Am I the only one who feels like there is doom and despair at every turn? I honestly am not sure I can handle one more bit of sad news. Today it was finding out that a dear colleague, who is the nicest guy ever, just found out he has a brain tumor. At 30 years old. He and his wife are expecting their first child in a couple of months. I just don’t even know how to process this, and I’m fully aware that it isn’t my crisis.

I think after having my own brush with mortality and its stupid consequences, my heart breaks every time I hear of someone else’s struggle. Just like every time I sit in the oncology waiting room and see all the people dealing with cancer. The older folks who look so frail I wonder how they’ll survive the treatments. The younger folks who seem so out of place. It breaks my heart. All of it.

My bucket is empty. My prayer list gets longer every day. I keep looking for things to sustain my empathetic nature. Tonight it was wine and dark chocolate. And a comedy on tv.