Sunrise 7:04: Living versus dying

The Dawn Joggers have talked a lot about the Edwards decision to continue in the race for President. They've read the news analysis and watched the couple on 60 Minutes last night. The female DJ thought more about it on her jog across the Stanford campus this morning. She gets the "I don't want to be pitied" notion easily. It's been one of the hardest aspects of the male DJ's illness. ("You were such a wonderful couple" well-intentioned folks have said to them.) It's also been hard because friends and family want answers: what's the prognosis. Like the Edwards, the DJs don't have pollyanna glasses on. They understand the seriousness of a treatable but incurable cancer. And also like the Edwards, they just don't know what the course of the illness will be. So, they can go on living, which means trying to live each day in a normal manner. Or they can start dying, which, ironically, could mean "spending more time with family," "cutting back on work," "doing the things you always wanted to be doing." To some those things might seem like "getting your priorities right." To a couple facing life-threatening illness, they may also seem like dying. The tulips are on display in the community plot fo the senior housing complex on Sand Hill...