Embracing Life's Imperfections: Insights from My Journey
Life’s greatest lessons often come from its toughest challenges. Today, I want to share some insights from my transformative journey with cancer, which has and is continually reshaping my understanding of life in unimaginable ways.
Embracing Resilience
Battling a serious illness unearthed a resilience I didn’t know I had. I crafted a bubble that protected me during the battle period. Each day brought its trials, yet through them, I discovered an inner strength and an ability to focus on the end dream I wanted to manifest for my health. Resilience means not just bouncing back but courageously moving forward through the “verdicts” and the fear.
Finding Beauty in Imperfection
This journey taught me to confront life's fleeting nature and find the silver lining even when it's hiding really well. I've learned to savor small moments, appreciate the complexities of life, embrace the messy and unpredictable aspects of life and view every day as a precious gift. If you look back at challenges life threw at you, you may see that things, in the end, worked out for your best interest, even when they seemed horrible at the time. Reminding myself that “everything is always working out for me” helped me get through the rougher moments.
Prioritizing What Truly Matters
Facing mortality shifts priorities dramatically. My experience with myeloma taught me to focus on what truly matters—self love, reconnecting and realigning with myself, happiness and positive connections. It encouraged me to shed the trivial and cherish the relationships and experiences that enrich my life. I've learned to invest my energy in what brings me true joy and fulfillment (something that was always last on my list).
Cultivating Gratitude
Despite the hurdles, this journey has filled me with gratitude. I’m thankful for my diagnosis as it awakened me to the importance of self-love and self- care (foreign to most mothers). I am grateful for my supportive family, friends, and community, the compassionate care from my medical team, and the simple joys of everyday life. These experiences have taught me to appreciate the abundance around me, finding beauty even in the toughest times.
My battle with myeloma has not been easy and I know it has not ended, yet has been incredibly enriching. It has inspired me to live with more courage, find joy amid adversity, and appreciate the imperfect beauty of life. I am grateful to share these lessons with you, hoping they offer you the same strength and perspective they have given me.
To be updated on my journey, click here.