wrinkles in perspective

hello friends!

I've been thinking about pressure lately,

and how we're often swayed one way or the other

to be something else

or have something more

or create something different than everyone else.

The world is filled with people

who always seem to have more than we have...

The bigger house,

the newer car,

the better opportunities,

the yearly vacations,

the fashionable clothes...

But it's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?

I am fortunate to have a caring, compassionate

and intelligent doctor. 

She practices during the day at her office,

she also treats patients at a nightly clinic sometimes,

she is occasionally on call at the hospital,

and she does work at the oncology center nearby.

More recently, she partnered with someone in medical aesthetics.

She also has a husband, and children.

Basically, she's a dedicated workaholic and/or an overachiever,

and probably a rich one. :-)

This morning, we were talking about perspective and gratitude,

and she mentioned seeing a patient who was 35 years old (or young!)

and desperate to get rid of her wrinkles.

On the same day, 

she worked at the oncology center

and saw another patient who is 37 and in chemotherapy

for breast cancer.

The woman has no hair,

one breast,

and 2 small children.

I doubt she's too concerned about her wrinkles...

For one woman, wrinkles are the focus,

and for the other - survival.

Being there for her children.

Staying in this world just a little longer...

This just tugged at my heart

and reminded me of how petty our problems often are.

How important it is to be grateful,

to not complain.

to think of others who have so much less than we do.

The new cars, the big houses

the trips around the world

mean nothing to someone with 2 months to live.

This day matters.

Make it worthwhile.

And on the subject of gratitude,

i am forever grateful to have you all here

on this little journey with me.

Who knows where we'll go?

Much love

xoxo

starry night

Sometimes, life throws sucker punches. 

Or maybe it just tries to jolt us into becoming more aware of what's really important.

In the past two years, i've lost a good friend to cancer, my own mother was diagnosed and

is currently in chemotherapy, my father had a severe heart attack and

i've had a few health scares myself,

which i now attribute to mentalpause - (menopause my ass...)

More recently, we have close friends who are going through very difficult times...

I know it sounds so cliché, but when you lose your health, you lose everything.

Nothing else matters.

I've always found it hard to distance myself from another person's pain.

I still work hard on that one,

looking for that right balance between being there for support

and not losing myself in the process.

So whenever i begin to feel overwhelmed,

and there are too many stories of children being abused in the news,

and honour killings,
and cancer,

and acid burnings -

I pull myself out,

and find my way to the good things.

To a long walk in the cold winter air,

and a starry night sky,

and the moon,

if only to remind myself that amongst the chaos of all this "badness"

there is still "goodness" as well.

I get what Ralph Waldo Emerson was saying

when he spent so much time alone in his little cabin in the woods.

Nature is indifferent.

Where i am looking at a beautiful full moon,

someone else is drowning somewhere in the world.

Gratitude for what you have,

or where you are,

or who you are is so important.

If you can't be grateful when things are good,

you'll never make it when things get bad.

Be grateful today, ok?

Don't complain over a broken fingernail.

Think of those who have so much less than you do on this day.

xoxo