This past Saturday, I braved the closing of the 405, also known as Carmegeddon, to attend the Santa Monica Relay for Life. I was invited to give a special welcome to the survivors who attended ~ the amazing people behind the “celebrate” aspect of Relay.
Needless to say, the impact of Carmegeddon was small but the impact honoring the survivors this way was huge!
I was honored to be sharing the stage with Dr. Asher, the Director of Cancer Survivorship & Rehabilitation at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. He gets it. He understands the power of “social oncology” as he phrased it ~ the gift of Relay and other events that allow survivors and caregivers to share their stories as part of their healing. Dr. Asher spoke eloquently to so many things that align with my core values but I knew we were on the same page when he spoke of “being of service.”
He offered this as one of the pearls of wisdom he had learned in working with his patients…that caregivers coming from a place of being of service instead of helping created a shared experience of giving/receiving instead of a helper/helpless dynamic.
My Motivational Mondays link this week is to my article on being of service to others ~ The Final Tally. How can you be of service as you move forward in your life? You’d be surprised at the difference a smile, a thank you or an offer to help a neighbor in need can make.
