[2021-12-08] Enjoy the winter
Aside from going out for a short appointment at a clinic, I spent the entire day at home in my warm house. In lieu of a walk in the cold, on a slippery street, I opted to pace in the house while taking a few calls.
After a long and mostly lovely fall, winter appears to have settled in. On some days, I will no doubt be like the reluctant house cat who sticks its nose out the door, shakes its head at the cold, wet weather, and retreats to its bed in front of the fireplace. If the weather is horrible, I won't venture forth, unless I absolutely have to—such is the privilege of being retired.
Of course, I couldn't spend the entire winter holed up in my house. I'm not down with hibernating. That would be giving up, like postponing living until the spring. No, I believe in embracing the beauty of every season.
I find this analogy applicable to dealing with cancer (or any long-term challenge, including coping with a pandemic). Just as we don't stop enjoying life in the winter, we mustn't stop enjoying life during cancer treatment. Just as we can find contentment despite the ice, snow, windchill and freezing rain, we can find joy despite the surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, physiotherapy, and other medical interventions—in the moment, not months down the road when we've completed treatment.
While I've been recuperating from my latest surgery, for example, I've been watching cooking programs: The Great Canadian Baking Show, School of Chocolate and The Great British Bake Off. If I were in top form, I wouldn't spend an hour or two snuggled up in a warm spot watching competitors make tarts, cakes, puddings, breads and jaw-dropping chocolate sculptures. But while I'm recuperating, anything that amuses me while I convalesce and that supports my healing is fair game. In that same vein, I watched a movie on Netflix while hanging out in the emergency department of The Ottawa Hospital last week. I had been meaning to watch Red Notice, and the perfect opportunity presented itself while I was biding my time in the hospital.
My point is this: do not put off enjoying today because you're waiting to get through a difficult period—a proverbial winter. Sure, there will be days when you want to curl up under the covers and cry at the challenges you're facing. And you should allow yourself to do that from time to time, just as I remained indoors today. But don't stay there. Find beauty in the midst of hardship. Keep living, loving and laughing even on the difficult days. Spring will come eventually, but enjoy the winter in the interim.
