My volunteer driving for the American Cancer Society is getting rocky.
One patient is doing badly and becoming more angry by the day. Jackie
& I are not the primary targets of her anger, but we are getting some
of the flack. It is hard to reach inside ourselves and understand that
her anger is about her and we just happen to be near enough to feel
it. We feel an obligation to help her get to her treatments and a need
to abandon her for our own health. I guess we will wait for her to
contact us about her next treatment and make a decision based on how
we feel after talking to her.

Last Wednesday I was running alone on trails in a park. I came to a
chain across the trail. I was hot and tired, but I had hurdled the
chain many times and decided to do it again. Anxiety caused me to
hesitate just before I jumped, I barely cleared the chain, but landed
awkwardly on my right leg. My knee buckled and I fell to the ground in
pain. I was all alone and unable to move for a long time. After what
seemed hours I was able to sit up and inch on my butt over to a post
to pull myself up without putting weight on the leg. Then I had to
hobble about a mile and a half back to the parking lot. Just as I
arrived at the parking lot the cavalry arrived (about 50 members of my
running club). Their timing was a bit late. Now I have to wait for the
knee to heal. The next time I come to that chain I am determined to go
over it without hesitating. If I don't make it I will feel good that I
tried and remind myself every day until the knee is healed enough for
another try.

Shalom,
Chuck