a solstice gift - a ray of light on this longest of nights.....

i met a very lovely young man tonight....by young, i mean younger than me! I think he was aged maybe 30.  I was at a solstice party at a friend's house about an hour away from here. it was a reasonably restrained affair - vegetarian bbq and sangria, with the added indulgence of a session in their steam room.  my kids opted to contribute chocolate fondue strawberries and fresh whipped cream to the feast, which was a welcomed and exciting addition to the festivities.

the young man in question was visiting the area and i'm not quite sure of the connection but think he was a friend of my friend's housemate...

he presented as a quite friendly, open and gentle individual with interests in music, yoga, drawing, and a carpenter by trade. he also happens to have an extremely rare and aggressive cancer which is growing around his spinal cord, is resistant to conventional therapies, and causes him to suffer from chronic and often unbearable pain.

it was bizarre and unusual to meet someone in this position.  as he spoke to me about his condition it was like I was having a conversation with myself......he described his illness as one which is ridiculously rare.  apparently it is generally unheard of in one of his age - usually afflicting young children.  his presentation is not as would be expected or has been observed before.  the similarities to my daughter's condition were striking.

I cannot adequately convey the gentleness, and joy of this individual.  he confessed that, now two years since first diagnosis, it is not something he really thinks about very often.  with the failure of conventional treatments, and with the tumour remaining in his body and causing him extreme pain, he has embraced his own intuitive style of therapy.  he uses regular yoga, and breathing techniques to help him manage the pain.  he uses foods as medicine, and maintains a conscious and constant awareness of his body's needs from moment to moment.

he positively radiated light as he spoke to me of the wonderful people he has met along the way and the lessons he has been learning, courtesy of this scourge. this was a young man in love with life; who accepted the rapid change in his life direction, and totally embraced a new way of being.

it was a relatively brief meeting, but an inspiring interaction, which reminded me of a few things which I tend to forget in this whirlwind of my life.....