Last week, our close friend passed away. For the better part of twenty years, Janet fought cancer and outlasted the dire predictions of the best oncologists. Despite her frail appearance, she seemed invincible. We regularly compared her to that bastion of commercial longevity, the Energizer Bunny.
What was it about her that kept her alive? Surely, she had to have advice for others. Once, when I asked her for her secret, she answered with one word: denial. As long as she couldn’t see the signs of the cancer in her body, it wasn’t there. She locked the prognosis away, as far from her everyday thoughts as possible, and threw away the key. She decided to live each day on its own merit, and she lived them well. No matter what she was going through, she never lost her passion for people, for food, for laughter.
Few of us are that wise. The fear of trouble ahead sometimes cripples us. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about our health or our loved ones or even our finances. Instead of using each day to enjoy what we have, we agonize over what we may lose.
It’s within each of us to find the same kind of strength Janet had. No matter what we lose, we only need to remember to appreciate the abundance of blessings that still surround us. If we can do that, then maybe our struggles won’t seem quite so insurmountable.
Thank you for teaching us that, Janet. Rest in peace, dear friend.
ROADBLOCKS, DETOURS and ROUNDABOUTS 