Rising Up

Today, I had the unique experience of chatting with a patient who was so fired up about a personal slight relating to a cause that is quite dear to her.  Listening to her, watching her gesture with her hands, her voice ranging from frustrated to pissed touched something in me.

So often, I am guilty of only considering my own causes – the issues that are important to me, and to the narrow view I often hold of my world.  Being offered the chance to delve into the world of my patient was humbling.

After she left the office, I started thinking about my friends and the causes that are important to them.  Sunny has Rock 'N Aspire, a grassroots fundraiser that she crafted from the ground up that aims to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis awareness and research.  Willis finds her passion in attempting to understand the ways the environment is made toxic from the actions of humans; Edub seeks to help the world through her nursing; Anya finds her strength in her teaching and writing.  Not surprisingly, it seems we’ve all managed to land on one cause or another that helps move us, keep us going, churning our wheels and making this life worthwhile. 

We rise to the challenges of understanding these causes, why they are important, and more importantly, what we can do to make the world full.In these actions, much like the cause that is so dear to my patient, we find nourishment.  Sure, it’s not the nourishment that foodstuffs are made from, but it’s what keeps us going.  After the office, I ran a few miles in the greyness of this March evening and considered that even for all that I still want to do with this life, these sorts of moments sustain and feed me, and help me to be whole.