Fighting Spirit

This card holds relevance in a couple of ways. It kind of reflects how I feel about a situation and also mirrors the person in it.

I got up bright and early this morning and took the train to Victoria. Rather than waste money on tubes, I exited the station at the back and walked over the bridge, down to Pimlico. It's quite nice around that area. Large white terraced houses, mainly hotels, line the roads with leafy trees in front of them. As Autumn approaches, I saw one single brown leaf dance in the wind and fall to the floor right in front of me as I walked the length of the long street. Yes, the seasons are beginning to turn.

I met my two friends outside of a station and we walked to see the third friend, who lives near by. She was recently diagnosed with cancer, so we came armed with lunch and flowers. She has a lovely first floor flat, but due to not being able to walk now, has been unable to get out so much. Her carer has been taking her out on her crutches for what she calls 'walkies' when they can, but she is still getting used to them and has only just returned from her spell in hospital. I can't believe all of this has happened so seemingly quickly. She and I were working together only a few months ago; zipping about in her sports car (which she will now have to sell) and going for lunch by the river. She had a special bed delivered while we were there, along with a lift for the bath and a walking frame. Hearing that the cancer is terminal kind of pulled the three of us into the reality of the situation. One of my friends grabbed hold of me in the bedroom for a hug, saying she was so shocked by what we were witnessing.

So today's card makes obvious sense. Yes, I do feel melancholy. As much as it was nice to be with my friends and see how positive our hostess's spirit still is despite the odds, the seriousness of the situation was a lot to take in. On my train journey home, I replied to a message from my boyfriend, who had asked how my friend was. It was almost impossible to not well up as I wrote back, and as I am now. I do know that my feeling sad won't do her any good. We need to lend her all the strength that we can and told her we will visit again soon.

When I got home and looked at today's card again, I saw my friend sitting in her new walking frame. It's on wheels and has a seat that you can use to rest on while you are out. That's her in the picture, taking a moment out, before carrying on with her fight. At 58, she is a very energetic and enthusiastic woman. Prior to this, she was jetting from one end of the country to another, directing theatre productions, working with disadvantaged children and voluntarily coaching the elderly, who she was in the process of putting on a play with (one of the leading ladies is 85!). Apparently, the doctors say she is recovering from the treatment well, since she could have been paralysed by all she has been through. I put this down to her fighting spirit. While standing at the door, she mentioned something about hoping to last another few years. It jolted through me like a punch in the stomach, but I'd say that if anyone can exceed expectations, she can.



Illustrations from the Sibilla della Zingara