Numbering Days, Week 7

I go for Treatment #4 today so I wanted to be sure to post before (I didn't end up posting before, I only added a couple pictures after. But I'm backdating it makes sense. Maybe). My view on things is better when I'm feeling better than when I'm not, which is not unique to me or to chemo I don't think. Two weeks ago I struggled so much the day before treatment, but yesterday was good. I started the morning in my Bible, following the Bible-in-a-year plan and we just happened to be in Lamentations 3, which contains some of my very favorite verses, 16-33. God is kind like that to consistently give me words that I need, just when I need them.

Sometimes its just that simple...Be stronger than your excuses. I workout because I can, to build good blood cells, to have sufficient stamina to photograph an upcoming wedding. Find your "why" and put the work in. :)

I don't know how to explain the beauty that is in the ordinary for me these days. I'm just so grateful to be here, a witness to the sun's rays on morning grass, breathing in the late summer air.

Also ordinary....work. Time spent at the office...contributing, helping people, being purposeful. Noteworthy: it felt cool enough to justify my first cup of tea of the season.

I drink nearly a gallon of water a day, since forever. My preferred way has been room-temperature with a squirt of water flavor. After my first treatment I couldn't stand the enhancer taste or the fact that it was tepid. Just like that, I drink water ice cold with lemon. Go figure. Just one of the dozens of ways my body is affected. Aware of this change, Amy sent me a water bottle that stays cold and doesn't sweat.

A fun focus for this week was making preparations for my niece Maddy's bridal shower. Amy did all the planning for the food and decorations and we prepared our house. Since our early 20's, the two of us have been tag-team-hosting holidays, showers, birthdays, events...for our families, our friends, strangers in need...I wouldn't even be able to quantify them. Hundreds in two plus decades? We've had so much fun doing it together...learning from mistakes and successes, adding to our large platter collection along the way. It was extra special to host this one together. 

Family fondue the night before treatment. When we gather around the table for a couple hours together its rarely picture perfect like I had in my head. Life is about constantly adjusting expectations.