Always Check Your Dots or The Magic of Team D

Brain cancer is...

..always learning.

We had a tough time at the park today.  Some four miles into our walk, and about a mile from the car, Darrell's Optune unit gave one strangled chirp and the battery went dead.  That's not a new event, and it shouldn't have been an issue. 

"No problem!  I'll just pull out the spare from my backpack.  That's why I carry a backpack," I say.  Then we discovered that the battery in my backpack was also dead.  (My mistake.)  Darrell went off treatment for about seven minutes as we made way for the car for the other spare battery.   

It was only a few minutes, and Darrell has such a great compliance rating that it shouldn't have been a big deal, right?  Wrong.  It threw me.  It felt like a bad dream to be stranded without a battery, and it felt like I failed at my one job:  care giving.  I had a hard time recovering from the incident.

Fortunately, as is always the case, it seems, the appropriate Team D member was magically present to help us (me in this case) through a rough spot.  Enter:  Meridyth and her phone call. 

Meridyth let me process what happened, which allowed me to discover that it wasn't just about a dead battery, it was about brain cancer and the feelings of helplessness it provoked two years ago.  Meridyth, as a cancer survivor, understands just how little it can take for cancer and its aftermath to break down the emotional door and barge back into current experience.

Meridyth also asked the great question, "What did you learn from it?"  We learned to always check our dots. And in case there's anything for others to learn, there's the lesson:  Always check your dots.

Thanks, Meridyth.

And On Happier Notes

1.  Team D members are indeed sharing "interesting things" for the list.

• Curt's "things" reminded us to find the interest in daily events.  Great phrases from him:  "The sound of the water trickling down the St. Francis fountain at the house.  The sun reflecting a twinkle of light through a leaf."
• Chris's three things reminded us that we need to travel farther than Craig park.  She shared: A coati, a salp, and a pink-footed chinstrap penguin.  Check out the penguin, whose feet are indeed pink:  

2.  The completed analogical reasoning quiz item from 2/13/18 is: 

• Wigeon : Pelican :: Purple Van : Mercedes RV

3.   The "words of the year" pieces are now firmly in the hands of their owners, as follows:

Darrell's and Andi's word, which you have met.

 

LuAnn's Word

Roene's Word

Sharon's Word

Christine and Family's Word

May all words of the year serve their owners well for 2018!




4.  Finally, in case you need further convincing that Team D always magically comes through for the tough spots:

Dear friends Kathie and Franceen just spontaneously delivered four gourmet cupcakes.  

The Magic of Team D!