Yesss! After long deliberations and doubts, I am in Chicago. My daughter’s birthday came and went with our combined family attempts to fulfill 15 wishes. And even though I still drink salty coffee and constantly feel something stuck in my throat I am walking magnificent streets and soaking in the vibrancy and magic of Chicago. Oh, how much I have missed being in the city, walking and walking and then walking some more. We are here and my mom cannot walk a lot, so we take it easy with still lots to accomplish. The view is stunning from my room on the 38th floor:
The weather is gorgeous and just right, not too cold, sunny and even a bit of a breeze is not too bothersome. Chicago marathon is today and the city is packed. We get to the famous bean and it is impossible to take pictures. Here is its:
I think back to my trip to New England last year and Chicago this year. They are one year apart but Oh, my, how much has changed and my life has become irrevocably different. I look at my thick hair that creates some sort of funky look. I see my eyelashes grown back and my own eyebrows that I now love and think they are so much better that the drawn ones. I think of myself 6 months ago – shaved with no lashes or eyebrows and pray for my good fortune. I survived and I made it! Yes, I do have ugly coconuts stuck to my chest and I will never be the same again but I am alive and I want to live full life more than ever before. I feel this burning desire to live even stronger now since one of my breast cancer patients passed away and I got more women with breast cancer under my care going through the same thing. And I CAN relate, not just as their doctor but I know exactly what they are going through. The patient who passed away was 94. Her daughter brought me the card signed by ALL members of her family. It made me cry. That’s something that makes my job worth doing despite a lot of hurdles and difficulties of day to day routine. Yes, I need to be paid for what I do. However, no amount of money can replace the gratitude. I still have tiny stuffed animal given to me by an elderly lady when I was a fellow at Kaiser and I keep most of the cards I got over the years.
As far as treating myself – I am diligent with my mouthwash that has gotu cola, colloidal silver, aloe Vera juice, calendula succus, calendula tincture, licorice tincture, sphilantes tincture, frankincense hydrosol and is missing propolis tincture and myrrh tincture. I put it in the tiny bottle and brought on the trip. I am also diligently taking licorice extra and coQ10. And hope eventually it will all work.
None of that will stop me from enjoying the trip. I should just not order expensive food since most of the taste is wasted on me. I’d rather enjoy the view!