It’s October, which means my wedding anniversary, my parents’ wedding anniversary, a wedding (+ a road trip), a pathology appointment, my first gastro appointment at Ohio State, and various other things on my calendar. This also happens to be one of my favorite months. While I don’t like that the days are getting shorter, I love the fall colors, sweater weather, simmering a big pot of chili on the stove, and college football. All too soon, my seasonal depression will come back, though, which is also a sad thing about October.
The weather has been gorgeous, with cool, crisp mornings and sunny, warm afternoons. I completed hike 88 yesterday of the Hikerbabes 100 Hike Challenge — my personal goal is to finish the challenge by the end of the year.
The leaves are just starting to change. In just a little over two weeks, I’ll be driving to Minnesota with my mom to attend my cousin’s wedding. I’m hoping we’ll have some really nice color then, but I suppose it will be past peak in late October.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing my cousins again. We used to get together at Thanksgiving every year when my grandparents were still alive. It’s now been years since I’ve seen them. But that’s the thing about life. We all grew up and got pulled in different directions with our adult responsibilities. And it’s harder when we live in different states.
October 9th is the anniversary of my friend Sherry’s passing. It will be 37 years. She was 14 and on the list waiting for a heart and lung transplant but never got a donor. She left school for a long time and stopped contact with her friends, though I kept writing her letters. I always wondered why she went no contact, but she was probably too sick. I guess I never realized at that age how life threatening her illness was. How can we possibly imagine someone dying at age 14?
I remember being at my locker on October 10, getting ready to go to homeroom, when one of my friends told me that Sherry died the previous night. I stayed at school that day despite being offered the chance to go home, but I was in a state of shock. She was one of my best friends.
The only way I’ve been able to honor her is by signing up to be an organ donor. That was the first thing I did when I got my driver’s license, and I encourage as many people as possible to become organ donors. I also donate blood regularly. That’s the impact Sherry made on my life.
So that’s how I’m going to end this post. If you’re not currently an organ donor, I urge you to consider it. Do your research (there are a lot of myths surrounding organ donation) and make the best choice for you, of course. But if you feel this is something you can do, please sign up. You can make a huge difference in at least one person’s life.
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