Nuggets

Occasional flashes of wisdom/humor/insight/wonder streak through my mind; I’ve taken to recording them quickly before they evaporate. They are not thoughts substantial enough to support further reflection. I offer them here, however, as evidence of the diverse nature of those phenomena that capture my attention during glimpses of the world as it exists for me now.

Surprising things I’ve unexpectedly come to know/learn:
How to quell a queasy feeling upon seeing a syringe.
Telling loved ones and strangers I have a chronic, often thought to be terminal, disease.
That the timetable to my final destination is typeset and on the printing press.
How to apply a really cold clay pack to a warm belly without flinching (haven’t mastered it yet, but I’m working on it).
How to dine as a vegetarian without soy products (become a soy detective).
A profound understanding of the concept of gratitude.
The rapture of a successful colonic.
Managing healthcare decisions utilizing sources with widely divergent philosophies of treatment.
Every arcane nuance of coffee enemas, from preparation to fulfillment.
Living with a catheter (even temporarily) for IV medications, implanted in my chest like an extra appendage requiring special maintenance.
Utter reliance on caregiver assistance to maintain medical treatments. Togetherness to the extreme.
I’ll not use 95% of the items stored in the kitchen “string drawer.”

Signs of Hope
Thinking about (even planning!) vacation travel excursions.
In January, planning the next Christmas holidays.
Several seasonal clothing exchanges: pack away winter; unpack summer. Repeat as necessary.
The New York Times coverage of the reality of living with cancer in the Sunday, July 29, 2007 issue. Excellent article, insightful especially of the swings between hope and despair through the course of the illness.
Disagreeable side effects indicative of medication efficacy.

Copyright 2007
Posted: October 19, 2007
http://www.lindalater.blogspot.com