good and seek guidance and support through the rough spots.

I take lessons from these experiences and from these people. You sometimes haven’t a clue what is really going on with someone when you see them. Appearance are very deceptive and sometimes the people who are the calmest and nicest and most genuine are the people with the most number of issues going on with themselves or those they love. Be grateful for all that is good in your life. If you are healthy or your loved ones are healthy don't take that for granted. Be kind and embrace life even when it is scary to do so.