Quote of the Day: “Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” Anne Frank
I have noticed lately that as I greet people and ask them “How are you?” their responses always intrigue me. Usually people say something like: “Oh, ok” or “Things have been better” but rarely does anyone say “Great”. I always want to respond to them: “Were you diagnosed with cancer this year?” or “Have you been trying to make bald work for you?” or “Do you have a loved one who is really, really sick?” It almost makes me want to shake them and say: “You don’t know how good you have it, now go and live your life”. I know life isn’t easy for everyone but I do think a lot of people are walking around feeling so sorry for themselves when really they have so much to be happy about.
Attitude is everything. When I get radiation, I like to have the nurses who are friendly, ask you questions, and try to make you feel better about having this radiation shot into your skin. A few times I have had a nurse who treats you like you were just another patient coming through. They hardly say a word to you, hardly acknowledge you when you are finished and certainly say nothing to you as you walk out the door. But really, most of them are so great and they make you feel ok about coming each day but isn’t it remarkable that someone’s negative attitude can influence one person and then that person doesn’t feel so great about themselves and so they don’t pass on a positive vibe.
Friday, we traveled up to Bear Lake so that we could watch Alex compete in an Olympic length triathalon the next morning. Joe and I tried to ride our bikes as we watched the participants but soon found that not to be very smart. We rode out of the parking lot to find a spot on the street to watch when I noticed bike participants right behind me. Right then, Joe stopped with the intent to see where I was and I could only plough into him. I fell over and since I’m clipped into my bike, I landed hard on the ground on my left side. Everyone coming by had words of encouragement to offer, but that was it for me. We took our bikes back to the car and proceeded on foot. Alex had a great race along with his friends, Mindy and Brady Dunn, and later we took the boat out on the lake. It felt so great to jump in the water. It was hot that afternoon, and the water was the perfect remedy.
So, I talked with my friend, Rachel, about coloring my hair since it was an almost black, a little bit of gray, color and she said that yes it would be possible to do. We picked the color and she applied it to my head which felt very sensitive. I’ve always worried about the side-effects of dyes on my skin but while she was applying it, I couldn’t help but think that usually the color isn’t applied directly to my scalp rather strands of my hair are colored and then encased in aluminum foil. Anyway, when Rachel shampooed my hair and we got a good look at the color, it was copper-colored or brown with light red in it. Don’t get me wrong, I love red hair, I just don’t love this shade on me. She tried to add some brown into it which helped a little. When I got home, Michael was over and said: “Why did you do that to your hair?” Which was a sound question. So now, I’m mourning my black hair (at least the color matched my eyebrows) and wondering how long this will take until I feel confident to leave the house without a hat.
My “almost bald” head before coloring
As if you are having any difficulty finding enough to keep you busy…congratulations on your new job. It seems tailor-made for you. –L