Self Preservation

We all have stressors in our lives.  We each choose what we do about it.  Living with cancer and a chronic auto-immune disease, it is critical that I manage my stress level.  But sometimes things get thrown at you that you can't control.  My goal is to take a deep breath, think with compassion, and don't accept stresses that don't belong to me.  Doesn't mean I'm not impacted though.

My Dad was admitted to the hospital Saturday.  He is okay and we expect him to be discharged soon.  It is hard to see family members vulnerable.  It has forced me to spend the week dealing with the stress.  I love my Dad and hate to think of him as anything but well.

I went to see Dr. S yesterday (the doctor that did my lump removal).  I had been concerned because it is still "lumpy" and I now have a crease below my eyebrow.  He feels it is all part of swelling and will eventually resolve.  He wants to see me in 3 months to make sure it goes away.  We did celebrate the clear PET scan.  He agrees there is no reason to rush to treatment if Dr. L doesn't feel it is necessary at this time.

Philip's doing good in school.  Mid-term is Friday.  He is working very hard to hit mid-term strong and caught up.   He is trying to get ready for his 2 AP tests in a few weeks.  I can't imagine.  What I am celebrating is that next week is May which means we just have a little over a month of school left.  After that, no more early morning class.  The 5:20 wake up every weekday morning is just too much.

So my take away is as we each go through life, encountering stresses and pressures, to really focus on what is important, take a deep breath and release those stresses and pressures.  Cut everyone some slack and try not to harbor hard feelings or take on things you don't own.  We cannot change the inputs that come into our lives but we can control how we feel and deal with them.  I promise you will feel better. 

I am going to take some time this weekend and find "Joy".  I suspect it will be easy because Spring is finally here.  I can see blossoms on the trees, hear the birds chirping, and smell the flowers in my yard.  I knew it was a good idea to plant all those Hyacinths by my door!  Hope you have some heartfelt joy too!