High School Reunion #1

I have been feeling very well---both physically and emotionally this past week. I have had no chemo side effects. I actually have had lots of energy and I am very optimistic and happy about my life and my future. I am slowly starting to see this cancer diagnosis as a blessing. I know this sounds very confusing. Yet, I don’t think it is unusual for a life threatening disease to give one a renewed lease on life. I now call my cancer diagnosis a “mid-life course correction.”

I was fortunate this weekend to have the company of Andrea and Claudia, two friends from high school. Andrea flew in from Colorado. Claudia drove down from Dallas. All of us grew up in Otis, Colorado, a small farming community on the northeastern plains of Colorado. Claudia and I started Kindergarten together. Andrea joined us in 4th grade. All three of us graduated from Otis High School. In high school, Claudia and I ran around with a group of kids who thought that we not only knew all the answers, but that we actually wrote the questions too. In college, Andrea and I were wide-eyed freshmen roommates together at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later, Andrea was my "Best Woman" in my wedding. Throughout the years we have kept in loose contact. The last time I saw Andrea and Claudia was when I reluctantly turned 40. Both Andrea and Claudia made a trip to Austin to help me “celebrate.” And now we see each other again at another milestone, at the point when all three of us, or at least Andrea and I are at a “mid-life course correction.”

We spent most of the weekend catching up with each other’s lives. Then we reminisced about the funny and sad times from the past. No need to introduce friends, family, or situations from the past to each other. We know each other’s past. We ARE each other’s past….and future.

With only 1 hour before Andrea needed to catch her flight, I decided to get my video camera out and interview my friends for the record. (I interview people for a living, so capturing the image, voice, mannerisms, and thoughts of my friends at this particular moment in our lives seemed appropriate.) I interviewed Andrea and Claudia together. I stayed safely behind the camera but asked the questions and made comments. I wanted to capture how we interacted as a group.

So, after getting the baseline facts from my friends (“Where do you live? What do you do? Tell me about your family?” etc), I started in on the good stuff….
“Where do you see your life in the next 5 years?” “What are your goals and ambitions?” etc. At some point, Andrea grabbed the camera and started asking ME questions. This never happens! I always hide behind the camera or video. But just as with this blog, I was front and center revealing my life for the record.

So, for the record, I am happy that it looks like I can continue to be a mother, wife and daughter for a whole lot longer. I am also optimistic about the opportunity to fulfill professional and creative goals. And I am truly blessed to have so many great friends. These are just a few of the realizations that have come out of my “mid-life course correction.”


Andrea on the left. Claudia in the middle. And me on the right.