You Never Know

I'm not in a great mood today. There's no particular reason, I just have days where I feel like the weight of everything is pushing me down and I just want to go back to bed and try again tomorrow.

I said that to say this: You never know what someone else is going through or dealing with at any given moment. Whether they are a stranger, an acquaintance, someone you know from work or school, or a family member or friend, you don't know everything, and in some cases, you don't know anything about them. I've thought about that a lot lately, and I don't think going through personal hardships gives you the right to treat anyone badly, but sometimes people just need a little extra grace. Most of the time, good mood or bad, I still have a smile on my face, and I appear to be pretty healthy - and I AM pretty healthy! - and no one would ever in a million years guess the things that I am stressed over. That's really helped me to realize that when we encounter other people as we go through our day, we have no idea what battles they are facing. So rather than focus on the negative, or think to ourselves (or say out loud) how stupid or inconsiderate or ignorant someone must be, maybe we should have compassion for others instead.

To sum it up: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" - Plato

And, in reference to my bad mood: "When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead" - Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother :-)

PS - I got a call from Mayo Clinic today letting me know that they took care of the whole insurance/clinical trial thing, and it will be covered. I didn't even talk to my oncologist about it, just mentioned it to my Radiation Oncologist and she was on it! Not only did someone in the finance department call, my oncologist called me as well. I really love those people. Of course this means the decision is back in my hands....