Early this morning I went for a walk with my friend Sally who had surgery for brain cancer a few months ago. I asked her how the experience has changed her. She thought a minute and said, “I don’t know that it has. I’m still positive, I’m still optimistic, and I’m still loving life.” She said, “I’ve never asked, ‘Why me?’ because then I’d have to ask ‘Why not me?’” We spent the remainder of our time talking about the things we still have on our “Bucket Lists”.
Last night was another painful, sleepless night for my husband. After breakfast I wanted to do something to bring a little joy into his day, so I went out to the yard and clipped a bunch of roses. As I was carrying them back to the house, I had to stop for just a minute and appreciate the beauty of the flowers in the bucket. It occurred to me that maybe my “bucket list” has been limited by big thinking.
If you are caring for someone who isn’t capable of joining you on large scale adventures, maybe it would make sense to think about little projects or bits of every day pleasure that you can create and carry in the size of an actual bucket.
The flowers brightened the house and our spirits, and it reinforced my belief that when almost everything is difficult, small things that bring joy are even more important and meaningful.
