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“You only get one” – My Perspective Shifts

Today a dear friend of mine wrote such a compelling and blended message of reality, hope, and truth that I asked her if I could share her insight with the readers of the Journal. She graciously agreed.

You may not personally know Michelle, but I’m quite sure you know of at least one woman who shares her story. She fills me with inspiration and admiration. I trust her message will touch your heart as it did mine and perhaps shift your perspective.

As I finish my last few radiation treatments next week, I look forward to bidding adieu to 2008 as well. Most of the year has been a blur. One appointment after another has created a personalized calendar for treatments, tests and scans in three week intervals. It is exhausting to fight a hidden enemy, and my body told me I had no choice but to rest.

I also had to learn how to quiet my mind. I can’t remember doing much of either as a single parent through the years, and perhaps it was a message I needed to receive in a dramatic way.

When I hear someone reference an event or occasion that occurred last year or in the early part of this year, I struggle to remember the time or place .. Cancer patients often refer to the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of a diagnosis – a tick on our personal timeline where life as we knew it came to a sudden stop . . . listen, learn, strengthen and heal . . . and then we begin again.

It is a sobering reality that cancer is a sneaky villain and the type I am fighting is particularly aggressive, so I cannot be complacent. I know I am doing all I can with ongoing treatments, the cancer was caught early and my prognosis is very good. Yet, I also have to be realistic and live my life a little differently now – my perspective has shifted.

I met a woman during radiation who was receiving treatments for recurrence to her bones four years after her first diagnosis. Because this woman and I share the same type of cancer – HER2+ – and she was diagnosed the first time at my age – 44 – I cannot help but draw parallels. Dr. Rooney has told her she has approximately four years. She talked with me about trying to make the difficult decision to live the remaining years with quality for her family, or face the fight all over again.

No matter how much time I will have here, I want my living to become more purposeful. I have started a vacation savings fund with regular contributions and hope to take Lauren to Hawaii next Fall when I have completed Herceptin treatments. Time to celebrate! Perhaps a year or two after that, we can go to Europe before she leaves for college.

Maybe in this day and time this all sounds extravagant and not very practical, but this is my ‘after’ and I get only one.

Only one. We each are gifted one life to live.  Am I living purposefully, making conscious choices to spend my most precious asset, time, on what’s truly important? Faith. Relationships. Health. Memories. No regrets.

This philosophy has always been the basis of my teachings, the Swan Principle. It is time for me to renew my own Swan mantra for creating a life I love. Join me?

• I am secure in the direction of my life.
• I am making wise decisions for reasons that are important to me.
• I am living a life of conscious awareness and authenticity, aligning my values to my lifestyle.
• I am changing course, purposefully navigating from where I am now to where I want to go.

Security, Wisdom, Alignment, Navigation in all areas of my life. The process begins with the awareness of knowing what is truly important to you and then making sure every choice you make aligns with those values.

Just this week a friend’s mother passed, I was sick, and my 2 year old grandson nearly landed in the hospital. We all need wake up calls. Life is precious.

Two weeks from today, Christmas Day will have already come and gone. By shifting perspective from all the preparation, stress of shopping, and anticipation to concentrate on purposeful living, we make each day worthwhile. Make this holiday season different. Design memories.

Moments matter.

Michelle, thanks for the wake up call.  I love you.