Gift of Time

Independence Today

I needed to get down to Plaza Midwood and it was a beautiful afternoon, so I rode my e-bike by myself for the first time. Don't worry the terrible selfie was taken while parked. And the real reason behind the quest was a fresh new stack of library books.

Hair

I realized this week that I can pull my hair into a teeny tiny ponytail. It's not the best ponytail I've ever had, but I'm pretty darned proud of it. I also have chosen not to color my hair again. For the most part, I'm trying to use as many natural products as possible. But I do miss my blonde hair. I have been coloring my hair since I was 16. I guess it's a little shallow to miss hair color. Without color, I'm sort of a dishwater blonde. But it's a lot cheaper this way.

As for natural products, most are going well (makeup, skincare, etc.) though, I am basically back to regular deodorant. If anyone has a recommendation for a natural deodorant, I'm all ears (err... armpits). Everything we've tried so far is clearly for people who do not sweat at all.

New Brain Buddy

Sadly, the longer I go in this journey, the more brain buddies I end up with. Originally, it was my friend from MSU, Kate - we worked together as fundraisers at MSU. She also has a malignant brain tumor. Then my friend Jenn from Penn State connected me with Maria, another young lady with a brain tumor. Sadly, I recently gained yet another brain buddy who is a very young woman whom I also know from my time at MSU. She is about 25 and had a brain aneurism, underwent major brain surgery, and is now, thankfully, home from the hospital. Please send her all of the good vibes, prayers, etc. Her attitude is incredible and she is surrounded by a great support system.

Time

I've had many people respond about my needing a driver for work meetings. Some here in Charlotte; and many friends and family members expressed wishing they lived closer to help. As a result, I nearly titled this post, "Humbled, part 2." I'm always hesitant to take people up on these type of offers. Mostly because I don't want to waste anyone's time. I know if they offer they are willing but time is of course our most valuable gift that we can give to each other. Maybe, after being faced with a potentially life shortening situation, time seems unbelievably valuable!

Most Meaningful

I love this 5 year journal that we bought at a bookstore in Wichita. You answer the same question for 5 years on the same page. A question earlier this week was about the most meaningful conversation I had that day and I realized it was with my Uber driver. He was very kind and warm and told me that he lost his wife to breast cancer at the beginning of covid and started driving Uber to get out of the house and speak to good people.