Tonight, as I read through posts from a year ago this week—encompassing the day of my bilateral mastectomy and the subsequent recovery days—I was reminded of the challenges of surgery. But I was also reminded of the body's remarkable capacity to heal.

"I used to approach making dinner as drudgery, but then I started putting music on, pouring a glass of wine, having my daughter there ripping up lettuce for the salad. It can become the nicest part of your day."

— Ellie Krieger

"I wanted the reward and not the struggle. I wanted the result and not the process. I was in love with, not the fight, but only the victory. And life doesn't work that way. Who you are is defined by what you're willing to struggle for."

— Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

"The usual consumer response to a problem or need is not to look at the problem, but to look at the solution, the normal expensive commercial solution. Consumers say, "we need a new car," when they ought to be saying, "we need a means of getting to work, getting out of town on weekends, to the in-laws at Christmas". The answer may well turn out to be a new car, but if you're going to start with the solution instead of the problem you'll never find out if there might be other, less expensive answers."

— Charles Long, How to Survive Without a Salary

A common problem in many CVs I've read—in addition to typos, grammar errors and stylistic flaws—is drab, text-heavy resumes that require prospective managers to work to discern the key information. If it gets too difficult to find the answers they're looking for or to understand the content, managers will stop reading and simply delete the email.

As you begin to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, you may be starting to think about professional growth and your next career move. Demers' suggestions and my additions may offer ideas of activities that you can pursue to support your career goals. But, if you're not quite there, anything that supports your well-being, even if it's playing a game or doing a puzzle that enables you to take a break from the stress of a strenuous day or week, is alright. Be well.

I created a document that would gather, in a single place, all the information that an executor would need to manage my and my husband's affairs in the event of a sudden death of one or both of us. I thought, "what information would my husband or kids need if I were no longer around?" Coincidentally, just a few months after I first drafted the document, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That reality made me even more convinced of the value of the document.

"Some of you are unaware of just how amazing you really are. The way you make people laugh, lift others up, or spread some extra love. You do this even though you are struggling too, and I think it makes you such a beautiful human being."

— @mypositiveoutlooks on Instagram

As [journalist Charles] Duhigg points out, group members who take turns in conversation and display sensitivity to each other create psychological safety, in other words, "a sense of confidence that the team will not embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up." This results in "a team climate characterized by interpersonal trust and mutual respect in which people are comfortable being themselves."

So it was appropriate to recall [Lin-Manuel] Miranda's message that "This feeling will pass." This pain will pass. This recovery phase will pass. This doubt will pass. I have recovered from other illnesses, treatments and surgeries, and I will recover from this one. There will be good stuff ahead. My body is magical. It will heal.