Today has been quite the busy day and I have not had the chance to write. Even now we are watching a movie but I thought that I needed to have the discipline to carry through with this. Mel came back today. It was just me and the boys and Mel was worried about Olivier getting ready by himself. She wanted me to write down what he should do and see timers. Instead I spoke to him about accountability. I warned him that he should not skip school. That he could not be late and go play chess in the park for money. I drove Xavier to hockey and I was arriving Olivier was getting ready to leave. He had managed to do everything without supervision and without prompting. Generally with me he is never late. Most likely because he knows that I would not tolerate any tardiness. I am grateful that Olivier can be independent when he is with me and that he is so responsible.Today I did not worry or spend very much time thinking about the cancer. It reinforces the idea that a lot of this has been psychosomatic. I ate well today and managed to eat a whole burger at dinner. The next 4 weeks may progress well. The motility drugs seem to be working as well to settle my stomach. I am glad that the dietician suggested it. The only tricky part was that I need to take it 30 minutes before I eat. We have cocktail shrimp in the fridge that I have had so I can eat 3 or so quickly when required. It is an awesome quick snack to have.Today I was chatting with a friend of mine and he mentioned that there are not a lot of truly good people in the world. When you find those people you want to keep them in your circle. It is important to keep good company and you want to fill it with good people and discard inferior people. During the hockey season last year there was a parent that referred to single female parents as inferior. It was a running joke that I would address the single moms on our team as inferior. I would tease them that they are inferior when they made a mistake. Single parents go through a lot of hardships and need to manage a lot on their own. Often times without support. I have a lot of respect for their resilience and ability to provide for their kids. Just like serious.illness you just take things one day at a time and make it till the next day. If you have a good relationship with your family or other parent it makes things easier. I know some divorced parents who still remain friends and raise the kids together. It takes a community to raise a child and to support. When you have this the challenges are not as difficult as you work together as a team. You can not choose who your biological family is, but you can choose who you include in your life as family. I think that it is important to surround yourself with high quality people who are positive and do not introduce negativity into your world. The company that you keep is a reflection on you. I choose to keep those who add value to my life. It is important that you show gratitude and appreciation for people. A kind word may brighten they day when they need it most. I know that sometimes a simple word of praise can help elevate my mood and remind me that everything is going to be ok. I am grateful for every one in my life now that makes everything awesome.
Dr. Q.H. Mach