This morning I was waiting for the bus on my way to work (rather later than usual) and a lady in a her late 40s or early 50s (by my own estimation) arrived seconds later. She started talking to me very naturally, which in large cities like London is not that usual. Within minutes she had already told me she had been diagnosed with cancer over a year ago and was on her way to the hospital to most likely be told she needed another major surgery.

I felt very sorry for this seemingly very nice lady. It never is easy to go through these sorts of situation. Thankfully she has relatives living near by to help her along the way. I was also amazed at her ability to talk about a very personal topic to a complete stranger with such ease. I suppose she was anxious before going to the hospital and needed to talk about it.

At the end of our bus journey we both wished each other good luck and went our separate ways.

When I feel sorry for myself because things are tough and don’t always work out Life has a way to remind me that, in fact, all these little annoyances are not important. On the contrary, I am lucky to be in my situation. Not everyone can say the same.