A few weeks ago, after I was diagnosed with cancer, I made a desicion. all the images I heard about fighting cancer, doing battle with cancer, beating it and conquering it, did not really resonate with me. Thought I was committed to doing whatever was necessary to regaining my health, I felt the need to find more positive ways of viewing my situation and to support my healing process. It ws not okay with me for the lingering cancer cells to stay in my body and I began taking steps t get them out. Yet it did not seem useful to me to see my cancer as an enemy. I wanted to learn all that I could from it and, for me, that meant finding some way to make friends with my cancer. This is the way I found:
You
make friends with cancer by heeding its
call to consciousness, by letting it change your life. You slow down. You
pay attention. You stop doing things you don't really want or need to do.
You prioritize. You pace yourself. You respect your body. You spend time
with those whose presence is healing.
You
make friends with cancer by noticing the
small miracles that occur daily--the chorus of bird songs in the morning
air, the intoxicating fragrance of one pink rose, the melody of raindrops,
the heart melting sweetness of your children's smiles, the eternality of
an ocean wavy, the exquisite beauty of a setting sun, the presence of your
beloved--which, before cancer, you may have overlooked or been to "busy"
to enjoy or appreciate.
You
make friends with cancer by letting love
in. You open you heart. You tell the truth. You ask for help. You accept
the profound generosity of friends. You let whatever you may have given
return itself to you.
You
make friends with cancer by allowing
it to remind you of what is actually important in life and what is less
so, by forging a relationship with it that fosters new insight, by seeing
the uninvited guest as an opportunity for learning and growth.
You
make friends with cancer by
accepting the myriad gifts and joys which life offers. You don't waste
time complaining about thins you cannot change or which you wish were different.
You dance when you can, you weep when you must. You notice what you have
instead of what you don't have. You practice thankfulness, and forgiveness.
You
make friends with cancer by
not hiding from it or hating it, but by acknowledging it, accepting what
it has to teach you and continuing on your Journey, one
step at a time.Dawn Nelson is Author, Educator,
Lecturer, Massage Therapist who recently underwent threatment for Cancer.
She is the founder of COMPASSIONATE TOUCH for those in Later Life Stages.
This techique is a therapeutic modality for relating to elderly and/or
ill individuals which combines one-on-one, focused attention with attentive
touch, gentle massage, and other relaxation techniques and appropriate
communication skills.
For more information on COMPASSIONATE
TOUCH for those in the Later Life Stages, write to COMPASSIONATE TOUCH
20 Swan Court, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 or call (925) 935-3906.