Life, The Universe & Everything

Looks can be deceiving. I doubt this phrase will spark much argument (and if it does, then it’s a different discussion!)

Coping does not mean it’s easy is an example of a situation where looks can be deceiving,

The initial response to ‘coping does not mean it’s easy’ may well be ‘well duh’. But if I pointed to somebody on the street who wasn’t bawling in tears, and wasn’t jumping for joy and asked is that person coping or is their life easy at the moment could you tell me?

Obviously this is a slightly broad and unrealistic scenario, but I think it helps to illustrate my point.

My point is, (and for those who currently know my personal circumstances I am not having a go at anybody) if people seem outwardly like they are going OK, yet you know things are going on in their life, don’t assume they are finding it easy.

This is my personal experience, and maybe it’s just me, but I suspect others would tell you the same.

I think there are three broad categories, people aren’t coping (this is usually obvious), people are coping (but you can clearly tell that they are just coping), people are coping (but if you met them in the street and hadn’t seen them for a while you would assume everything is normal).

It is the last category I’m discussing, but it’s not the person in the street who I’m highlighting. Rather it’s the person who knows they are going though a difficult time but assumes, because of there general behaviour it is all good.

I’m not saying it’s easy to tell, but I am saying if you know somebody is going through a rough time, it doesn’t hurt to ask how they’re going.

Thank you to those who have. Those who haven’t, please don’t feel attacked, I imagine I would have (and probably sometimes still do) acted the same had I not had personal experiences that has brought this to my attention.

So here I am, sitting in an apartment in Sydney. We weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow and then only briefly as a stopover on the way to the US. But, things don’t always go according to plan. Things that you would never expect happen,

The last two and a half weeks have been somewhat of a blur, surrounded by a lot of uncertainty which extended to a few days earlier.

I know it is said that three degrees of separation applies to cancer, but really, both parents, a grandparent and an aunt? And that is just the direct blood relations.

So yes, I guess the last 2.5 weeks have been rough, since Mum’s apparently innocent eye problem resolved itself into a diagnosis of cancer. Tumours in both lungs, the liver, possible the kidney and two in the brain.

Currently, everything is a bit uncertain, but thanks to my cousin in Sydney and her links we have seen an excellent surgeon and one of the brain tumours has been successfully removed and Mum is recovering from the surgery well.

Where to from here? – We are still unsure, it is very much a day at a time at the moment.

Staying positive.

God is good – always. (Edit – and as I was reminded at church this morning, our source of strength)

Rom 5:3-5

The last post wasn’t a lie – I still do have many drafts although I must admit that some of them have no relevance whatsoever.

So I felt it was time for another post – arguably because I’m looking for ways to procrastinate from exam study but I don’t think it’s that. Especially considering it’s 5.19am, I think a much more useful way to procrastinate at this time would involve sleeping of some sort! As a brief, interesting side not I seem to have lost my need for sleep over the past 2 nights. I’m not sure if it has something to do with the excess sleep I inadvertently got in my first few days of the study break…

So back to this update, I think what ultimately inspired me to update was the large amount of time I spend reading a friend’s blog last night. It reminded me one how interesting they can be (disclaimer: I am not promising my blog will be interesting!) and also reminded me how much I enjoy putting my thoughts down in some form or another. Even if nobody else every reads it (though I am hopeful somebody will) it provides a good record.

As such while I’m not going to promise to update this blog more regularly I suspect it may see some more activity over the next few weeks. It is also very likely that during especially interesting things are going on in my life updates will be more frequent. This will serve two purposes – firstly to have a record for me of what happened in my life. I was reminded of this the other day when reading some of the notes I wrote while I was away in the US for the FPS IC in 2005. Secondly, it will enable my friends who are interested in my life, (or have nothing better to do!) to see what I’m up to.

Adios.