When I had my first interview at WE, as we were approaching the end I was asked, “We have heard about Lisa the travel professional, but tell us something about Lisa that interests you outside of that”. One friend said to me, do they have a day? Which is true. My answer was precise and to the point.

I like photography, I like food, I like taking pictures of food…..oh and I like adult colouring books. The more detailed the better.

For those who know me well, you know that I was very late to join the “Apple” generation. I finally gave in this past April. I will say that Heath would have had a great laugh when I made my purchase because he was all about the newest tech thing out there. I remember when the Iphone X was being released we were on the phone at midnight when it was released and he bought one.

There I am, at Best Buy talking to the resident phone geek. We were looking at the XR as the phone I would get and then I mentioned the camera. I know that the cameras are good, and that is important to me, very important. He then jumped over the XS. Walked in with a Blackberry and out with the newest Iphone.

I want to share two photos with you today. Pictures really are worth 1000 words. If you know me at all, you know there is a story. There always is.

This first photo was obviously taken in Washington. We had just been at the White House taking in the view and discussing our obsessions with Scandal and looking at the terrace where Fitz and Olivia would stand out on during the show and then begin to walk down Pennsylvania avenue to the memorials. As we were walking I found a great spot where we could have our “leaning Tower of Pisa” moment.

Move your finger up, no too much. Move to the left, no too much. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even take the photo. As I was moving back, we lost the whole shot because he was yelling at me as I bumped into a lady on the street. The end result was this photo.

The second photo I want to share is a funny one considering my love of taking photos. This one is from our trip to Mexico in October 2017. We had such a great, relaxing week at the all inclusive resort, which was largely in part to us upgrading to a swim out suite, we had the most relaxing vacation I think I ever had.

It wasn’t until we were on the way to the airport that I said we didn’t even have one picture of us together. So, there we were, sitting at TGI Fridays eating lunch at the airport and we took this selfie. Relaxed and tan, it was funny.

I am happy to have a great camera on my phone now, so I don’t have to carry my camera in my purse all the time. If you know me, you know that is true, I bought a pocket canon camera to carry with me, because the camera on the Blackberry was so horrible.

Today I leave you with some more musical lyrics, this time from Green Day

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it’s worth it was worth all the while

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right
I hope you had the time of your life

“Minds don’t rest; they reel and wander and fixate and roll back and reconsider because it’s like this, having a mind. Hearts don’t idle; they swell and constrict and break and forgive and behold because it’s like this, having a heart. Lives don’t last; they thrill and confound and circle and overflow and disappear because it’s like this, having a life.” – Kelly Corrigan, Author Tell Me More 

A few months ago someone shared a photo memory of either their father or grandfather on the anniversary of their birthday. I remember one of the comments was talking about how when someone is no longer with us we remember them everyday, but on two days specifically, their birthday and the day they passed.

Last year when Heath first passed away, during that crazy first week of shock, denial and anger I remember how much I was sharing on Facebook. About a week after, one of those Facebook Memories popped up and I realized at that exact moment, “Holy shit, a year from now, all of these memories are going to be popping up in my news feed”. It is crazy to think that here we are, a year later.

I have been reminded a couple of times in the past couple of weeks that one day doesn’t mean anything, or everything in this case. Yesterday while talking with a very dear and respected friend we talked about the fact that Thursday isn’t going to feel or be any different than Wednesday and the 365th day isn’t any different than day 364, 5 or 5000.

I thought I would use this space to share a couple of really great memories that I can look back on with a smile. Each experience in life creates the shape of our lives. When life is good, be grateful. When life isn’t as good, continue to be grateful.

Here are just a few of the memories that I am so very grateful for.

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Mexican Riviera Cruise – October 2016 – Heath booked at the very last minute, and our group went from four to five. Two of our three ports of call ended up getting cancelled so we had a lot of time on the ship together. We all spent many hours talking, laughing, eating and getting to know each other. I had met Heath very briefly in Oklahoma City in 2015 but taking this cruise was a great opportunity to add a new friend into my circle.

