It's Like Riding A Bike.....

Most people have heard the above post title used in reference to "having SEX". It all comes back, it's simple, you won't have any problems. Sure. Who started that one.....?  I want to know. I went bicycling today and I had trouble steering and balancing. Went through bushes twice, lost the chain once, and kept cars at bay. The point is that with practice it does come back, not sex or bicycling. I refer to the everyday actions of daily living. Especially after a bout of illness.What we take for granted is not so simple once we haven't done it for awhile? Making your bed, changing clothes, taking a shower. It takes energy and will-power. It takes strength of conviction, determination, and the support of family and friends. Do not give up. It's easier but the sense of accomplishment can initiate a chain of actions, until you achieve goals you never thought yourself capable of. DON'T GIVE UP.

Courage

What does courage look like?  Watch the link below and you'll .know

Vulnerability and Cancer

Painted by Guido Reni (series of seven)

Although St. Sebastian is not the patron saint of cancer victims (St. Peregrine is), St. Sebastian is the most popular image known to most people. He is often pictured as dying as a martyr for his faith, pierced by many arrows. He has been the subject of many articles and revered by many as seen in UK's, The  Independent.  I found the last paragraph very intriguing:

All of which is to say that the secret of Sebastian's success may lie in his ability to be all things to all men. Along with the famous arrows, the symbol of his martyrdom is the rope that binds his hands; yet the shape-shifting Sebastian just won't be tied down. The novelist and political activist Susan Sontag pointed out that his face never registers the agonies of his body, that his beauty and his pain are eternally divorced from each other. This made him proof against plague in 1348, and, in these ungodly times, it still does. A recent book devoted to the martyr includes Aids-related work by artists including Wolfgang Tillmans and Louise Bourgeois. It is called Saint Sebastian: A Splendid Readiness for Death.

'The Agony and the Ecstasy: Guido Reni's Saint Sebastians' is at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21, 020 8693 5254, until 11 May

So what is my point....I'm getting there. I was thinking about vulnerability and wondered if one can be too vulnerable. I'm not sure. Many women and some men describe themselves as vulnerable, which is the capacity to be hurt, physically or emotionally. But, it may also mean you have the capacity to love more. As with anything, I'm sure it's all about balance. But my eternal quest is : "how do you achieve that balance?"

I do think that cancer patients, from the point of diagnosis to all stages, are vulnerable. First of all, none of us ever expected to be in that category. Once we are, we define life differently and possibly realize the importance of every moment. All our emotions are magnified and very fine-tuned. We are often prescribed drugs to deal with these feelings but possibly we need to explore those feelings. I know that I do. As I try to enjoy these beautiful days in paradise, I find myself often reminded of the arrows of pain that I and my fellow travelers have endured. At the same time, I try to enjoy the beauty that surrounds me. The paradox of pain and pleasure comes to mind.  

I strongly encourage anyone who can, to take some time for some introspection. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find there....I have to go. I'm having drinks with Sebastian.