Our Regularly Scheduled...Whatever It Is

As I have mentioned (albeit obliquely) before, my brother Pete is having health issues. Specifically, this year he's had six rounds of chemotherapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. His post-chemo checkup a few weeks ago didn't bring the results we were all hoping for. He's having a second opinion in the new year, but his future may well include a stem cell transplant.

Obviously, this news is upsetting and is alone enough to distract me. Fortunately, Pete is quite positive; he and his family are strong and caring. Though they also worry, they realize that remaining upbeat works for them. I'm in awe.

In this case, however, life is behaving like a late-night commercial: But wait! There's more!

Not "more" in the sense of "bad stuff." More in the sense of "distracting stuff."

If a stem cell transplant is in his future, his best chance at a match is a sibling. I sent my blood off today for typing. My fingers are metaphorically crossed. (Literally crossing them makes it hard to type.)

And yes, there's still more, which helps give me the attention span of something with a really short attention span.

Even if I'm not “that” sibling, or if the match is not a sibling at all, the stem cell transplant will occur somewhere other than his home in New York State. His family will find it difficult to get away and, because my life is more flexible, I've offered to be with him whenever they can't be.

So at some point in 2011, my life will likely include travel, along with lots of other unknowns and uncontrollables. Dealing with which is not exactly my strong suit. However, I have done (almost) all I can do about this (aside from obsessively tracking the delivery of my blood to the lab) (okay I'm back...still in transit!). Though I'm still easily distracted and find it difficult to do long-term planning, I am mostly ready to return to taking care of the things that need to be done, at least in this household.

Like planning the family holiday. Which means, of course food and grocery lists and shopping trips. And then the cooking.

Like figuring out how all my “grownup clothes” (aka “not jeans”) got dirty at the same time. Which means sorting and washing. (As a side note, how many days in a row HAVE I been wearing these jeans?)

Like wrapping gifts. I bought the paper years ago, so it's too late to reduce my carbon footprint by using something else. Woo-hoo! Gaudy many-coloured gifts under a tree!

Like writing (I'm behind on gifts), baking cookies, and otherwise enjoying the holiday. Which will likely include some of those “is this me or is this an American/Canadian thing?” moments. Which I will share here.

All of which is just to say that the usual mishmash of Canmerican? Americadian? content will continue. In a perhaps-more-easily distracted form.