It was a quick trip up and back from Baltimore this morning. Usually the rain makes for terrible traffic; but thankfully that wasn’t the case today. In fact, it was quick getting back to DC as well as I managed to make it to the office by 10:30 am.
My time on the table started with me focused on the simplicity of counting the short buzz of the machine as each beam of radiation was delivered. That reminded me of my late grandfather who kept himself occupied during his last days in hospice by counting the number of dots per acoustical ceiling tile. I don’t believe I’ve ever shared how his end of life struggles had a profound impact on my senior year of high school. Somehow those thoughts led me to thinking about the personal struggles we tend to hide and how they shape us.
Whether it’s heartbreak, loss, health, family or something else, I thought about how rare it was that we share our story and how unique it is that this experience has a small group of us ‘morning regulars’ readily sharing our tales with one another.
While the totality of what the four of us, and our families, have gone through shapes my perspective, I’m reminded how resilient we can be if we choose.
It is no doubt that these six weeks will continue to shape my perspective, challenging me in ways that I can not yet know.