My friend, Erika, from undergrad (GMU) is visiting me in Portland for the first time. She’s one of my closest friends and we’re going to the coast tomorrow. She’s never been to the Pacific Northwest either and it was fun watching her yesterday - infatuated with how the moss is so thick here covering every single branch and ferns galore. It reminded me of how I was infatuated with this at one time too coming from the East Coast. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer about two years ago (and thankfully has been stable). It’s a more rare form of cancer where people with this cancer often live normal, relatively full lives (and maybe don’t need to start more serious treatment, aka chemo, for a good 20 years). The psychological torture of just having any kind of cancer is tough though. On top of that, there are three additional people, and friends of mine, also recently diagnosed or fighting cancer right now: the prior owner of our house who lives in downtown Portland now (66 years old w lymphoma and she was given five months to live, very cool lady, progressive, and artistic. I take her gooseberries from the garden to surprise her as they are on bushes that she planted here decades ago, and a lot of people don’t know about gooseberries, except for she and I (smile), and because I know gooseberries are like medicine and so good for you - filled with antioxidants and vitamins that I hope will buy her a little more time with us), my very close friend from London who I have known for approx 30 years who I met during my semester abroad in Reading (42 years old, intestinal cancer spotted during a recent, first-time colonoscopy. She has surgery scheduled Wednesday at which time they’ll decide if she will need additional treatment, including chemo and radiation, once they can see what’s going on inside ), and, my very good, close friend, mentor, and former boss who hired me at EPA from SC (65 yrs old, leukemia, probably stage 1 or 2, who comes to visit Brett and I each year in Portland, and one of the most hilarious and fun people you’ll ever meet who I speak to at least once a week on the phone). So, while I could be losing my job any day now as a federal employee, the relationship with my conservative brother and Dad is on life support, the U.S. seems to be on the verge of Civil War and is undergoing a Constitutional Crisis, and the world is falling apart, I’m reminded of how insignificant many of these troubles and life problems are. Interestingly, all four of these individuals with cancer are women and two of them are around my age. None of them smoke and they all are relatively healthy. I read an article the other day pointing to micro-plastics as a potential and highly-suspected cause of cancer now (which I think we kind of suspected and already knew) but makes me weep as we are just surrounded by plastics everywhere now, and I just think of how f’ed up this country is. We know that the life expectancy rate dropped in the U.S. as a result of COVID and I figure with the increased contamination that will inevitably occur under this administration, the increase in micro-plastic exposure, the gutting of environmental regulations, the increased stress I’ll have with having to go into a cubicle constantly again (and lack of sleep), the depressing outlook on life, and the list goes on, I figure life expectancy will be 65 soon. …and I think about my Mom who passed away approximately two years ago from cancer at the age of 76 after suffering for many years. Reminder: Make sure to verbalize “I love you” to those in your life that you love, and remember to try to treat people, including strangers, with a bit more empathy as you don’t know what struggles people are fighting in their personal lives behind the facade. Life is short and we could all be treated with a bit more compassion these days.
Thank you for writing—so much poison from humans, so many stories of struggle. I think about that walking New York—the cancer you don’t see. Job stress. You are such a good friend, and a thoughtful steward of the environment. I hope you are finding all the good days you can. Thank you for reading.
Thanks for the “Day in the Life”. Maybe more mundane to you, but exciting, for today, for this retiree in NJ. Solitaire, trying to locate the Mets game on streaming (no luck, they lost anyway), picked up a Grandma’s Pie for dinner. A little reading, and The White Lotus at 9. The shows sounded interesting, if not a little Debbie Downer. Enjoyed your take. Thanks again.
Even Debbie Downer laughs occasionally. I just saw a sketch from 2004 in which she and her otherwise normal family go to Disney World. Debbie goes on and on, to the point where Mom (Amy Poehler) and brother (Jimmy Fallon) are finding it impossible not to laugh, and even Rachel Dratch starts to lose it.
