My spirit

Sep19

A1E6859C-5214-4A7B-81FE-032101D1B507

My laughter does not age

There are wrinkles around my mouth

But my laughter still brings joy to others

My love does not age

My heart may show signs of the time elapsed

But my love grows deeper 

My writing does not age

My hands are not as smooth as before 

But what I write is based on much more experience 

My feet and knee hurt sometimes

But my legs carry me to new places every day 

My courage grows

My compassion strengthens 

And my appreciation increases

My body my age

But my spirit is strong and perhaps more vibrant 

September 19, 2023 

Humour needed

Sep15

CEADF351-FB50-4B05-9D4C-9E56F15C3B5E

Cancer treatment can be funny
How, you may ask
First, the hospital gowns
You need a degree to know how to tie them
They are one size fits all
I was so proud of myself when I figured out one kind
Then I had the good fortune of having to try a new kind
And that was a disaster
And very frustrating
I tried to follow the directions on the wall
But that did not help
Finally I had to ask another patient to tie it for me

The other funny thing is that the hospital workers in the cafeteria
Gather at lunch and talk and laugh
Forgetting that they are surrounded by sick people

Then there is the lady at the entrance of the cancer wing
Each time she has to ask us if we have any Covid symptoms
And she lists them out fast like the bullets of a matching gun
I want to tell her I know exactly what she is going to ask
And that the answer is no
But she won’t go for that

The other funny or sometimes frustrating thing is
That when visiting your surgeon
You wait and wait
And then you are called into a room finally
But the room is empty and have to you wait and wait
Till the surgeon comes
And in the meantime you hear him walking in the hallway
Talking to other people and you feel totally ignored
Then he comes in with a big smile and lots of energy
Goes over everything really fast
And having experienced a tornado of information
Half of which you don’t understand
You leave
But God bless these surgeons

September 15, 2023

Gratitude

Sep12

IMG_9661

Not to take life for granted
Not to take health for granted
Not to discount the amazing opportunity that is aging
Not to wait to do what one wants to do
These are the gifts of a disease like cancer

Gratitude for the treatments that are available
Gratitude for the support of friends and family
Gratitude for the strength that comes from the spiritual world
Gratitude for managing another challenge in life
Gratitude for the lessons these challenges teach us
Gratitude for deep conversations I’ve had with friends as a result
Gratitude for the love I feel from so many people
Gratitude for learning to live life purposefully
Gratitude for the warm embrace of friendship
These are the things I’m grateful for

September 12, 2023

Instagram smile

Sep2

17EC07DF-3DA4-48DE-97C5-667F2CA4D1B2

Do we go around telling people of our challenge, our struggles, our health issues?

No, we all have our Instagram face on

We smile and it seems like everything is fine

But you have no idea what each person is dealing with

What difficult news they may have just heard

What their family concerns are

What financial issues they may have

So we assume

We assume that all is fine with everyone

And we are the ones with problems

But as soon as your share one of your challenges with some one

They share theirs with you

And then you realize this bubbly person has lupus

Or this friend is struggling with anxiety

Or this acquaintance can’t find a job he likes

It’s just good to be aware 

That life’s troubles visit everyone

Even the ones who seem to have no problems at all

And we are not alone 

And we need to be kind

September 1st, 2023

A maybe to-do list

Aug29

IMG_9661

A maybe to-do list!

What a wonderful concept

To do lists are very necessary

I make them too

But they can be stressful

Because what you need to do stares at you

Each time you pass it by

Some items on the to-do list are harder to cross off

They seem to be permanently there

After a while you don’t see them anymore

Maybe because they are not urgent

Or maybe because you don’t want to do them

Many years ago I learned to put taking care of myself

On the top of the to-do list

Just to make sure I’ll have time for it

I don’t actually write it on the paper

But it’s there in my mind

And I try to do something that is rewarding and enjoyable each day

Mostly writing 

But a maybe to-do list takes the pressure off

These are things you hope to do

But if you don’t 

The world will not fall apart

The tasks merely stay on the list till you get to them

August 29, 2023

You are victorious

Jul27

40F7E87C-5F42-48BE-89C6-F99CB62A4B17

I see your long black beautiful hair moving side to side

As you walk with your back to the camera

Sometimes your hair is blond, sometimes curly

Sometimes mid-night black

Strong like you

Luxurious

Unabashed 

Confident 

I see you standing up for your rights

Fear has left you 

Intimidation does not alarm you

Unlawful laws don’t deter you 

A few angry men cannot control you 

I see you walking tall

I salute you, the women of Iran

And the men who support you

Times have changed

And the dictates of a regime in turmoil

Cannot stop this evolution 

You are victorious 

July 19, 2023

Not religious

Jul25

54BC80BB-590B-4272-82D6-AE3B9404C51B

He told me he is not religious

But he believes any good thing you do for others comes back to you

Karma, I guess

I thought to myself

I think that’s exactly what being religious is about

Doing good deeds and helping other without wanting a reward

Otherwise, what good comes of being religious?

If religion does not make you a better person

If religion does not teach you to help others

If religion does not tell you about the importance of selflessness

What good is religion?

If you call yourself something but you do something else

You are an imposter

You are just pretending

It doesn’t do you or others any good

If you call yourself a peacock

But act like a chicken

Then, you are a chicken 

It’s not about what you call yourself

It’s about how you live your life

July 25th, 2023

Road map

Jul12

E14358FC-BEE6-43AA-AAFA-E32C1FA4E534

My chest looks like a road map

What with all the scars and green marker lines for radiation

Criss-crossing each other

It’s a road map

A road map to where?

It can be to somewhere wonderful

Somewhere beautiful

Somewhere inspirational

I decide where the destination is

So, I look at the road map on my chest

And see a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert

With trees, and a pond

And birds bathing and drinking water

And green grass around the pond

That’s where I’m headed

July 12th, 2023

Today

Jul7

IMG_9661

Today will not return

Tomorrow will not return 

We sometimes anticipate something wonderful

That will happen in the future

And count the days till we get there 

Not realizing we are not appreciating the present

These days that will not come back

Each day is precious 

Each day should be acknowledged and enjoyed 

No one knows what will exactly happen in the future

That future that we are waiting for 

So let’s know the value of today

And make it a worthwhile day

July 7, 2023

On writing

Jun28

06676910-C3A4-48E0-A423-0B3F8E216F9B

Nothing to do
Nowhere to be
No one to see
Quiet surroundings
Only the sound of the birds
Me and my thoughts
Those are the conditions of writing for me
Once a phrase is there
I start and see where it goes

Time is needed
Can’t be rushing all the time
Need to sit for a while with my thoughts
Contemplate
Connect to that deep place in my soul
Where meaning roams
Where emotions dance
Where ideas emerge

In that solemn space
Words appear out of seemingly nowhere
And flow across the page

June 28th, 2023