Loving People for Whom They Are

 Well today went.  I survive it, I only cried twice.  Yeah Me!  I got my hair cut short, had a Pulmonary Function Test, a Chest X-Ray and a PICC Line placement. 

As I have gone through everything these past several weeks I have read about how people have struggled with the changes to their body.  How becoming a Cancer Patient, Cancer Fighter and Cancer Survivor has somehow changed who they are as a person. 

I for one am not worried about any of this.  I can still remember telling Terah, "It is just hair".  Well I get it now, it is more than just hair.  It is a part of you and a visible reminder of where you are in your journey.  There is a large chance that in two weeks I will be sporting a nice bald head or at least a patchy one.  I am not too worried about it.  I will not let a diagnosis or a treatment plan define who I am.  It will be just a part of me, just like all the other experiences in life are a part of me.  It has lead me to think about our society and how much we as people have gotten away from just being people.  Or at least my definition of people.  I use to tell those I was working with that we have to "Just Love them for whom they are."  We got to meet them where they are at.  For me I am confident that we have stopped learning who people are.  We dont take the opportunity to really connect with people.  We pick out potential dates through apps, where we make our entire decision based on what someone looks like.  We communicate through social media, which is my opinion is far from social.  We use letters on a telephone over the numbers.  

Covid has not made this any easier, now we work from home and get little social interaction with co-workers.  It just keeps getting better and better.  We use technology to help bridge the gap, but let's be honest, how rewarding is it to connect with another human being?  I think when you have the ability to make that true connection with someone it is rewarding.  

Personal connections have little to do with your appearance, and are not always romantic in nature.  So for those who worry about all the details and how people will respond, don't worry about it.  When you choose to show love towards someone regardless of who they are as a person, then others will also love you for who you are.  At the end of the day we are all people, we look different, love different and live different, but at our core we are people.  So remember that!  Love before you hate!  Think before you react!  Seek first to understand.  Take time to listen.