I Probably Shouldn't Have Started This Today

There are so many things I want to do with my life, theoretically. I think about them; I dream about them. Unfortunately, I don’t usually get around to doing them. I decided that today would be different.

I recently found out that a dear friend was diagnosed with cancer. This isn’t the first such announcement I’ve had recently, and I can’t imagine a situation where this is ever good news.

But this one hit me hard.

Perhaps I was at a moment where there was just enough bad news to go around and I was at my breaking point. Perhaps I just needed a way to share my feelings semi-anonymously since all the people I really want to talk to today live on the other side of the country. Perhaps it’s partially based on a conversation I had with a great person who pointed out that the only person who can try to make this situation better for me is me.

Whatever the reason, I’m starting this long-deferred dream today.

I spoke to my friend this afternoon. Technically, she’s actually my mother’s best friend, but has always felt more like family, an Aunt I could always count on for a positive outlook, and today was no different. Her first thought today was not for herself but for my mom. After saying it was good to hear from me, that we would all have to come to terms with what was going on as best we could, she said to me that we were going to have to take care of my mom. Keep in mind that she’s in the hospital and has just found out that she has cancer. Her thoughts were not about herself, they were about how to take care of other people.

I’m not a crier by nature, but right then, I couldn’t hold it back.

I grew up around a number of great women whose goal in life seemed to be to help others find joy, to see to their comfort, and to very rarely worry about themselves.

It’s going to seem cliché, maybe, but one of the ways they’ve always done that is through food. Good food and dinner parties were a way of life for me, so it’s probably no surprise that I’ve learned this love from them.

My goal is to share this love of family and friends through the moments we share and the food we eat. Perhaps my next post might even include some actual recipes or food tips :)