Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.04.2019, Blaðsíða 10

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10 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • April 1 2019
Take one …
I chuckle about radiation. Not
at first, but now. It brings back all
kinds of fun stories as well as a sad one.
After all, life is a roller-coaster ride.
Radiation would take place
Monday to Friday for five and a
half weeks. Whoa, sounds like a lot
when you live one and a half hours
from the hospital. But they were very
accommodating – usually giving me
afternoon appointments. As in, it was
mid-January. As in, who wants to get up
when it’s pitch dark outside just to go
to radiation? Not me. A trip to a palmy
beach? Sure, no problem. Anyway, get
my mindset on. Positive. It’s a good
thing I had functioning anxiety, for it
pushed me through my fears. Looking
back, I had many. I just didn’t know
what was happening.
A friend who had been through
breast cancer years before went with me
the first time. She was upbeat and had a
positive sweetness that I needed around
me. She drove. Afterwards, we went
out to Stella’s diner and then did a little
shopping. That’s the attitude! Make this
fun. After all, I’d be in the city every
day. How could I possibly run out of
things to do?
One day, while looking for a holistic
store, another friend and I (Thelma and
Louise) stumbled across a little place
called Verde. The owners were kind,
funny, and wholesome. Just what I
needed. They served the healthiest food
and smoothies one could imagine. So
we made friends.
Some days I would go in alone and
some days I would stay with my dear
friends in the city. But the common
thread would be the leggings. Or the
pants. I had many pairs of intriguing
or interesting leggings. After the first
week, the nurses had nice comments
about my leggings. By the second
week I heard comments about how
they looked forward to me coming so
they could see what I would be wearing
that day. They also wondered just
how many pairs I owned. “Could you
wear a different pair every day?” they
asked. Challenge accepted. Now I had
a mission to focus on something other
than the Star Trek machine that buzzed
around me for 45 seconds a day while
I lay there thinking about sunshine
beams, rainbows, and butterflies.
So every day I became a star in the
most important film of my life – a role
that should probably not be taken lightly.
With my freshly-styled black wig upon
my head, I’d apply full face makeup
and plan my wardrobe around a funky
pair of my leggings or pants. It became
fun and exciting. And guess what? For
28 days I never repeated a pair of pants.
I think the staff was more excited and
fascinated about that than they were for
my finishing my treatment. It kept the
mood light. Thankfully.
But as in most movies, there is
always a scene of sorrow. With the
happiness there had to be sadness.
The day I decided to leave my cell
phone back in the locker was the day
my appointment was late by almost an
hour. As I usually kept myself engaged
with my phone, this day would give me
new things to feast my eyes upon. They
found the people. Oh, the people. Sigh
...
I learned a little more about myself
that day. I did not just see the people but
I saw into the people. I could read their
energy. I had been so wrapped up in a
perfect little package that I hadn’t really
been noticing everyone else. Amongst
the bubble wrap, I had been protecting
myself. Outside of that bubble was not
pleasant. The energy field in that place
was low. They were tired, sombre, and
depressed souls. This is not a judgment,
but more of a feeling that surrounded
me as I waited. The energy crept in and,
as I scanned all of their faces, something
in me changed. I lost my happiness. And
that day when I walked into the radiation
room, the grim reaper followed me. I lay
silent with no smile. Reality check. This
wasn’t a fashion show. This was my life.
On the drive home later, I cried.
Ugly cried. I called a friend to help me
through. I still don’t know how I saw
the road. I had been so strong up to that
point. But that day those sad, sad faces
got me. And like a sacrificial lamb, I
broke down and cried for myself and
then I cried for all of them.
But the colours of happy would
return later that day. My husband arrived
home with a bouquet of flowers. How
did he know I had a bad day? I cried
again.
On the last day of radiation I could
ring the bell. Ah, no. No way, no thanks.
Dumb. But I wanted no regrets. I’d
only get one chance. A voice inside
encouraged me. So I rang that thing till
the cows came home. I felt a relief and
a great sense of freedom as all the stale
burnt-up energy vibrated out of body
and into that bell and danced out there
into space.
Roll credits …
RADIATIONMEL’S MOMENTS
Melanie Johannesson
Riverton, MB
Robert T. Kristjanson
125 5th Avenue
Gimli, MB R0C 1B0
Fax: 204-642-7306
Phone: 204-642-5283
Iceland reaches agreement on Brexit
mbl.is – Iceland and Britain have reached
an agreement ensuring the status quo on
customs duties and trade if Britons should leave
the European Union without an agreement.
According to sources of the Norwegian news
agency NTB, the formal negotiations ended
March 15. The interim agreement covers trade
in goods between Britain and two European
Economic Area states, Iceland and Norway. The
agreement provides that the EEA’s provisions
relating to trade between the states shall be
unchanged, so there will be no change to the
current customs duties or the trade of industrial
products not subject to such duties. In addition,
quotas for duty-free trade in agricultural goods
and seafood products will also be unchanged.
However, the agreement does not cover trade
in services. Foreign Minister Guðlaugur Þór
Þórðarson said that the Icelandic government
signed the agreement in collaboration with
the Norwegian government. He said as well
that finishing touches to the agreement would
be completed soon. “This actually means that
everything concerning us, between Britons and
us, has been finished, regardless of arrangements
relating to Brexit. We have been very pleased
with the Britons’ response and everything related
to agreements regarding them. Because this is an
interim agreement, we fully expect a good final
agreement.” He said he was pleased at having
ensured an unchanged framework for trade
between the states.
Condolences to New Zealand
mbl.is – President of Iceland Guðni Th.
Jóhannesson sent his and the Icelandic nation’s
condolences to Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor
General of New Zealand, regarding the destructive
terrorist acts committed in Christchurch. In
addition, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and
Foreign Minister Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson also
sent their condolences regarding the attack.
SDA calls for bigger contributions to combat
Earth’s warming
mbl.is – The government ought to allocate
2.5 percent of GDP to measures against global
warming and it also ought to increase Iceland’s
contributions for development cooperation to
0.7 percent of GNP according to resolutions
approved by the central committee of the Social
Democratic Alliance. In addition, all government
efforts should not to be regional, meaning
they shall be possible to perform anywhere
in the country, regardless of residence, unless
circumstances demand otherwise. The central
committee also approved a resolution dealing
with taking steps toward membership in the
European Union.
Fishing agreement reached with Faroe
Islands
Morgunblaðið – Minsters of Fisheries
Kristján Þór Júlíusson of Iceland and Høgni
Hoydal of the Faeroe Islands reached an
agreement on fisheries between the countries,
renewing the 2018 agreement. It gives Iceland
access to the Faroe Islands’ exclusive economic
zone to catch blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandic
herring while the Faroese get access to Iceland’s
exclusive economic zone for the same species.
The agreement covers 2019 and 2020. The
ministers also agreed to continue working on a
framework agreement on the countries’ fishing
collaboration before the current agreement
expires.
Icelandair grounds Boeing 737 MAX 8s
vb.is – Icelandair Group decided on March
12 to ground its Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes
indefinitely. The company has three such
airplanes in operation. Earlier the same day
the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority
banned flight of the planes in its airspace.
Reprinted with permission from Icelandic
News Briefs, published by KOM PR.
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