This week, three years ago, I was recovering from my first of six rounds of chemotherapy to deal with ovarian cancer. As Cyndie Spiegel says (full quote below), "Whatever you are experiencing will eventually pass." I did get past that challenge as well as several others since then.

Today, I drove to my friend Vicky's house to drop off a treat. When we last got together, the cafe where we had met did not offer vegan options. Since everyone deserves good food, I offered to make my friend something special for our next coffee date. Ever since, I've been dreaming about making Chocolate Date-Caramel Cups. And, of course, once I had vegan dark chocolate and had made the cups, I had to deliver them. Vicky had her own surprise for me: a friendship bracelet with the words Go Grab Life (you can just see it in the photo). Vicky is one of those friends who asks how you're doing and waits for the answer. It doesn't matter whether the response is "I'm great" or "I'm struggling"; she wants to know the truth and she will support her friend either way. Our little exchange of gifts was such a nice way to start the Thanksgiving weekend. We both have a lot to be thankful for.

Despite how I'm feeling, there is beauty in the world, especially the love of family. It will be my anchor in the days ahead.

In my own relationship, Chris and I have learned to accept each other exactly as we are—scarred or unblemished, sick or healthy, working incessantly or reclining in a La-Z-Boy. We don't try to change each other. And we don't try to get the other to do what they don't want to do. But we're also there for each other whenever we're needed. I couldn't ask for a more supportive partner, especially as I face cancer.

Like many young people, and especially young women, I believed that I was unattractive, uninteresting and just plain not enough. With time, I would learn that I was attractive―perhaps not when measured against the fake standard of airbrushed faces in magazines, but certainly when measured against the genuine standard of basic human decency. I would learn that I was interesting; in fact, the more interest I showed in others, the more interest they showed in me. And I would learn that I was enough: enough to be a loving wife and mother, a respected leader, a cancer survivor, and an influential writer.

[Bill] Jermyn acknowledges that while once he looked down on laziness as a severe character flaw and believed in the Victorian ethic of hard work as a necessity for salvation, he now embraces laziness. He attributes his newfound acceptance of sloth as a high art form, not to a lack of motivation, but to "a different view of what is important." He explains: "I know what I want to do―not much, in fact―and have begun to use laziness as a shield to avoid what I don't want."

Know your body. When something changes or doesn't feel right, see a doctor. Don't dismiss your pain or malaise. Push for tests, and follow up to make sure they are scheduled. Learn the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Pay attention to ovarian cancer or breast cancer in your family and share this information with your doctor.

Today, pick one thing to remove from your life. Maybe it's taking responsibility for organizing family gatherings, or spending more time on social media than you'd like, or listening to naysayers. Be deliberate about which activities serve you, and slowly remove those that don't.

Today at lunch, Chris, Mel and I talked about what we would have for supper. Mel recommended fish. Then Chris reminded us that we had Romaine lettuce in the fridge. That led me to suggest we have steak and salad instead of fish.... Early in the afternoon, Chris asked me whether I had taken the fish out of the freezer. "No," I told him, "we're having steak and salad for supper." "Nobody told me," he replied.

When I was younger, photos were primarily an interesting thing to look at from time to time. Now, I see them as a link to my past and to my future—reflecting where I came from and allowing me to capture and share my story. Before embarking on my digital photo cleanup, I might not have been able to readily tell a story like the one represented in tonight's image: each time I went to The Ottawa Hospital's Cancer Centre for one of my six chemo treatments, I took along two rubber duckies gifted to me by my sister. They were like a security blanket. Since she couldn't be with me in person because of COVID restrictions, my caring sis (her term) could be with me in spirit.

When difficult times arise, remind yourself that life will go back to normal, even if it's a new normal. Whatever you are experiencing will eventually pass. This truth doesn't diminish what is happening, but it allows you to find the light at the end of the tunnel by recognizing that time will keep moving forward. And in time, you will be okay once again.

— Cyndie Spiegel

Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time.

— Jon Kabat-Zinn

It turns out that actually most of these world-class performers had a first coach, or a first teacher, who made the activity fun. If you excel at something, and you experience mastery, it often does make it more fun and enjoyable to do it. We’ve overlooked the reverse effect, which is that often interest precedes the development of talent. It’s having a coach or teacher who really makes something exciting to be involved in that leads you to often put in the practice necessary to become an expert at it.

— Adam Grant

There’s an unconscious tendency to tune out people you feel close to because you think you already know what they are going to say.

— Kate Murphy

What is one thing you have stopped doing because it no longer serves you?