Wednesday, June 29, 2011

from the inside out...

today I attended a team building seminar that included some building blocks of how to do "the work" ..  to help us be happier... more productive... better communicators..  I have been working on how to do "the work" for a while ...especially this last year....

one sentence in the literature we were given stood out...not bold letters, underlined or really big font... but my eye settled on it right away... "work from the inside to the outside"..

one of the things I am finding in common with other cancer survivors.. the ones that Thrive.. not just Survive.. is that we are working from the inside.. we change our priorities.. we set new standards.. we forgive .. love harder... share more of ourselves (sometimes more than people want us to).. and turn ourselves inside out in our journey to leave a legacy..

the best thing ..from my point of view... about from the inside out.. is that there is immediate effects..pleasure.. profound appreciation.. it is not something you have to make a plan for other than to start.. you can choose one minute to find gratitude in something from your day.. one second to be flexible or offer service.. a glimmer of time to tell someone you love them.. hug them ..

it is not a goal that you have to work up to... even thinking about it is a start.. shining up the insides.. glowing through all the hurt, pain, scary things that we deal with.. it is hope that ends up shining through.. from the inside out.. it is hope..

Thursday, June 16, 2011

start at 100 lbs ...

this last week I attended The Susan G Komen Survivor Education and Empowerment Conference with a fellow breast cancer survivor.. I was ready.. I need empowerment.. and I came away with one statement that I keep going over and over in my mind... if you are 5ft... start at 100 lbs..

the conference was full of information, stories shared and wonderful viewpoints..

Anne of  The Wellness Center here in Phoenix told her story of change, taking charge and trying to find her way to normal.. while her husband wanted to prepare for the future and a rainy day.. she wanted to experience life to the fullest and never miss a moment.. at odds with each other it took 23 years of survivor ship to meet lovingly in the middle.. I found myself nodding at words she used to describe her journey..those are my words.. we are the same in so many ways..

Donald of Mayo Clinic told us about wonderful trials and treatment changes that have resulted from research...the fact that he looked like Fonzie from Happy Days..only with gray hair and a sports jacket instead of leather.. just made us all lean forward and listen to his confident words.. any moment I was waiting for him to walk over to a juke box.. hit it somewhere in the middle and music would come spilling out across the auditorium..

and then came Barbara of Cancer Treatment Centers of America with her list of cancer fighting foods, the importance of eating not just "well".. but "right" and how you start at 100 lbs..being over weight is not something you want to be if you are fighting cancer.. fat holds things ..like cancer causing estrogen .. and you need to make that go away..  if you are 5 ft.. you start at 100 lbs.. and for every inch more of you.. add 5lbs..

that makes my goal 115 lbs... really.. ok wait... really...  if I start at 5 ft .. and I add 5 lbs for each of my 3 inches = 115 lbs.   Considering my purse on grocery day weighs that .. and I have not since I was 14 yrs old.. I felt a bit discouraged.. starting at 100 lbs..

In the end.. I did feel empowered.. I felt confident.. I realized I cannot do everything today.. this minute.. in a breath.. I don't have to return to normal today or tomorrow... I can sigh and lean forward to listen to the Fonz talk about medications and new research that tells us they work.. and I don't have to start at 100 lbs today... I have to just start... so.. as I sit here eating my no sugar added fudge pop...I am determined to keep doing the 2 miles 4 times a week, eat my veggies.. continue to envy people that drink diet coke.. sink into the breath and NEVER GIVE UP... oh and make a  mental note to empty that heavy purse out...