Because I didn’t die.

I’m at 9 Years. For some reason, I envisioned we’d do some big grand celebration at 10 Years which is quite ironic when you’re celebrating the fact that you didn’t die.

Why would you wait? Why would you ever wait to celebrate the fact that you didn’t die?

How about we celebrate being alive. Everyday.

We celebrate the fact that I didn’t die because I found out I had cancer 9 years ago.

Today 9 years ago I listened to a doctor muppet speak to me that I was 26 years old & had cancer.

That’s such a weird thing we do as people. We make it hard to enjoy & celebrate the little things until a bit thing happens. Well, since I had the luxury of experiencing a big thing-I also appreciate the little things. And big things & all things in between. On purpose. 

This is exactly what I was writing about in a previous post reflecting on the type of person I most want to be.  

I appreciate parking at a meter with time left on it. I appreciate a drive home with no traffic. I appreciate every year on my cancer free anniversary my hubs writes me a note saying he’s thankful I’m here. I appreciate getting to do a lot of things people feel like they have to do.

I always reflect on the day I was diagnosed & I think he does on the day I was “cured”. I think it's because my diagnosis taught me a major life lesson-if you don’t like something, change it. I'm not saying you alone have the ability to change cancer, but you do have the ability to change the way you think about it & what you do because of it. There’s much more in our power than we sometimes recognize & change is there for the taking if we have the mindset to ask for it. It’s also a reminder of how my mental state can have an impact over anything physical I’m experiencing. This isn’t to say my mental state cured my physical but that it certainly helped the physical feel less awful.

Every morning you wake up is also a day you didn’t die. And THAT should be celebrated. We might do a big celebration at 10 Years. 10 years of marriage & 10 years of being cancer free...really it's 10 years with a changed perspective. For the better. I’ll always be thankful for the lessons, appreciation for life & second chances today & everyday.

So, you’re welcome. I just gave permission to celebrate every morning when you wake up. Celebrate the small things. Look for them. Call them out. Talk about them. Celebrate them. Because, guess what? Waking up means you were given a chance to do something memorable today. Let’s be more deliberate about making tomorrow’s memories.