The Gift of Opportunity

I'm sitting here this morning, looking out my dining room window with a blue sky above and a warm sun shining in on me.  The coffee is hot, the house is quiet, and the day is full of promise, which gives me the perfect chance to sit down and type up this blog.  Of course, I could have chosen to go back to bed after I visited with my son on his way to work, but after days of cold, cloudy, snowy weather (yes, it is April...welcome to SK!), I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to bask in the morning sun and write.

And that's when it came to me that I could do just that...without taking a sick leave to battle my breast cancer, I would not have had the time or opportunity to enjoy mornings like this in this relaxed way. I then realized that kinds of other opportunities have presented themselves to me during my cancer journey.

On a small scale, it's given me the chance to appreciate just how cold a bald head gets at night and what my husband must go through daily (mental note to self...buy him a night toque this Christmas). It has also helped me relive those days of anticipating the growth of hair...of course, in the past it was on my babies' heads and not my own, but it's still fun waiting for the little sprouts of growth! It has also given me a chance to grow brand new fingernails...mine were never very strong and tore regularly.  Since they all slowly came off during my chemo. I hope that the new ones will be twice as strong and beautiful!  Lastly, it's given me the opportunity to let my family experience what having a stay-at-home mom is like...my husband and I worked while the kids were growing, and this is the first leave I've taken since my last maternity leave.  My stay-at-home mom time has kept the house full of groceries, baked goods, folded laundry, and tidy rooms, not to mention hot suppers ready on time.

On a larger scale, going on this cancer journey has provided me with opportunities to discover my treadmill and strengthen my determination to become healthier.  While I wasn't a full-fledged couch potato in the past, I certainly wasn't in good shape.  Knowing how important exercise is to recovery, I have adopted a new fitness program that I didn't make time for before and know that I will continue.

I have also gained a new insight into what others with cancer, esp. breast cancer, might have gone through or are still going through.  The old adage that you need to walk a mile in a person's shoes is really true in this case.  Cancer can be really scary...so many doctors, so many appointments and tests, so many terms and drug names to remember, so many emotions to deal with. But cancer can also be managed, and doesn't have to be all there is to you... in fact, I feel like it has also given me the opportunity to learn more about myself:  I know what I can do and when I need to ask for help; I know what my priorities are and what isn't that important to me; and I recognize that while others may not completely understand what I'm going through, their concern is genuine and more than likely, it comes from their own brush with cancer, be it friend or family.

Which brings me to realize yet another opportunity provided by this experience:  I have been given the opportunity to share my experiences with others with a resolve to acknowledge, regardless how difficult the situation, there are positive gains to be found.  I am determined to focus on ways this journey can make me a better person, and will help me take this same approach with other challenges I will face in the years to come.  And on beautiful spring mornings like this one, you can't help but feel that the day is full of opportunity!