Category: Buddhism
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The hospital and real life
The experience in a hospital is real life. It’s life, obviously. And, it’s not real life, although it may feel like it. I was in the hospital sometimes for stretches of two or three weeks. A couple of times, I was told in advance that I’d be there for about a month. I prepared for…
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The road to compassion
Buddhism isn’t about being calm and peaceful all the time. It’s about being open to reality, not rejecting the present moment. I took the Metro rail this morning to my appointment in the Texas Medical Center. I had ambitiously bought a day pass a couple of years ago and never used it. I idealize…
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Impermanence and Complaint
Feeling bad is a clear message that feeling good doesn’t last, but in the medical rush to make it better, we’d rather not think about that.
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Things Fall Apart
When people ask what has helped me “stay positive” on my cancer journey, I should just quote Pema Chödrön.
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Gifts
Good news is always the best kind of gift. This time last year, right before Christmas, Jessica, the Stem Cell Transplant coordinator, called me to say they had found a stem cell donor for me. The donor was a 100%, perfect match. Jessica sounded almost giddy with excitement. I learned later that the team had…
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Life Changes
Life changed dramatically for me and my family when I was diagnosed last year with plasma cell leukemia. The perspective I’ve contemplated for half my life–that situations are impermanent and unpredictable–came alive as a sanity-saver. I’ll be sharing parts of that story here, along with other brilliant stuff.
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The Bardo of Waiting
I wrote an email to a friend this morning: I am getting familiar with that in-between, waiting, confused, gap experience. I’m waiting on biopsy results myself–results are due Tuesday. My health over the last year has been one thing after another, since I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a year ago. There’s a word for…
A Few Thoughts 