Things That Matter

Personal expression…scoring high in the list of things you “sacrifice” in the rush of life. And like a volcano, it comes the day when emotions leak out, inspiration blows your mind and you start writing prose, poems, inspired posts or you paint, you start a blog etc.

A good friend and colleague of mine, Stella, mother of two little sweethearts, shared with me and the visitors of the blog, one of her poems. It goes untitled, as she prefers:

Ψάχνοντας λίγο νερό
-νε”ρ”ό όπως έ”ρ”ωτας-
“Δρόσισε τις πληγές σου”,
μου φώναζε μια μουσική.
Έσκυψα από πάνω
και σηκώθηκα κάποιες δεκαετίες γηραιότερη. Τώρα έχω δυο μικρές γροθιές,
μια πονεμένη πλάτη
και ένα παράθυρο
που βγάζει στον ακάλυπτο.

Very powerful symbolism, narrating a whole life in a few lines with a touch of down-to-earth optimism.

Didn’t know that side of you Stella, although I should have guessed it… Very honored you shared it here…Things that matter, indeed!

Like this, I open the #publishmypoem_challenge! Irene, you are next! Dare it!

Last week I had my first mammography. It was a high quality digital mammography according to latest standards, followed by an ultrasound performed with a high resolution device by a specialized radiologist. No findings at all, as expected. The purpose of this examination was to serve as a reference for future ones! It is advised that women after 35 – and certainly before 40 years of age – have a reference digital mammography. This way we know exactly how our own breasts look like when healthy, so that any deviation is easily noticed and as soon as possible!

It is common sense nowadays that prevention and early diagnosis play an important role in almost any disease – with breast cancer being among the first in that list. Before starting to work in the pharmaceutical industry and be exposed to a whole new field of information, I had a totally different perception of diseases like cancer and a different attitude towards preventive activities – although I’ve always been paying attention to unusual symptoms. To be informed and aware is a mentality we should all cultivate. This is the least we can do for ourselves. And it is extremely painful to me to admit that I haven’t been very assertive to this direction with some beloved ones I’ve lost… 🙁

So… my dear lady friends! Have you planned yours?