Life's little adventures, accompanied by a running watch

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Carpe Diem – Sieze the Day

Yesterday, Scott forwarded me an email from work.  No, not the kind that makes you laugh and makes you want to forward along to 112 of your closest friends.  This one was serious, and it was so, so sad to me.

The original email’s intention was to alert the coworkers of a girl who, sadly, had quite recently been diagnosed with cancer.  Not sure what kind, but it is late stage…...and really, aren’t all types evil?  The email trail then gave the distribution list of coworkers some hope, exclaiming that the girl was responding well and that the coworkers were asked to keep their thoughts and prayers coming.  The most recent portion of the email string revealed a complete turnaround from the last; that this girl has been given just days to live. 

The girl turns 45 today.  That is, if she survived the night.  I want to know, yet I don’t at the same time.

I don’t know this girl, but she’s my age and she deserves more than the hand she’s been dealt.  I don’t know if she’s married or if she has children.  I don’t know what her hopes and dreams are/were, but as a fellow 45 year old, woman, human being…..I’m deep down sad for this stranger and her family.  I’m sad for the dreams that won’t come true for her.  I’m sad for the lives she may have touched and now will not.

To this girl, I say ‘thank you’ for the real life reminder to not take today (or tomorrow, or the next day…) for granted.  We’re all allowed to get mired in the nonsense from time to time, but since we never know when our or our loved ones' time is up, we sometimes get reminders in the form of a dying stranger.  Duly noted.

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