A few tough days with flared up joints and feeling blue as a result but hey, there’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a good trail of tears, bunch of stretches, a little family love and high heat. Now, I’m back in working order, writing, cooking and going bowling tonight.

While on my journey of despair, I was thinking about all the people with life-threatening illnesses. My pain is sometimes unbearable and exhausting but manageable. My friend’s mother-in-law suffers from MS and Parkinson. Each one of these alone is tough enough to turn one’s life upside down so it’s really hard to imagine what one goes through dealing with both.

I also remembered another friend who had 2 car accidents over the past 3 years and she has been dealing with extreme chronic pain since then. She used to be an avid hiker and super active person but now hardly can walk 3 blocks. “I have lost my charm for my hiking friends” she told me once. It seems they haven’t been around much since the pain got worse. “Wrong friends” I told her. We all have our own problems to deal with and of course there’s just so much we can do for one another when times get tough but if a friend is avoiding you because of your health issue, how can you even call them a friend?

What really happens to some of us as we grow up?

As Oprah Winfrey says: “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”

And as I say:” A friend is someone whose attention may not be always obvious but always there looking out for you.” 😉

I watched these pigeons for a long time. They were inseparable.