Being Alive

I was invited to spend this 4^th of July at a friend of a friend’s house, where, I was told, to be an excellent place to watch the fireworks, as they have a porch that looks up to the park where the fireworks would be done. With not too much on my mind to think about, I accepted the invitation thinking that it would just be a regular evening, one where I would hang out with some people, have some snacks and watch the fireworks. However, as I arrived to their house, I was received by a – may be- sixty something year old lady, in blue shorts and an American flag T-shirt, whom I later came to know to be my friend’s friend’s mother. She was very welcoming, especially for someone who has not met me before and didn’t really have a clue who I was. She showed me around, asked me to pardon the crazy dogs- which did not stop barking the moment I stepped in, asked me if I would like anything to eat or drink, and finally said to excuse her for the dozen of candles that she had lit, for she loved their smell and had them burning since the afternoon.

As I went to sit down on one of the patio chairs, in a nice location to watch the fireworks from, the mother was just moving around, very energetically, talking to everyone, asking them if they wanted anything. When she was finally convinced that everyone in the house was fine, she sat down beside my friend, only to tell her about all those trips that she had taken in the past two years. Florida, gone to Disney world, Arizona, saw the Grand Canyon, Italy, went to Venice, Alaska, Spain, Morocco, planning a trip to Mexico in the fall. The one thing that I could not miss is that she enjoyed every moment of every trip she took- not that I would find it difficult to enjoy traveling around. But this was a very different sort of enjoyment, a very genuine enjoyment, as there were things like having to have your own torches in Mexico because the place they were going to had no lights at night in the streets and she found this to be extremely exciting. I have to say I watched her speak and all what I could think of is that she was the most alive person in the entire place, as all the rest of us, were either staring into the empty skies waiting for the fireworks to start or just staring into nothing, probably emptying our brains from whatever was in them. And I have to say, that I really admired her spirit and her love for life, with the simplest and smallest thing in it.

Just as the fireworks started, I saw her run onto the stairs of the porch and sat down on them very close to her daughter and husband. As someone in the house put the radio on, to listen to the songs they were broadcasting from the park where the fireworks were done, she started very actively singing with the music and rocking back and forth holding her daughter’s and husband’s hands.

The fireworks seemed fine to me, but for her, they were very exciting, every single one of them. The one with the smiley face was cute, the one with the blue, red and white colors was very strong, the one with the swirls was very shinny. She was super excited about everything that- to me- it was becoming more interesting to watch her then to watch the fireworks. When the fireworks ended, she firmly wrapped her arms around her daughter and husband giving them a long hug and she said, “Another fourth of July fireworks with you guys.” I have to admit it was really emotionally to see them! When time came for us to leave, to my surprise, she gave my friend and me a big hug and wished us good luck in all what we do.

So on our way home, I couldn’t help but to express my admiration to my friend, saying how active I found that lady to be. To my deepest surprise, my friend gave a loud sigh and told me the saddest piece of news. “She has cancer,” my friend said, “Been diagnosed with it for more than two years. The doctors told her then she had only three months to live.”

And then I realized it all, the reason behind all this activity, all this appreciation and all this love. She is acting with one and only fact in mind, the fact that it is only for today that she is alive and accordingly, with all the determination that she has, she will, to the full, live every single moment of it.