I was speaking with a dear friend today whose sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately, there is a treatment plan and she will come out of it a survivor. Then I got a text from my brother saying the lump they found in his intestines was indeed cancerous and he’d be taking a radiation pill for the next three months. Up until their diagnoses, both my friend’s sister and my brother led healthy lives – so much so that those who are close to them are asking “Why?” and “How did this happen to someone so healthy?”
And whether it’s cancer or Covid or MS or some other debilitating disease, the message that comes through for me is: there are no guarantees. You can live the healthiest life and do everything “right” – exercise, eat healthy, get enough sleep, walk away from vices like alcohol, cigarettes or drugs – and still be diagnosed with a horrible disease. And there are those that do everything “wrong” and end up living what seems like forever. This doesn’t give us a license to throw caution to the wind and just give up on making healthier, better choices, however. But it does give us perspective.
There’s one perspective that the only certain things in life are death and taxes. There’s another perspective that you have to play the hand you’re dealt. And while we all want the answer to “Why?” – especially in difficult times, we have to accept what is. Let’s acknowledge that life is precious and short and find one thing today to be grateful for.
Be Grateful.
Be Well.