Taking the Time
So I thought I’d change it up a little this week and talk from a personal experience.
We are always going about our hectic lives, from one appointment to another, coffee with this person, a drink with the partner, a meeting in town, whatever it is life just never seems to stop.
Well I’m here today, as someone who has just had to totally re-evaluate their lifestyle, to tell you that we should all take a step back every now and then to enjoy life.
The past 3 months have seen me diagnosed with cancer again after a 3 year period of being given the all clear, have 10% of my left lung removed and also diagnosed with Tuberculosis.
So what does this mean? It means 3 months of chemotherapy every 3rd week for five days straight, along with 4 morning pills (at least, depending on the day) and 5 night time pills for around the next 6 months. Oh and being the most physically unfit I have ever been which is just no fun at all!
This year I had set the bar high. I have just started a new business Unleashed Retreats, with our first retreat going ahead next weekend thanks to my never giving up partner, Eve Gillard, I had big plans for my own company of course and finally I am taking over another company which currently holds some of the greatest people I’ve ever worked with so I’m absolutely rapt.
But then of course last week after my first cycle of chemo I realized/remembered this was going to get hard, real hard. I took my first step back and looked at where I was at both physically and mentally and adjusted accordingly. While there’s no problem with being all excited, I needed to pull myself down and get prepared for what’s coming my way.
Oh and just to add a little extra fun into the mix, 24 hours after Chemo each round I have to have this injection to boost my white blood cells, except they forgot to mention that another 36 hours after that the pain sets in and lasts the next 48 hours! So last weekend saw me rolling around in what was possibly the most painful weekend of my life with what felt like someone holding a very tight grip around my spine just squeezing it the entire weekend. I highly don’t recommend it
This past weekend was a great reminder of all life’s simple pleasures because a) you never know when they could be taken away and b) you never know when you may need to rely on someone to do absolutely everything for you. I am very grateful for the people I have around me, best support crew ever:)
So every day since my mind shift I have gone for a 30 minute walk, I’ve read my book, I’ve relaxed with some music, I’m getting back to enjoying the simple pleasures of daily life. There is nothing complicated about any of this yet they are some of the most effective ways to calm your body and mind.
I bet if you think about it you don’t remember the feeling I’m talking about, do you?
So go out and do even one of those things each day this week, your body and mind will thank you for it.
To a fitter and healthier you
Andy Z
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