It's Such a High Mountain

So don't miss the view

Dear Friends —

A shorter post here to provide some important updates on the past few weeks climbing this often insufferable mountain. As always, I begin with gratitude because each of my steps has been paired with many of your own; I’m here because these trails have been surrounded by your friendship and intrepid support.

The short headline is the April was both awful and kind of miraculous. Awful because getting radiation to wipe out small spots of cancer on a brain results in a very angry brain — think feeling lousy and a general sense of what on earth is happening to me. And then miraculous because UCSF is home to Gamma Knife technology where apparently dealing with brain issues is kind of their thing. And if you can’t pause in wonder about something called a Gamma Knife that’s located just 30 miles from me, I might suggest you’re missing a view from this mountain that’s nothing short of remarkable.

With that, my medical team tells me the weeks ahead could be a slow recovery time. My balance is a little off, my energy is sluggish, and I’m being patient as healing continues. Nothing new or scary has happened since treatments have concluded, so we’ll hold on to that as a nice sign of hope that I’m headed in the right direction.

And throughout April, I had a small army of angels swoop in with visits, gourmet soups, movie recommendations, phone calls, plus all this beautiful time and space for spontaneous naps. This is both a solo and mini group expedition climb. Like those images from groups scaling Everest in May, I can look back and see a tapestry of flags from all the switchbacks of April and gaze in wonder at all these mighty steps and gifts provided by so many of you.

The hope is the May is the Month of the Mend. I’ll need some more days to recoup and get my general footing back. Is that all guaranteed? Nope! Are we hopeful? Yup! We live in both truths.

More to come as we look ahead to June, when I’m delighted to share more stories from these past few years that I’ve captured in The Brave In-Between.

Pre-ordering is so easy! Just click here

This book illuminates lights from what I call the last room. But with that, they are actually lanterns that have a place for all the rooms of our lives. While I unspool stories through some sacred terrain, I hope you’ll find these lights as both life-giving, and transcendent, for each chapter of our lives.

Ok more to come as May unfolds. May we all be on the mend, and be kind to each other if we have a wobbly moment or two. Maybe three.

xoxo