I am writing practically nonstop these days, but obviously not much of it here. I have so many projects on my plate-too many! I'm managing to stay fairly calm behind all of it, and remind myself of the need for inner peace every day. Forgoing yoga at the moment to avoid public emotional evisceration, I have found a wonderful QiGong/Tai Chi class at the local YMCA, taught by an acupuncturist who discusses the traditional Chinese Medicine aspects of our activities during the exercises; right up my alley! That will help me on the way to becoming ready to return to yoga, and I hope I will continue with both.
Last Friday was a very nice day, hectic but rewarding at work and then I met up for dinner with a fascinating woman I met at a breast cancer support group. I don't do much of that support group thing, but this one, for the ABC program which stands for After Breast Cancer at the YMCA is one that I support in my work and I have been the beneficiary of for its free personal training and nutritional counseling, and the meeting that I attended when I met my new friend was "spa night" and well worth going. The best part though was S. who is a woman in the middle of her journey through treatment, a physician herself, beautiful, fit, smart, and with basically the very same diagnosis as I had. Triple negative, early stage, left sided. So much in common although so far apart culturally. She a Caribbean, I a California Jew. It was gratifying to me to have some opportunity to offer some experience, to hopefully smooth some of the challenges facing my new friend. It's amazing how soothing it is to be able to, from time to time, offer someone a tip that makes their experience just a tiny bit easier. And when it's a person that you really want to get to know, it's that much better. It didn't even occur to me to suggest that she might want to read this blog, but I will next time I talk to her. That was the impetus for starting this anyway, the idea that someone sometime might have a similar path to walk and need a bit of a road map. I wish I could have found one when I was initially facing my health challenges.
Later on Friday night, we went to a birthday party at the home of a friend who travels so much that we never get to see her. Lots of our old pals were in attendance, and it was amazing to meet up with the crew, and sadly unsurprising to hear of many newly diagnosed cancer survivors among them, and to hear of those who have not made it while we have been busy working on our own survival. Every day another miracle; waking up is one.
Last Friday was a very nice day, hectic but rewarding at work and then I met up for dinner with a fascinating woman I met at a breast cancer support group. I don't do much of that support group thing, but this one, for the ABC program which stands for After Breast Cancer at the YMCA is one that I support in my work and I have been the beneficiary of for its free personal training and nutritional counseling, and the meeting that I attended when I met my new friend was "spa night" and well worth going. The best part though was S. who is a woman in the middle of her journey through treatment, a physician herself, beautiful, fit, smart, and with basically the very same diagnosis as I had. Triple negative, early stage, left sided. So much in common although so far apart culturally. She a Caribbean, I a California Jew. It was gratifying to me to have some opportunity to offer some experience, to hopefully smooth some of the challenges facing my new friend. It's amazing how soothing it is to be able to, from time to time, offer someone a tip that makes their experience just a tiny bit easier. And when it's a person that you really want to get to know, it's that much better. It didn't even occur to me to suggest that she might want to read this blog, but I will next time I talk to her. That was the impetus for starting this anyway, the idea that someone sometime might have a similar path to walk and need a bit of a road map. I wish I could have found one when I was initially facing my health challenges.
Later on Friday night, we went to a birthday party at the home of a friend who travels so much that we never get to see her. Lots of our old pals were in attendance, and it was amazing to meet up with the crew, and sadly unsurprising to hear of many newly diagnosed cancer survivors among them, and to hear of those who have not made it while we have been busy working on our own survival. Every day another miracle; waking up is one.
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