not done yet

once upon a time in toronto, i knew a woman we'll just call l.

i met her through a very close friend, and although we never spent time together one-on-one, it would be inaccurate to call her an acquaintance. i admired her assertiveness, her intelligence and fierce loyalty to friends and family...including a certain lab we will call "e" (who, on a side note, thoroughly enjoyed consuming socks on a regular basis).

but, i digress.

today is her birthday. and her recent journey pervaded my thoughts all day.

you see, l. was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38 in 2005. but instead of going fetal, she immediately started a blog. http://notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com/

so, one sublime night in SoCal, when insomnia had hit me particularly hard, i sat up all night and voraciously rode the roller coaster of her journey. swept away by her articulate poignancy, yes, but secretly thrilled by a private tingle of realization. she was one of my peeps.

for better or worse, or WTF, l. was now in my club.

resonating emotions. eerily similar experiences. a figurative hand to hold.

do i wish chronic illness, immunosuppression, physical compromise on anyone?

please.

but, when that is the world in which you currently reside, a partner-in-crime is a bless-ed thing...

they say imitation is the biggest form of flattery, so it wasn't too long before my own literary vomitus began.

i have no idea how "effective" my own blog has been. but my goal has always been to share and to emphasize how important i feel honesty is; empowered by hers.

one of my favorite entries describes a bike ride uphill, wherein she was feeling particularly strong, and a man nearly double her age whizzes by. humor abounds.

a woman with two small boys, a husband, a career, wasn't even forty, turned her odyssey in a book entitled "not done yet" (www.amazon.com).

l. you have inspired me, touched and humored me.

happy birthday.

NOT DONE YET.

couldn't have said it better myself.