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16+30 Birthday Party – February 2017 – I had a really fun and crazy idea to celebrate the 30th anniversary of my sweet 16. Heath was able to come to Toronto for the weekend and what a great birthday weekend that was. My friend that came on the cruise with me, along with Heath made such a memorable birthday weekend not just sharing in the birthday party, but all the great things we did over the weekend.

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Stush in the Bush – Jamaica – April 2017 – I saw this crazy amazing video about the organic Rasta Farmer and his wife and booked the trip to Jamaica based on going to this farm. Crazy, right? WRONG! Our hotel had a gas explosion the afternoon we arrived, we had to move hotels, it rained every single day, except for the day we went to the farm. It was by far the best ‘excursion’ I have ever done in the Caribbean.

So many amazing experiences but I will stop here. I think I will save them for the book that everyone thinks I should write.

I told my friend yesterday that it wasn’t so much that it has been 365 days since Heath has been gone. It is that it has been 364 days since our last conversation. Banter, we were professionals at banter. It was the routine and the mundane. It was the angst about work situations, family situations, car situations, and everything in between. It was laughter, lots of it. and lots of swear words. and LOTS of crazy Southern slang sayings and words.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the author of the quote at the start of this post was on the Today Show this morning. The book is called Tell Me More and her name is Kelly Corrigan. I have never heard of her until today, but she does have a few books out, and I will be ordering this one this week. As she read the above passage from the book I couldn’t help but feel like she was talking directly to me today.

Call a friend tonight. For the simple fact that you can. Live conversation has become a lost art in 2019, and it is shame. I am sure that you are thinking about someone right now that you WISH you could have one more conversation with. I know I am .

Thanks for reading y’all,

Lisa

Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between it is ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. It is breathtakingly beautiful. – L.R Knost

Today started off ordinary and mundane. I had to go to get paint for the contractors to come and paint where the plumbing repairs happened and on the way home I stopped at What a Bagel for an onion bun. Ahead of me walking into the store was a woman who in ten minutes changed the narrative in my life story this week.

I saw her pick up some of the sugar free danish and cookies and then while I was deciding what to buy she asked me, “do you know what those are on top”. She was hoping they would be banana but I told her that it was pound cake. I was showing her all the different kinds of bakery items and she said to me, “I have to stay off processed sugar for the length of my treatment.” I asked how long that would be, she said a year October.

For the next 15 minutes I stood with her in the store, listening to her closely and in awe of her. I asked her about her artwork and if it was washable or permanent. She said her sons helped with this design and that it washes off. That she has done it multiple times.

That last fall she had a gall bladder attack, and when the doctors were taking care of that, they found she had cancer. This was three weeks away from her completion treatment of Tamoxifen. If you are familiar with that drug you know it is for breast cancer. Five years for that is the end of treatment. She was three weeks away when she received this diagnosis.

The amazing part of this conversation was that we were talking about the obvious without ever uttering the word. I asked her if she had seen Come From Away, which she had. One of the many things I LOVE about that show is the fact that the actual event was never mentioned, but of course the support role that sits just off stage the whole performance.

Her name is Lezli. She is changing the narrative on her story. She is wonderful, and hopeful and open. She told me that when she walks around with her bald head people turn away, put their heads down, do not engage. She spent three hours in Bayview Village recently with people stopping to talk to her and wanting to take a selfie.

She told me about her instrgram account – @Cancer_scapart and I took out my phone to follow her right away.

I shared some personal details about my life and then thanked her. Thanked her for helping me change the narrative of my story today. What I didn’t share at the start of this story was there were two women outside the store and when Lezli walked in they said, “Wow, her head is so beautiful”. When I shared this with her she teared up. She asked if she could hug me.

We paid for our purchases and then walked out and said goodbye. What a chance encounter I had today. She helped me and I am sure I helped her as well.

I will think about this for quite a while.

Find the good in the narrative of your life. You will be so glad you did. I am.

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