[2021-01-15] It does get better
I spent several hours last night and even more this morning responding to the many notes of congratulations I received through email and social media. I did my best to respond to all comments, but apologize if I missed any. Every response, like, share and comment was an echo of the bell I rang yesterday to signify the end of my chemotherapy. Thank you so much for making me smile.
As I said to one well-wisher, ringing the bell is all the more meaningful knowing that so many people were with me there in spirit and are applauding me now. It keeps the celebration going.
Of the many comments I received, one that I found especially inspiring was this one: "Where there's life, there's hope." That is a lovely thought, one that I might have remembered a week ago when my hope waned after my oncology appointment.
I have also been touched by the feedback that my blog is bringing positivity and hope in the midst of adversity and despair. These are trying times for all of us. Sharing my story through daily posts has given me purpose and been my contribution to the greater good. It might help us all to remember that we are serving the greater good as we continue to slog through lock-downs and restrictions. Just as there is hope for me, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for all of us.
Yesterday's entry in A Year of Positive Thinking seems fitting:
It Does Get Better
You will experience moments when you feel like the world is against you, when nothing seems to work, when it feels like everything that can go wrong has.
There are some circumstances that can't be fixed or made better immediately. There will be times when your world does not feel okay.
As best as possible, you must sit and honor this truth.
In those moments, allow yourself to cry, shout, or be upset. Feel what you feel. But then surrender into what is.
I can't say when or how, but time, surrender, and healing will allow you to find solace.
It does get better. Know this.
I remember back to a conversation with my family doctor on August 6 when she said, "There's a battle ahead." She told me that the surgery would be huge so the physical recovery would be big and that chemo would make me sick.
Fast forward five months and much of this is behind me, with just one last round of chemo recovery to go through.
It did get better. I trust that life for all of us will get better too.
