Mission Log: Sol 19
The Village
July 17, 2026
Last night I watched Phenomenon.
When the credits rolled, I found myself crying. It wasn’t really about the movie. One question surfaced that I wasn’t expecting.
Will someone be there for me?
Not just for treatment. Not just for the difficult days ahead. I wondered who would show up when my own story eventually reaches its final chapter. I don’t worry much about dying. I worry more about whether anyone will gather to remember that I lived.
Then I remembered.
Dad. Mom. George.
When they needed people, I was there.
Maybe that’s the answer. We don’t always know who will stand beside us years from now. We simply spend our lives becoming the kind of person who stands beside others.
The anticipation of Monday’s radioactive iodine treatment still lingered in the background, but the day quickly had other plans.
Jeff came to me and said, “We have a problem.”
A dead tree had finally given up. Part of it had broken off and landed across the creek into a neighbor’s yard. Smoke from the Canadian wildfires already had the air feeling heavy, and now this demanded immediate attention.
Cancer has taught me something.
You don’t have to carry difficult things alone.
We started making calls.
Public Works responded quickly. Friends were available. Within about thirty minutes the problem was handled, and they didn’t have to work in the rain that arrived shortly afterward.
The village showed up.
That lesson stayed with me for the rest of the day.
I took one trade in the market. It stopped out.
No frustration.
No drama.
Just information.
Regroup and live to trade another day.
I also discovered that routines still matter. I became so focused on everything happening around me that I almost forgot my morning medications, finally taking them on an empty stomach a couple of hours later. Even small habits deserve attention when life gets noisy.
Dinner, however, was an unexpected victory.
I made what can only be described as deconstructed stuffed peppers using ground beef, pork, rice, pinto beans, onions, and red and green peppers.
It was, without question, the best meal I’ve had since beginning the low iodine diet.
Then came one more unexpected gift.
My doctor called with good news. My thyroid levels looked good, and my radioactive iodine treatment was pushed back one day. More time. Less pressure. I was perfectly okay with that.
The evening ended with something entirely different.
I stumbled across Doctor Who starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper.
Exactly what I needed.
Adventure.
Wonder.
A reminder that even while waiting, life still finds ways to surprise you.
Today answered yesterday’s question in a way I didn’t expect.
The village isn’t just the people who attend your funeral someday.
It’s the people who answer the phone today.
It’s the crew that arrives before the rain.
It’s family.
It’s friends.
It’s the strangers willing to help carry a burden that was never meant to be carried alone.
No more chaos.
Just another reminder that alignment isn’t about controlling tomorrow.
It’s about showing up for today.
