Things could be so much worse!

Yes, Kate is doing fine (mostly). And I don't say that flippantly or as a deflection from deeper emotions. As Stephen mentioned, the last few weeks have been mostly filled with research, reading, buying equipment (like juicers and recliner chairs), preparing for surgery, searching for an integrative oncologist, working - and a little fun mixed in. (I had the opportunity to check off a bucket list item this week by playing a round at Pebble Beach!)

For whatever reason, I approach most challenging situations in life with a "things could be so much worse" perspective. Not as denial or avoidance but truly as a way to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. Similar to a gratitude journal I suppose. Whenever I start to feel a bit sorry for myself, I can pretty quickly shift my perspective to one of gratitude.

No, of course I don't want to lose my breasts on Monday - I'm rather partial to them. But oh - it could be so much worse! Breasts can be reconstructed. My dad lost an ear to cancer. That can't be reconstructed. My mom lost a bladder to cancer. That can't be reconstructed. It could be one of my kids fighting cancer - I can not even imagine that level of helplessness. My own cancer could have gotten much worse before it was found - I'm still holding out hope that the surgery will take care of things with no chemo or radiation recommended. Have I mentioned that things could be so much worse? And yes, I do realize that things couldstill get worse, but until then, I will continue to not borrow trouble from the future but rather focus on the things I can control and trust the outcome to the true Healer.