What I Would Do Differently!

I would:

have gone to the doctor sooner to get my hernia repaired.  This is how we found the cancer.  I put that small surgery off for months. I thought I would wait until the weather cooled off a bit so that I would not have to worry about mowing the yard while my stitches healed.  If I had listened seriously to my body the cancer may have been found much sooner before it became stage 4.

have tried to go for more walks during the day.  My job requires long days...taking a break is extremely important.  Walking would have de-stressed me a bit more.  Stress kills and may be the reason I have cancer to begin with.  This opportunity with cancer has made me listen closer to my body and to not feel guilty when I need to say, "enough is enough".

have carried less luggage to Texas every time I went.  I carry entirely too much stuff when I travel. It makes for a more difficult time traveling.  My excuse is that I would never know if I needed to stay in Texas longer due to complications.  When I was at my weakest, I found it tough to deal with the luggage & travel in general.

have written down every single name of the people that treated & cared for me.  I did some of that, but I would like to send each one of them a thank you note.  They were all so kind, respectful and professional.  I know how much it means to me to get a thank you note from a student.  I really does make my day and I want to bless other people in the same way.

have drawn a deeper line in the sand for the negative people in my life.  For the most part I ignored them and thanked them for their opinions, but I really should have limited that instead of trying to help them see the positive side.  It was simply too much work trying to keep everyone moving forward with me. 

have accepted more help.  I did let others mow & cook, but keeping my house clean was difficult for me.  I had offers to clean my house, but I really don't like other people digging through my stuff.  In the big picture what difference would it make if they saw my mess.  I am not that messy or dirty...just saying...

have refused to entertain many of the visitors.  I found myself entertaining them when I should have been resting.  Rest is a HUGE issue when healing from surgeries & cancer treatments.  I try to tough it out like I tend to do everything else, but this is not some thing that you muscle your way through.