When it rains, it pours.
Monday was a bad day. One of the worse days I’ve had in a very very long time. Within a time span of two hours I felt like my whole world was crashing down. M’s brother had come to stay with us for the week, and I think he was more than a little shocked to see me completely fall apart into tears.
The first of the bad news arrived in a letter. The Dutch Immigration (IND) had finally decided to make a decision on my residence/work permit application. After 9 long months of appointments, tracking down obscure documents from Canada, taking oaths, writing letters, they decided to reject my application!
Of course they chose to write me a 7 page letter explaining all of this in Dutch legal jargon, but I know enough Dutch to understand that the first four words of the letter “de aanvraag wordt afgewezen” weren’t the words I was hoping for. I’ve spoken to a Dutch immigration lawyer who thinks I have a pretty good case, so I will appeal the decision, and take it from there...
The whole IND issue pales in comparison to the phone call from one of my best friends in Amsterdam. It still doesn’t seem real, and I can’t even begin to wrap my head around the situation. He has been diagnosed with colon cancer. He will have an operation next Monday, and start chemo a couple of weeks later. When he told me over the phone I couldn’t pull myself together, I knew I should have for his sake, but it was just so overwhelming. We went out for dinner last night to take his mind of things, and even under the circumstances we had a great time. I came prepared with a list of action points, diet recommendations, options for chemo treatments, etc.(being the google addict I am). Even as we sat there, we both couldn’t help but find the whole situation so unreal, almost comical. We giggled, imaging we were in a cheezy mad-for-TV-movie where he is now playing the role of "guy with cancer" and me "supportive friend".
Do things like this ever feel real?
hey, somedays shit just happens!,and you can't do much about it. That said always looking on the bright side, is I believe the best remedy. If your friend is young , he has a better chance due to early detection , and the fact that treatment is getting better and better. Keep trying on your Visa thing , I looked up whether you could get UK Ancestry Visa , but it only applies for Grandparents not Great Grandparents and may work for UK only. So always be cool and polite with the Dutch and hopefully they'll come around. Love K and S
I'm sorry to hear you're having such a rough time of it at the moment. The only thing I can say is to have faith and be sure to spend at least 30 minutes a day doing something that will make you laugh. I know it is hard, but I have found that making a point of renting comedies or finding jokes on the internet helps. So...here is one to make you smile and it has nothing to do with your current situation...but, I like it.
One day a farmers donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried
piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he
decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway. It
just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbours
to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel
dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the
farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw.
With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something
amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's
neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would
shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey
stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off.
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to
getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our
troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not
stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
NOW........
Enough of that crap. . .
The donkey later came back and bit the shit out of the farmer who had
tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmer
eventually died in agony from septic shock.
MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON:
When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes
back to bite you!
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