what cancer has taught to me

mariam_11_09
mariam_11_09 Member Posts: 691
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
So far what I have realised .....

to be selfish - dang if I don't take care of my needs I won't be around to take care of anyone elses.

won't tolerate rude or disrecptful behaviour from any kid including my own.

to speak up in a way I can be heard.

to be polite when I don't want to be around friends who instigate drama (rather than shut up and tolerate them). actually I no longer engage emotionally.

to find the calm and peace within. The depth of the peace and calm is endless.

to find the strength and courage within. The depth of the strength and courage is endless regardless of how I might feel.

that being attuned to how I really feel, be it fear or sadness or whatever is really strength and courage.

surrender, surrender, surrender .... God/Allah/The Divine/The Universe is really with us ....

flowers always spring up in the spaces where the bombs have dropped.

I want to find a beautiful, very beautiful way to celebrate the end of chemo .... to do something creative. I have gourds lying around my apartment perhaps I could create with those.


Would love to hear what others feel.

Comments

  • Cat64
    Cat64 Member Posts: 1,192
    #2
    Mariam
    Thanks for sharing this with us. It really has me thinking. I have not been able to put this experience into words just yet, but your post has inspired me to get back to writing! I love the part that "Flowers always spring up in the spaces where the bombs have dropped". Your Gourd plan sounds like fun, I hope you'll post them when you're done creating.
    Keep writing-it's very therapeutic.
    ♥ Cat
  • krispatmad
    krispatmad Member Posts: 10
    #3
    Same lessons learned
    I too have learned those exact same lessons throughout my entire journey with cancer. At the end of chemo I bought myself a cake that had the word chemo with a slash mark on top of it. I shared it with the nurses on the infusion floor. The looks I got taking it out of the bakery!!
  • anaumann
    anaumann Member Posts: 60 Member
    #4
    thanks for your thoughts. I
    thanks for your thoughts. I have not been able to find any calm or courgage within me. Any suggestions. ann
  • laurissa
    laurissa Member Posts: 773
    #5
    Hi Mariam
    Loved these. Getting past chemo takes time, getting back to something called normal. Doing crafts is a great idea. I am planning to re-do my bedroom, wallpaper, paint. But before that, I need to do a new floor and vanity in the bathroom. This past year I've let things go a bit. Now its time to get things more organized, get rid of CLUTTER. I wish I had gourds to make birdhouses. I don't let things bother me like I used to. Just breathe and focus on something better.
  • filimu
    filimu Member Posts: 74
    #6
    what I learned
    is something I already knew, but hadn't truly applied to my life until I first saw my father, daughter, and husband suffer with it... and of course now I have it, and am beating the tar out of it.

    Don't sweat the petty s@Q%&t....and in the long run, except for the death of a loved one, isn't it all just petty s@Q%&t? So now, when something starts to upset me, I try to take some deep breaths, and relax, and realize it doesn't really matter in the great scheme of things...Those people have no idea what's really important...and I do. What a great loss on their part.
  • Bella Luna
    Bella Luna Member Posts: 1,578 Member
    #7
    Bravo Mariam
    This is what I learned from cancer.

    I am stronger than I think. I am bulging with muscles you cannot see. These muscles can't be bought, they're not for sale, you have to earn them.

    I heard a gal say this about what she learned from cancer and I second her pearl of wisdom, too. She said,

    "Since being diagnosed with cancer, I find I have a lower tolerance for bull@#$%."

    I think you mentioned something along these lines too, Mariam. Wouldn't it be something to have a book with all these pearls of wisdom for us to read?

    Great topic! Thanks for posting it.
    BL

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