Progress Report 2-8

Week 8 – I have to begin by telling you that last Saturday after Tai Chi I attended a presentation on Oncology Massage (for extra credit). This is a new emerging field within massage therapy and they are finding out that the benefits are really significant for cancer patients in terms of quality of life, so they are establishing a new experimental program at Christ Hospital to give free ……here it comes……FOOT MASSAGE…. to their outpatients while receiving chemo. As you know I am way ahead of the curve thanks to my wonderful husband who unknowing to the rest of the world created the program and still insists on rubbing my feet while getting treatment. I did tell the presenter that my husband has copywrite rights and they may have to talk to our lawyer. Sharbel though was thrilled to know that his work was totally recognized and validated by health professionals, but most of all I used to feel guilty about getting that special treatment when passersby looked at me with envy and now I can justify it all by telling them I am part of an experimental study.
At Tai Chi Master Lao (nicknamed Miagui by Karim) led a great practice. At the end we all sat down like little obedient students and he began his talk. He likes to tell us motivational stories, sharing some insight from a Dali Lama interview he watched earlier and drilling the importance of patience. He tells us with his Chinese accent: “You have to be patient even when boil egg…you think boil egg is easy? Boil perfect egg that no stick when peel… takes patience, you have to wait for right water temperature to put the egg in the water, how long boil egg, how to cool egg..” well he made it sound like it would take all morning to boil the egg and unfortunately he did not share with us the exact details of how it is done so I will not be able to share that recipe with you this time but will try to have him divulge the secret next week. He ended with “NEVER GIVE UP” yell and a “ how are you feeling” to which we all yell back “TERRIFIC”.
Well you know when you are falling into a quiet routine when the doctor’s visit only lasts a few minutes talking more about vacation spots and e-book readers –( sony vs kindle vs nook, anyone with insight on that? opinions are welcome) - than health issues and as I said before with Randy that is always a good sign. Randy; dressed today in a very cheery pink shirt and a pink tie asked me if I was ready for round 2. Of course I am. My blood work is very good and I feel stronger and better than ever and plan to 1-2 punch it out, one being the last 6 treatment and two the next 6. The new routine is much better schedule wise with a slightly higher dose 3 weeks on and one week off. With more room to breathe this will allow me to escape to California in between for some natural healing even if I have construction going on. Ah the construction…I will need a separate blog for that but I’ll give you here a snapshot of what is going on since in a way it is part of my journey. Our house has a parallel life with its own “restoration and healing journey” ups and downs. It has been waiting patiently for the attention we had promised it when we bought it 5 years ago. If the house had the power to expel us it certainly earned the right. Well I believe houses have souls and last year the house sent us notice by shutting down the water heater, furnace and air conditioning, which all had to be replaced. So feeling threatened by that thought and finally reaching a “can’t band-aid that anymore situation...” we began with the most urgent parts...leaky bathrooms. We have two bathrooms completed. We insulated the attic converting some wasted space into much needed storage, which also made the house and especially Karim’s room which is an attic room much warmer. The second bathroom is done except for a vanity which through an unfortunate turn of events is not showing up after all, so I need to order something else, meaning that it will not be ready before my mom arrives on the 12th. The cigarette smoke stained (from previous owner) pink flower wall covering in Yasmine’s bedroom is partly stripped but that too may not be completed before the 12th, it seems who ever put that up owned stock in a glue company. So the second floor will not be 100% complete by Thanksgiving as I originally planned, but that is totally ok. I have come to accept that some things no matter what we do and how hard we try will just have to happen at their own time. That goes for the big addition too. Sharbel keeps asking when will it start and feeling his frustration I just told him that one day he will come home and it will be done, just like that, just like magic. Did he already forget the many times he came home and found walls and doors moved? I am not sure he totally understands my metaphysical take on things but in my chemo brain mind this is how life goes. Enjoy the moment, be grateful for what was accomplished and look forward to what’s coming for it is all good.
Much love