Let’s Be Still
September 12th, 2014
Phew.
These last few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least.
The start of a new job at USC has been quite enjoyable, picking up some useful techniques as well as being exposed to some interesting concepts in stem cell and developmental biology which I hope will prepare me well for future graduate studies. As a technician my role in the lab is varied; I help graduate students with their experiments, finish up the more mundane part of protocols, make different chemical solutions and just try to be generally helpful around the lab.
The particular project I’m working on is quite fascinating, but in thinking about how I would want to explain it… I figured a diagram would be much more helpful then a long string of big science-y words that leave us all feeling a bit confused.
*A note of encouragement to the overwhelmed reader: even with what I consider to be more than adequate training in the biological sciences, I find myself having to look up about every third word which is uttered during our lab meetings.
So while life seems to march on at an unrelenting pace I am reminded of these lyrics by the musical group The Head and the Heart:
The world’s just spinning //
A little too fast //
If things don’t slow down soon we might not last. //
So just for the moment, let’s be still. //
As I’m currently sitting at City of Hope receiving my second to last infusion, I’m slowly beginning to think back on this journey and the impact it has made on my life. I will share some of these reflections once they have formed more coherently, but for now I can say that this experience has deeply affected me. While I am eager to be done with treatment, I am trying my best to remember what this experience was like. Having cancer really isn’t fun or enjoyable, but I think it puts me in a unique position to empathize with others who will walk a similar journey.
Fortunately in the midst of craziness of work and life there have been some centering moments. From family dinners, to a growing community, to weekend adventures, I am thankful that there have been moments to simply be still.
