Birthday Capsule
I celebrate a big birthday this year and rather than shed light on the number, let’s talk about the milestone in general. I believe many readers can attest to the importance of seeing through yet another birthday. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with blood cancer or have walked this walk for a few years, we can probably agree that any birthday is a blessing.
When I first did my research on multiple myeloma, you couldn’t tell me that in 5 years my life as I knew it would be over. Well, some of that statement is accurate since life has never been the same. However, I’m still kicking 10 years in. I could never guess those odds. I get emotional thinking about how hearing the word cancer often stops you from thinking about anything other than mortality being right around the corner.
Putting the P in positive attitude
I’ve been able to share my story in various outlets, and it always comes back to trying to have a positive mindset. It’s important to try and take back some of the control you once had. The days when treatment kicks in and your body reacts in its own way... well, that’s a personal walk. The days that are not so bright are not every day. On the days when you’re able to move about as your old self, well, that is a good day!
I’ve said this before and I guess I’ll say it again, if you were miserable prior to a diagnosis, you now have a choice to think of life differently. If you continue bad habits, well, I guess you won’t be up for the positive talk. There is just something about how we look at the worst of times and how we handle those situations. For me, the "P" in positive means possible, permissive, and persistent.
My birthday goals this year
With a guest list of friends and family counting over 100, I’m actually looking forward to showing up at my party! Again, I reached a milestone. I lost a lot to get here and even gained some. I took the walk of being positive, to live in the moment, fully knowing tomorrow is not promised. My mantra is to live life until the wheels fall off. It is not an understatement in the very least. As I drive through life with my hair flowing, I laugh, smile, and grasp all of what today is about. I look forward to celebrating my life now while I’m here, rather looking down and seeing everyone show up at my memorial. I’ll get to sashay across the room in this formal attire at my birthday affair and show another face of beating the odds and continuing to beat the odds.
After my birthday, then what?
When it’s all done, I’ll bathe in the moment of having a good time and then get back to business. So, what will your birthday capsule be? When you look back at your life and your milestones, what are you missing, or have you filled any voids? If you’re moving from your first cycle of treatment to your second, that is a milestone. If you mark that 1 year of treatment with the hope of just a few more years to hopefully get those numbers down, that’s a milestone. Have you gotten to remission now or a few times? Indeed, that is a milestone.
Happy Birthday!
The time to fight is now, with integrity, grace, hope, and a smile….when you feel like it
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