live each day

since the first day of this journey with cancer, everyone has said to 'take it one day at a time'. i remember, at first, thinking that was impossible...feeling that there was no way i could not think about the future, what my long term survival would be, and focusing on all the 'what if's' of the crazy world of cancer i was about to enter. i realize it's not unusual to focus on all this - cancer is scary and there's such a wealth of information out there about it. i spent days reading everything i could about it. everything i read pointed to only one truth...there is no way to determine the future. if you're thinking this is common sense, you're right, however, once you go through a cancer diagnosis (i, of course, never would wish that for anyone), then we can discuss the usefulness of common sense.

now, three months and three days after that initial discovery of cancer, i think i've finally learned to focus on each day. i, of course, have a lot of work left to do...it's a journey, not a destination.

the future is as uncertain as life with cancer. it's hard to say what will happen tomorrow, or the next day, or five years from now. just as with cancer, there are thousands of statistics that can tell us, with some certainty, the chances for the future.... however, they are just that - chances. we're all individuals. no one can accurately account for individuality. the odds weren't in favor of a healthy, twenty-something getting diagnosed with cancer. and, here i am. so, i say throw chance out the window, and enjoy life.

every day is an opportunity. an opportunity to learn, to appreciate the world, to make a difference, and to live fully. each day will turn into the next, and the future is a reflection of the way we choose to live each one. if we don't take each day and live it fully, our future lacks a critical feature - a life full of lessons, experiences and appreciation. today is wonderful, live it and enjoy it.