My friend, Erika, from undergrad (GMU) is visiting me in Portland for the first time. She’s one of my closest friends and we’re going to the coast tomorrow. She’s never been to the Pacific Northwest either and it was fun watching her yesterday - infatuated with how the moss is so thick here covering every single branch and ferns galore. It reminded me of how I was infatuated with this at one time too coming from the East Coast. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer about two years ago (and thankfully has been stable). It’s a more rare form of cancer where people with this cancer often live normal, relatively full lives (and maybe don’t need to start more serious treatment, aka chemo, for a good 20 years). The psychological torture of just having any kind of cancer is tough though. On top of that, there are three additional people, and friends of mine, also recently diagnosed or fighting cancer right now: the prior owner of our house who lives in downtown Portland now (66 years old w lymphoma and she was given five months to live, very cool lady, progressive, and artistic. I take her gooseberries from the garden to surprise her as they are on bushes that she planted here decades ago, and a lot of people don’t know about gooseberries, except for she and I (smile), and because I know gooseberries are like medicine and so good for you - filled with antioxidants and vitamins that I hope will buy her a little more time with us), my very close friend from London who I have known for approx 30 years who I met during my semester abroad in Reading (42 years old, intestinal cancer spotted during a recent, first-time colonoscopy. She has surgery scheduled Wednesday at which time they’ll decide if she will need additional treatment, including chemo and radiation, once they can see what’s going on inside ), and, my very good, close friend, mentor, and former boss who hired me at EPA from SC (65 yrs old, leukemia, probably stage 1 or 2, who comes to visit Brett and I each year in Portland, and one of the most hilarious and fun people you’ll ever meet who I speak to at least once a week on the phone). So, while I could be losing my job any day now as a federal employee, the relationship with my conservative brother and Dad is on life support, the U.S. seems to be on the verge of Civil War and is undergoing a Constitutional Crisis, and the world is falling apart, I’m reminded of how insignificant many of these troubles and life problems are. Interestingly, all four of these individuals with cancer are women and two of them are around my age. None of them smoke and they all are relatively healthy. I read an article the other day pointing to micro-plastics as a potential and highly-suspected cause of cancer now (which I think we kind of suspected and already knew) but makes me weep as we are just surrounded by plastics everywhere now, and I just think of how f’ed up this country is. We know that the life expectancy rate dropped in the U.S. as a result of COVID and I figure with the increased contamination that will inevitably occur under this administration, the increase in micro-plastic exposure, the gutting of environmental regulations, the increased stress I’ll have with having to go into a cubicle constantly again (and lack of sleep), the depressing outlook on life, and the list goes on, I figure life expectancy will be 65 soon. …and I think about my Mom who passed away approximately two years ago from cancer at the age of 76 after suffering for many years. Reminder: Make sure to verbalize “I love you” to those in your life that you love, and remember to try to treat people, including strangers, with a bit more empathy as you don’t know what struggles people are fighting in their personal lives behind the facade. Life is short and we could all be treated with a bit more compassion these days.
Thank you for writing—so much poison from humans, so many stories of struggle. I think about that walking New York—the cancer you don’t see. Job stress. You are such a good friend, and a thoughtful steward of the environment. I hope you are finding all the good days you can. Thank you for reading.
Incoming, but unintentional, rhyme, so apologies: these days, it’s the mundane which keeps us sane.
Thanks for the “Day in the Life”. Maybe more mundane to you, but exciting, for today, for this retiree in NJ. Solitaire, trying to locate the Mets game on streaming (no luck, they lost anyway), picked up a Grandma’s Pie for dinner. A little reading, and The White Lotus at 9. The shows sounded interesting, if not a little Debbie Downer. Enjoyed your take. Thanks again.
Even Debbie Downer laughs occasionally. I just saw a sketch from 2004 in which she and her otherwise normal family go to Disney World. Debbie goes on and on, to the point where Mom (Amy Poehler) and brother (Jimmy Fallon) are finding it impossible not to laugh, and even Rachel Dratch starts to lose it.
And I like your take, too. 🩷