First things first - a big shout out to all the people who have helped make my life easier through this past year by their spiritual, mental and physical support. You know who you are. Thanks! Woo Hoo!
I thought at the first anniversary of my cancer diagnosis I would create a very profound blog post, perhaps listing last year's challenges, how my life has changed, and offering up sage thoughts about the precariousness of life and the need to appreciate each new day and the joy it brings.
Yeah - no.
Yes, it has been a difficult year, but I've had worse. Lots of people have had worse. Lots of people DID have worse. One thing that I didn't like about this past year was, well, the cancer. One thing that I did like about this past year is how the awareness of death has made me live differently. In the literature, they call it, "living more intensely" (emphasis theirs). I think I'm just making better choices about what to pay attention to and how to spend my time. It has made for a better life in some ways.
Don't get me wrong. I do NOT think that cancer is a gift as some would argue (some who are at the healthy end of the cancer spectrum, I would argue). I do, however, think that, like so many of the big challenges in life, it can make you smarter.
I'm all for smarter.
