As many of you know, I follow these instructions to let a word for each year find me: In ancient times, wise men and women fled out into the desert to find a place where they could be fully present to the divine and to their own inner struggles at work within them. The desert … Continue reading My Word for New Year 2023
Mindfulness
Breast cancer Round 2: Positive news!
Today is six weeks to the day after my bilateral mastectomy, and it's the day I saw my medical oncologist to find out the results of the OncotypeDX Breast Recurrence Score Report. When my medical oncologist came in the exam room, her first words were "Good news!!" That's what I was hoping to hear. I … Continue reading Breast cancer Round 2: Positive news!
Breast cancer Round 2: Meeting with my medical oncologist
I saw my medical oncologist this morning. She was more concerned than my surgeon about the tumor and the pathology so far. More extensive pathology will give answers. That more-extensive pathology will take two to three weeks. My medical oncologist's concern is that the tumor was larger than expected (and therefore in a range of … Continue reading Breast cancer Round 2: Meeting with my medical oncologist
Breast Cancer Round 2: My surgery decision (and more)
If you just want the short version, here it is: I've chosen to have a double mastectomy, no reconstruction. If you'd like to know more, keep reading . . . My decision is two-faceted, the rational and the intuitive. The rational: The percentages of having cancer return are the lowest with a double mastectomy. If … Continue reading Breast Cancer Round 2: My surgery decision (and more)
Trying not to fall into the FEAR pit
You know how when you get concerning news you can go straight into anxiety? Well, that's been my rollercoaster for a couple of months. It started with a concerning EKG at my cardiologist's office in February. She set me up for an echocardiogram to see if there was something that needs attention. Plus she wanted … Continue reading Trying not to fall into the FEAR pit
My Word for 2022
So what's my word for 2022? It's a verb, one that seems obvious for the pandemic.
It’s all about the letting go
All I have to do is trust, just as autumn trees do.
A Shift: A New Decade Post-cancer
Ten years ago today I received a breast cancer diagnosis. I thought I'd reflect on that day today and have a kind of celebration. But that's not what I'm feeling. I'm feeling a shift today, a letting go of that time 10 years ago. A letting go of the heavy energies of that cancer journey. … Continue reading A Shift: A New Decade Post-cancer
Can doing laundry be an exercise in mindfulness?
Meticulous about washing clothes? You're practicing mindfulness!
Trying to shift from defense to curiosity
Boy, we are in a time of great dissension! So much argument. So much anger. So much pain. I'm someone who greatly dislikes contention and argument. I feel it in my chest. A tightness, a blocking off. I feel I have to defend myself— and my views (which I take as a part of myself. … Continue reading Trying to shift from defense to curiosity
eddies and currents 