Adventures
Posted 2/19/2010
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One way to divide the world is for women after breast cancer: some of us believe that the horrible thing has already happened, and now we can do/manage/survive anything. The rest of us believe that any horrible thing can happen any minute, and the cancer has informed us of our vulnerability. If you are part of the second group, I especially encourage you to think a bit about pushing the boundaries.
Getting through breast cancer teaches us all that we can do things that we did not think we can do. This has got to be reassuring and empowering. I know plenty of women who quickly dismissed a previous fear of flying and now travel to many wonderful places. I know others who learned to ride or ski or even rock climb. The point is having faith in yourself, trying to regain some trust in the universe--and, oh yes, remembering that, no matter what, life is short, and we have to grab opportunities and make the most of it. For another example of that, see:
http://bidmc.org/YourHealth/BIDMCInteractive/Blogs/LivingwithBreastCancer.aspx?page=3&entry=594
I spend a lot of time talking with women about adventures, loosely defined as trying something new and exciting and maybe a little scary/uncomfortable.. Ask me about my safari in Africa and how many sleepless nights (the answer is "2" before I was so exhausted that I slept) I spent as I realized there was only a thin canvas tent wall between me and the lion I could hear roaring and the elephants I could hear walking and crunching nearby. Uncomfortable and scary, you bet. Also absolutely wonderful.
We all know that, at the end of the day, we are much more likely to have regrets about what we didn't do, no about whatever we did. With all this in mind, I would like to refer you to this wonderful list of possible post breast cancer treatment adventures in The Loop. Whether you think you might like to snowboard or fish or try a couples retreat, here are some suggestions. After reading these, you may have your own ideas and think about a bike trip, a canoe camping excursion, or getting together with old college friends. As they say, Just Do It.
http://joinourloop.blogspot.com/2010/02/loop-list-looking-for-adventure.html
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