My employer, Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, sends an employee email bulletin each day with agency announcements, who’s in and out of the office for the day, etc. At the end of the daily bulletin, the receptionist always includes a Quote For The Day. Today’s quote was this:
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.”
- Walter Elliott
Many family members and friends, especially friends who have fought the cancer battle, ask me some very good questions about the details of my diagnosis, my surgery, what kind of radiation and chemo schedule will follow, etc. I have to admit that I usually don’t have exact answers for them. And there is one reason – I simply haven’t asked. In fact, yesterday, I told Dr. Makhoul and Dr. Klimberg that my plan of action is to ask questions only about my current treatment plan. I guess you could say that I’m living in the moment, focusing only on the present battle. In my opinion, it keeps me focused on the NOW, not worrying about next month or what lies ahead.
It reminds me of some sage advice I read in a magazine many years ago that has worked well for me. It was about organizing your home – drawer-by-drawer, closet-by-closet, etc. When you are a working single parent, the task of home organization can appear to be an impossible task if you think about the entire house, so daunting that I’ve often just resigned myself that I didn’t have the time nor the energy to get it done. Until I read this article. The organization expert said, don’t think about the job in its entirety. Instead, break down the task into one drawer and one closet at a time. It was the perfect advice for someone like me, who can find the time and energy for that.
It is with that same spirit that I’m tackling breast cancer. One day and one treatment plan at a time.
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Today I’ve felt rather good, until about 5 pm. Now I know why they sent me home yesterday with a large bottle of pain pills (a friend just informed me that it's the same pills that created Rush Limbaugh's addiction. Oh no!) . From my chest cavity up to the tip of my ears, my entire upper body is so terribly sore, including my jawbone, neck, and shoulders – all of it. What I would give for a good upper body massage right now! Hopefully this is temporary and will go away very soon. In the meantime, I’ve opened the pill bottle and will probably end up in dreamland very soon.
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