The New Normal

Dear Bloggees,
We are surprised at the number of people who tell us they read this blog regularly and that they appreciate being able to follow Charl's progress. We are flattered and very glad that it's provided you with a way to journey alongside us through this process, however I regret to inform these dedicated readers there isn't always something particularly interesting to write about.
The truth is that for us, the reality of Charl's cancer has become relatively predictable; the anticipated perils of chemo have morphed into somewhat banal realities that we now accept as our new 'normal'. While Charl's normal is now a reduced ability to exert himself, an ability nonetheless exists to remain active in some form. He gets tired, as I've mentioned, and sometimes this necessitates staying in bed for sevearl hours during the day to regain his energy, sometimes not. Now walking, our only form of exercise, seems to be a metaphor for the our approach to getting through these next treatments. Slow and steady. You can't speed it up; you are forced to accept the schedule sanctioned by the system. Sometimes it's walking on glass shards, sometimes walking through green pastures on a sunny spring day. This, coupled with Charl's diminished ability to remain active, has generally just forced us to slow down to a pace to which neither one of us is accustomed. This is not a bad thing - we've spent many years busily working at building careers, managing homes, projects and blackberry addictions and leaving some of the more important aspects of life to the side. Now we have the ability to stop, reassess, shake off guilty feelings for not doing "more". Focus on what's important: regaining Charl's health and purposefully developing our marriage.  Exchange the rat-race for time to reflect, read, think, pray and listen. Love. Really take care of basic physical needs like eating well. (Historically not a strong tendency for either of us). Charl is meeting with friends and colleagues and fellow volunteers from church and is very much enjoying this perk as well.
Although the 'new normal' of cancer can have benefits, it dispassionately imposes a less than exciting life, inconvenient physical discomfort, and forces upon you constraints of ability otherwise unimaginable. We do however remain ever thankful to God for any positives there are, and for what we can learn through these slow times  - and Charl remains forcused on these.
(It just may be that slow times don't make for fascinating blog posts ;)