Perspective and Pink Paint

In my opinion, Thursdays are the best days in the whole entire world.  I know that many would argue that Friday is a great day because it is the start of the weekend, or Wednesday, as it hump day.  However, in my world Thursdays are the best because for just a few hours I have the opportunity to gain perspective.

There are so many colors in a rainbow!

I've found that it is incredibly easy to lose ones' perspective from time to time; whether you live in New York City or the suburbs of New Jersey.  Maybe your subway was delayed, and as a result you arrive late to work, enduring a tongue lashing from your boss.  Maybe you've gone to make lunch, only to realize that the mouse in your apartment has already helped himself to your bread.  There are many maybes that I've dealt with since moving to New York City, and from time to time I find myself completely caught up the silliness that comes with them.  However, each Thursday night I find myself slapped in the face by PERSPECTIVE.

Last Thursday night my volunteer team and I cooked comfort food for the families.  Parents are responsible for providing their own meals while staying at the Ronald McDonald House (though there are some companies that donate meals).  I can't imagine spending all day helping a child go through chemo, radiation, therapy, etc. and then come back to a communal kitchen to cook dinner; but there is no other option.  Many of these families can barely manage to pay the $35 a day it costs to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, much less order in food... even if it is just a slice of pizza. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

After serving up meals to the 85 families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House we ventured down to the playroom to decorate Valentine's Day t-shirts.  It was there that my heart broke; one of my little beans had not only relapsed, but progressed through her chemo.  She was as skinny as a twig and had lost her hair, again, on her 7th birthday.  Her treatments were painful, but not nearly as painful as the cancer ravaging her body.  However; if you looked at her that evening, you would have never known that this little girl was fighting like hell to live.  She was SMILING from ear to ear because she could paint her whole entire shirt pink!  And paint it she did... for the better part of an hour she painted with unstoppable joy.  Never once wincing from the pain, never once stopping due to sheer and utter exhaustion.  For the better part of an hour she was a carefree child; intent on using as much pink paint as possible and enjoying every second of it.  Last Thursday  night she showed me what it meant to live in the moment, and that is a lesson that I'll never forget.

She is my hero, she is my perspective.