speed limits

i love:

-frequent flier points

-my friend, Gioia

-week threes of chemo treatment

-learning languages

-countries where fruit is sold on every corner

-weddings

-driving a stick shift

-poolside reading

i don't love:

-multiple connections & flight delays that lead to nights spent in memphis

-bribing central american police officers

-sunburns

-having to curtail activities due to being neutropenic (lowered immune system)

and last week, all of those things were in my clutches as i decided to go on a last-minute trip to costa rica and meet up with a dozen of my friends from fletcher. diana stockwell (from costa rica) got married in san jose on 07/07/07 and we were all in attendance. i was originally planning to go, but then was dissuaded by concerned doctors and family that the jungles and mountains there are just too rich in potentially funky molds, germs, fungi; that TB exists in the villages, not to mention malaria and other stuff that would knock my heretofore excellent cancer recovery off its ass. So, I backed out.

but then, i woke up and realized that life can be lived within speed limits. i can be careful and smart about what i do and still be myself- aka- a spontaneous adventurous travelover. it's just not in my nature to wait until tomorrow to experience what you can today. some call that impatience and impetuousness, i opt for carpe diem. i joked with my mom that it was the hundredth time she'd tried to talk me out of it with the usual "Costa Rica will be there tomorrow" that finally made me snap. so with a few clicks and a few points from my credit card (capital one is truly no hassles!), i was on a southbound flight the next day.

it's so hard for me to be as careful as i should be. i sometimes feel like a rebellious teenager, feeling constrained and bitter about restrictions placed upon me, even when those limitations are set with only my best interests at heart. i think this difficulty is seeded in a blessing, however. because i am one of the very few participants in my particular ALL study who have not had to be re-hospitalized ever, i have really not experienced the dangerous ramifications of my noncompliance. from taking my pills to taking it easy, from avoiding gardening to sick people to crowds to the sun to raw foods, i have a hard time being a good girl. therefore, i am truly appreciative to my friends and fam who keep me in check and apologize that you have to. (blush)

on other fun news-- visitors!

leslie and crew have been visiting boston since thursday. here's us at the red sox game last night. yes, yes, i know- crowds. but who can deny the communal effervescence of fenway??