I've only added a few things to my day. I work 8 hours coaching teachers. Then, I come home and straighten up -- just little things -- wiping down counters and toilets, sweeping, dishes, laundry, putting things in their place, cooking dinner. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I run. I'm almost up to a mile. Seems so short a distance, but it has been tough for me. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I strength train. That's all I have energy for. When do I get back to normal? Next week, I plan to add daily mopping back into my schedule.
So, let me tell you about the life of a cancer survivor since the last time we talked . . . or you read . . . or whatever. I worked, of course. I set up two new offices. They rock! After stressing out about going back, I am loving my work! I have five teachers that I'm working with at the alternative education high school, and six teachers that I am collaborating with at our traditional high school. In addition, I am on the school board of our local charter school, and I'm working with an amazing teacher on Lindsay High School's Exhibition Night. I know it seems like more work, but I love our kids and this community. So, it's a labor of love. I had a four day weekend. You would think that means extra time to relax, right? Wrong!
On Friday, I spent the day with my youngest. We had so much fun shopping for Valentine's gifts for his girl. I was feeling a little down, because this was my first Valentine's Day in 4 years that I have spent the day as a single girl. In fact, February 14th was our anniversary. So, my lovely son bought me chocolate covered strawberries from one of the most amazing chocolatiers in the area. Check out www.staffordsfamouschocolates.com. They deliver!
On Saturday, I had lunch with my best friend in the whole wide world. We shopped, we drank wine, we bonded. It was fabulous, and I felt loved! On Sunday, I cleaned the house from top to bottom, and the plumbing in the laundry room backed up again. The whole laundry room flooded. I ended up having to sleep on the couch, because all the sheets were in the flood. Yay for sleeping on the couch with a raging case of lymphedema! Monday, I had to load all my laundry into my car, unload it at my parents, load the clean clothes back into the car, then haul the whole load into the house. Then, I had to clean up the mess in the laundry room after the plumber came to fix the problem. Yep, swole up like a puffer fish was living in my armpit. So cute.
So, here's the deal. Life keeps moving on. It doesn't wait until we feel strong and ready. It doesn't wait period. So, I decided to look around at my life and see what good things are here. Here's what I found:
* Peacefulness
* Style/shoes (I love shoes)
* Independence
* My kids and my grandson
* My parents and my family
* My friends
* Creativity/art
* My pets
* My job/security
* Home
* My car, music, food, wine
So many, many beautiful things!
Then, I thought about what things I can actually change to make life better. And, here's what I found:
* I can actually CALENDAR the things I WANT to do
* Overcome my fears by facing them
* Set priorities
* Making healthy living a habit
* I have complete control over how I choose to spend my time and who I choose to spend it with
* I can make good decision about spending and saving money
* I can make self care of utmost importance
I may be beyond tired, but I know how good my life is, and I am thankful every day.