Living Life and Being in the Moment = Happiness ;-)



I slept off and on all last night which is very typical for me.  I woke up really early this morning, 5 AM, and began getting ready for my part-time job at a local fitness studio.  Even though I am really tired right now, I just can't stop feeling so happy and grateful for everything.  Believe it or not, having cancer was one of those things that opened up my eyes and mind to life.  It made me so much more aware of what's important and the things that are not so important.  It has taught me to embrace life and enjoy all that it offers, even the things that may not feel the best at that moment in time. My battle with cancer and my stem-cell transplant was not the most pleasant experience which put a lot of stress on my husband, children and family.  And even knowing the amount of stress many of us were under, I'm not angry or resentful that it had occurred.  I truly believe that there were then and still are now many life lessons from trying to survive. These lessons do not just involve me, but my husband and especially, my children.  I look at my children now and I can see how the past few years has affected them.  Some days, they carry on as if nothing happened and others, something occurs that they see or hear, that triggers a memory of those difficult times.  It opens their eyes and teaches them so many things that I continue to reinforce.  I no longer think of my diagnosis of cancer, relapse or transplant as something negative.  I look at it as something that actually has strengthened me.  It has made me take a closer look at what truly is important and all the other "stuff", is just "stuff".    

My children do not have that false-sense of reality with the fairy-tale "happily ever after".  They know that things can change in a matter of minutes.  And if that "something" that happens is discomforting, at least they have the skills to cope and process and heal. It has taught many of us to live in the moment and be happy with who we are.  And as long as your not malicious in your thoughts and actions, and you truly live life to the fullest and take every minute to embrace it, overall you'll be happy.  Life will have negatives and it will have the positives, and the only person who can choose whether you are happy living it, is YOU.

So embrace ALL things in life, both negative and positive, because it shapes who you are.   It truly does make you HAPPY to just be in the moment!!!