Happiness

I talked with an 8-yr old cancer patient today. It was amazing how much energy he had. We went to the playroom and spent the entire afternoon putting together Lego pieces to build our own racecars. He was quite the engineer! I asked him how things were going and how long he had been in the hospital. He replied that it was his second month, and that his treatment was going well. His parents were very happy, and that made him happy. To hear those words uttered by him made my heart melt. Throughout the entire afternoon, we joked, laughed, and just talked. I couldn’t believe how much life this little patient had in him! He was a little ball of energy! When I left, he gave me the longest hug, and asked about when he would see me next. He said I was the “best Lego builder ever,” which surprised me, considering my racecar was not built anywhere near as elaborately as his was. Today, I learned something valuable from my little friend. He taught me that it was possible to still be optimistic and happy, even when life doesn’t turn out quite as you planned it. Times can get tough, and life can be difficult, but as the saying goes, “When life hands you lemons, squeeze some lemonade.” He taught me that happiness can be found anywhere, even in places that you would least expect to find it, such as the cancer center.