Brain cancer is…
…a time to reflect on your choice of
the Word of the Year.
When your family starts a Sunday morning with brunch
at El Torito…
…you can pretty much count on a lazy afternoon.
And that’s what we have here: a quiet, peaceful day. Darrell is ready to go, eager to proceed with the next phase of treatment, but the pre-game for that is tomorrow. Today we have a bit of space to reflect.
Word of the Year
For a few years, some of us have been choosing a Word
of the Year each January in lieu of choosing resolutions, which, once broken,
are useless. The Word of the Year is a word that you choose to set your priorities and shape your decisions. (Want more information? There are many you can ask: Lu Ann, Roene, Kristine, and Ruth, for
example.)
This year Darrell and I chose “lean.”
We read it both as an adjective (lean = spare, trim)
and as a verb (slant, bend forward). We
wanted our 2016 lives to be “lean” in that we would finally donate all our extra stuff, unsubscribe from all those commercial emails
(good bye, Pottery Barn!), and focus on our important priorities.
In our version of “Word of the Year,” you are allowed
to ditch a word and choose another if things just don’t work out between your
word and you. However, Darrell’s
diagnosis has reconfirmed our commitment to our word lean.
First,
“lean” as an adjective is the perfect word to remind us to focus on what’s important: Keep
life “lean” and let go of the extraneous bits. As each of us has experienced in the face of
sickness or strife, that’s a particularly shiny silver lining to adversity, isn’t
it? To see with clarity what’s
important?
Second,
“lean” as a verb is the perfect word to focus our efforts in the coming months. It’s so easy
to live life with the illusion of control. We’re
all movers and shakers; we make things happen, right? It’s easy to maintain that illusion until a
reminder of our fragile limits--a reminder like an accident or a serious diagnosis--comes along.
Darrell and I are wrestling with the loss of the control we thought we had. But he and I will figure it out, as we all do. Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something,
change it. If you can’t change it, change
your attitude.” In so many cases, all we can change is our attitudes. All we have is our responses to life's events.
We are planning a treatment course as aggressive as
medical science allows. We’ve got a
myriad of family and friends doing all they can to support us in so many ways and send up their prayers, good
wishes, points of light, all of them, in Darrell’s behalf.
And finally, we’re leaning
into changing our attitudes to meet the challenges ahead, to bend with the
forces that shape life, and to continue making memories every day. So
much laughter, so many memories to cherish every day! Thanks for making them with us.
Tomorrow's Pregame Schedule
- Antibiotic pills begin (a.m. and p.m.)
- Radiation simulation (1:30 p.m.)
- Chemo pills begin, 7 days a week (p.m.)
Andi, the picture of your word brought an image to mind, that of your family (and friends you treat like family!) leaning on each other, leaning into each other, placing you in the strongest, safest and most comforting position. If it’s possible to be ready for the pregame and game, the Guillaume Family is there. Continue to lean! We’re with you!
ReplyDeleteExcellent comment Kim. Yes...lean on us all. That's what we're here for.
ReplyDelete(PS. I didn't mean the kind of "lean" like after three bottles of wine, but that's okay too! :0)
ReplyDeleteLove the image, Kim. It reminds us of how much stability comes from strategic leaning. And you bet we'll keep on leaning on the larger team, for sure. Every day.
ReplyDelete