Journey
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The Control Freak Lets Go of Control
The Control Freak Lets Go of Control Impossible, I think, to let go of control. How will my world go on spinning if I don’t take charge and make it happen? Certainly, things won’t get done. Life will fall apart. No one will do what they said they would do. I religiously make my daily “to-do” list and proceed to push myself each day to complete it, no matter what it takes. No matter how long my day must go. To give me a sense of accomplishment. A sense of success. And, of course, to convince me that I am in control. Even those items that require others in my…
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Does tidying up and decluttering truly set you free?
Does tidying up and decluttering truly set you free? This question is a powerful one. Something that many professionals and experts in the field suggest is the outcome of decluttering. However, is that true? Does tidying up and decluttering truly set you free? For those looking for a comforting promise, my answer may be discouraging or frustrating. We are a culture looking for assurances and guarantees. We have come to believe that all we need to do is to take specific action steps and the promised goal is ours. Such as take this pill and you’ll feel better. Have a headache, depression, or stomach upset, here’s the answer. Clean up your home…
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What did I change when I got cancer?
What did I change when I got cancer? It certainly was a wake-up call, the diagnosis of breast cancer. The first time back in early 2018 was a gut punch. Left me gasping for air as I burst into tears. The second time around in 2020, oddly enough was less shocking, although it caught me by surprise, just the same. I didn’t take it lightly. I knew this was no game. This was my life, to be taken seriously. I knew I had to make some drastic, life-altering changes. But … What was it I needed to change to embrace wellness? Back in 2018, I decided to have surgery, a…
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How are you doing? Seems kind, yet is it?
What do you say to those who are grieving? Someone who has experienced great trauma or loss? Do you flounder with what to say? Or do you rely upon words typically spoken … such as “How are you doing?” Seems like such a supportive, kind question, doesn’t it? Yet, is it? It’s a question I have found challenging to answer and I wasn’t sure why. A helpful reason came from Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy, on life after grief. Where she spoke about how difficult it was to answer that question after the sudden loss of her husband. I read her book back…
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Believe the diagnosis!
In the early days of my journey with cancer, a powerful message from Deepak Chopra stopped me in my tracks. It opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart and awakened within me a new way of thinking. It rang true and solid. I took a deep breath. Inhaled this beautiful message. Perfect timing and a gift from God spoken through this wise man. What did Deepak share? “Believe the diagnosis, not the prognosis!” Up to that point, not only was I expected to accept the diagnosis but I was also supposed to go along with the prognosis. I balked at both. I simply couldn’t get my mind around any of it. The diagnosis of breast…
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What if it’s not over?
What if it’s not over? How do you know if it is? Who’s in charge of that anyway? These are questions that pop into my thoughts, usually at the most inopportune times. I’ll feel perfectly content, satisfied, and peaceful, secure in the belief that it is over. But then, “wham” there it is. The fear, anxiety, and worry that it’s not over. After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve been on this merry-go-round of cancer. Who says it’s over? Sometimes it is something that I have read, maybe pops up on a program I am watching, a comment made by someone or a social media post. Mind you, it may have nothing…
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Change! Ready or not here it comes!
Change. Are you ready for it? Because ready or not, here it comes. I learned that one big time in the last several years. Not that change hasn’t happened for me before, many times. Life is full of change, after all. However, there are some changes in life that we go kicking and screaming with resistance. Yet, the change happens even though we don’t want it, or think we don’t. We push back against the options we are given. Often they appear to be the only ones possible. Option 1 … no thank you. Option 2 … no way. Option 3 … you’ve got to be kidding. We’re comfortable just as we are,…
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I rang the bell … Now what?
I rang the bell. It signaled the end. It was over. But, what exactly was over? It felt surreal as I stood there with the radiation medical assistant and my husband. A beautiful bouquet of flowers in my arms, given to me by my loving partner in life and my caregiver all these long months. A big smile on his face. The relief was palpable as he stood there beside me. This was it. A celebration signaling the end. That it was over, done, with no more required of me. I found myself playing along, doing what was expected of me as I handed the flowers to my hubby. I grabbed the…