Prepare for Impact

In life we never really know, just who is going to have an impact on our lives. Who will love us, hate us, hurt us, it's all a waiting game. This subject is on my mind after sharing a wonderful lunch with Laura. To merely call her a friend would be to grossly undersell the relationship. I met Laura through Weight Watchers, when she filled in for my regular meeting leader. I remember liking her style. Later, when I had become a receptionist for Weight Watchers I was able to work with her in a few meetings. Later, still, when I had put some of my weight back on, I started attending her meetings. Yes, she did help me loose some weight, but the impact came later, when I was diagnosed with cancer. Laura was literally one of the first people who showed up for me. A cancer survivor herself, she knew well the journey that I was about to undertake and selflessly gave of herself and experience. She introduced me to others that would become a core part of my journey that I called my survivors group. Laura also introduced me to the Cancer Support Community of South Bay, where I attend my group meetings. Laura was never asked to do these things, she just did them out of love. It was a great lesson for me. There are people out there that will just love you, no strings attached. This, I believe is true for all of us. I am grateful for her friendship and partnership in my journey. I am also keenly aware that my time to give back is here. Just holding onto love does nothing and no one any good, we have to give it back to the world, let it flow, grow and come back to us. That is the impact of true friendship.

I write about it today, because I wonder who along the way, I might have loved, learned from, had I not rejected them. We all do it, turn a blind eye to the homeless person, roll our eyes at the kids in Starbucks, change lanes at the grocery store because we think that the person in front of us is about to use food stamps and take up our precious time. But without others is our time really that precious? What if we asked the crazy kid at the coffee shop what they were drinking and discovered something new? What if we gave a dollar to the homeless occasionally or bought them a meal, or maybe sat with them and listened to their story. Wouldn't that time be well spent? For those of us (and yes, I include myself in this) who watch TV daily, wouldn't our time be more rewarding being out in life instead of watching a falsification of life? What would happen if everyone gave up two hours of television a week and did volunteer work? How would our communities be impacted?

I remember attending several funerals over the years. Some big, some small, but the one I really remember the most is my Grandfathers. The love that poured out of everyone there for him. And why? He himself was loving, and inclusive. Everyone was welcome at his house. I seriously doubt if he ever met anyone he didn't like. At the end of his life, I could see that it was a life well lived. I stood there proud to be his Grandson. His loving nature impacted me in a way that still makes me want to give back today, what more can I say.

After the battle with cancer, I got to reclaim my life, but more importantly, I got to choose the type of life that I want to live. That is a gift that cancer can give you if you are open to receiving it. The gift to finally stop what you are doing and really examine things. What is important and what you want. It gives you the time to prepare for impact. You just have to be willing to look away from the pain to see and feel the good.