Today my friend Anat died, after a terrible battle with stomach cancer that appeared somewhat suddenly, almost ten years after she had survived breast cancer. She leaves behind a loving husband and two exceptional children, brave and strong kids, like their mother. Anat was not that much older than me, and even knowing how much she suffered before she died, I am still in shock and overcome by sadness.
Anat befriended me when I first moved to Israel, and for many years I was an almost weekly house guest for Shabbat, and most holidays. Her family became my family, and to this day I thank them for it. We had a falling out a few years ago, because she basically told me to stop wasting my life with dreaming and regrets, and instead to take action and live in a way that is true to yourself. Because you never know how much time you have on this earth.
And she was right about me. Except for choosing to get pregnant and give birth to my daughter, I spend a lot of time looking at my limitations, instead of trying to find ways to burst through the glass ceiling I have built for myself, my own personal prison of sorts.
So now I re-dedicate myself to listening to my friend, whom I loved. I am only sorry I didn't get to tell her that before she died; that is one regret I cannot fix.
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