In Tact.

Mom just left me sitting in this waiting room.  She's off for her scan and my fingers and toes are crossed.  We meet with the doctors later to find out the results and make the plan, but for now...

If you have ever wondered if the human spirit is in tact in this world, I'm here to tell you it is.  It really is. 

The amount of caring and kindness we have been shown by complete strangers is a vivid reminder that in this world where we can get so wrapped up in our own lives and our own worries and our own happiness and our own sadness and our own and our own and our own, we still have a responsibility to care for others.  

Mom is on a very restricted diet and we have to go out to eat.  Not a good combination one would think, but one server and his manager brought out the actual huge box of pasta to look at the ingredients with us and then proceeded to help come up with a meal for mom that actually ended up looking better than mine, all while it was busy lunch rush.  First clue...human spirit is in tact.

We had some down time yesterday afternoon and decided we would go to a movie.  I immediately thought as I was driving to the theater, oh man, Mom isn't going to be able to have popcorn because of the salt {the iodine in the salt specifically}.  When we went up to the counter to get some drinks, I asked the teenage girl working, "Do you put salt in the popcorn before you pop it?"  She said, "Yes, we do."  I then cautiously asked because I thought there would be no way this teenage girl would do what I was about to ask her, "My mom can't have popcorn unless it doesn't have anything added to it...do... you..."  Before I could even finish my thoughts, she piped in with, "I could just make a brand new batch and bring it to your theater when it's done.  I'll make sure it's completely plain."  So, not only did this teenage girl offer to make a whole new batch of popcorn, I watched her as she proceeded to take all of the old popcorn out and then she washed and cleaned and dried the whole popcorn machine to ensure there would be no contamination.  Have you seen a popcorn machine at a movie theater?  This is not just a quick little thing.  I thanked and thanked and thanked this teenage girl.  Then, mom and I went in to start watching the movie.  About fifteen minutes later, the amazing popcorn girl walks into the theater and hands mom a bag of fresh, safe popcorn.  I then watched my mom enjoy a treat at a movie theater in the middle of all of this hoopla going on in her life and couldn't help but tear up at the kindness of one teenage girl.  Second clue...human spirit in tact.  

The hotel we are staying at has shuttle service to and from wherever you need to go in Rochester.  This morning, a few short minutes ago, I watched Mr. Shuttle Driver {who happens to listen to really good music} assist a wheel chair bound elderly man onto the shuttle with the care that one would give to their own aging father or grandfather.  He then helped the same elderly man off the shuttle and made sure he knew where to go once he was inside the Gonda building.  At this point, it was just Mom and I left on the shuttle and I asked him, "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think you are living the dream?"  I asked him not because I wanted to be funny or because I thought he would laugh, rather, I asked him because I truly felt that at moment, there is not a place in the world that man would have rather been than helping people.  He responded, "A ten!  I love living the dream."  I said, "I figured that's what you were."  Third clue...human spirit in tact. 

We arrived at our Mayo building about fifteen minutes early.  The sun is shining and it is a beautiful morning here.  I looked at mom and said, "Let's go outside for a bit...I saw some tulips around the corner."  She looked at me loaded down with my bags full of my computer, geography homework, books, trail mix, card readers, cameras, dental floss {hey I like to be prepared} and said, "You want to lug all that with you?"  There is a greeter person at the door of the building and I walked up to him and asked, "Are you having your best day ever?"  He replied, "Yes!  Well, maybe there was this one day last year that might have been a bit better."  I then asked him, "Will you watch my stuff for me so I can go take a picture of my mom by the tulips because this might be our best day ever too."  He didn't blink at the two of us unloading our stuff on him.  Coffees and all.  Mom and I walked down the street, took some pictures of the beautiful morning and walked back to the man who is having his best day ever.  He took out some pictures of the turkeys in his front yard for us to look at, we visited a bit, and then we loaded up all of our stuff and headed up to the waiting room.  Clue four...human spirit in tact. 

So, here I sit.  In the waiting room.  To my right is a family with a two year old son.  They are loaded down with books, toys, pacifiers, stuffed animals, sippy cups and the little boy is on round six of chemotherapy.  The little boy loves to look at the elevator doors opening and closing.  The little boy loves to be pushed fast in his stroller.  You can see in the mom's eyes she will do. anything. it. takes.  Clue five...fighting human spirit in tact.