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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