If today was any indication, I may be starting to lose my natural patience. As a down-to-earth Taurus, it usually takes quite a bit before I see even a light shade of red. Now, let it be known that it’s possible my testiness today was activated by any number of things. Rising at 7:30 am could be the basic culprit. Not getting enough good sleep probably gave me the physical trigger for my...
In quite a few stages or chapters of my life, I adopted what I’ve dubbed mantras to remind myself to keep laser-focused on my ethics, objectives, and goals at the time. For instance, while we were building a service network for working migrants in Moldova, my team often heard me say, “learning by doing.” That was an invitation to all of us to innovate, to experiment, and to make...
Small shifts in outlook can make a big difference. And how logic saved my day. When you consider yourself valuable you will take care of yourself in all ways that are necessary.M Scott Peck My oncologist met me in the cancer clinic hallway as I was being led to my little infusion room on Wednesday (…finally, after I’d been made to wait for an hour and a half). “Oh, I was just about to come...
A single mosquito chased me out of bed today. I’m halfway through the Tuesday scheduled chemo treatments and I’ve noticed a pattern emerging: I feel the effects of the infusions in my entire body the strongest on Fridays and Saturdays. Two days of feeling like a bag of crap… a low-level neck-ache ramps up to a medium-level headache that grabs my eyeballs and disrupts my sense of self. A burning...
I’m going to cheat in my journal today and use someone else’s writing to illustrate a principle I truly believe in: with our small acts of kindness we can be a light in the world… and this light will shine way beyond our own small world. When the world feels cold and dark and lonely, take heart: Anybody can make their corner of it brighter.Elizabeth Gilbert This touching short story below to...
Shearing my own head this afternoon gave me assurance that sheep are not harmed or pained when they are clipped for their wool. Maybe that’s a crazy thought, but it’s the one that came to me. So there. I had intended to have the deed done much earlier this week. And I had expected that my honey would do it for me, as throughout the pandemic he has normally—and happily—been the one to...
I’ve often marveled at our couple culture. My honey and I are nearing 36 years since we became lovers in Beijing. That’s when he, a China-born Canadian, joined Gates to China, that is, my father-partner and me, in exhibiting on behalf of ten Canadian companies in the first international trade show in China since the sleeping giant opened its doors to foreigners. On our first dinner date in...
“Does everyone undergoing chemotherapy lose their hair?” I asked my oncology nurse. “No, ma’am, depends on the medicine,” she answered without hesitation. Okay, let me get more specific. “Does everyone who gets paclitaxel lose their hair?“ “Yes, ma’am,” she answered, just a tad too cheerfully. At least that clarified what I could expect. In a...