Lesson from Our Blue Heron

He’s the largest bird on our lake, with his slate-gray body, long legs and neck, often standing motionless on a pier, patiently watching lake life.  His liftoff is slow, purposeful, with his neck fully extended, and the slow powerful steady beat of his wings as he soars across the lake to another resting place.  It’s early as I sit on our pier watching a family of geese and the blue heron, lost in morning thoughts.  Slippery thoughts about my journey mixed with gratitude for those I share my days.  In recognizing the fluidness of our thoughts, and focusing on positive feelings we change who we become.  Soar with positive thoughts today. 

Weekend Lake Joy

We silently skimmed across mirrored ripples of blue sky and white fluffy clouds in our kayaks.  A neighbor stopped setting up chairs, waved and walked to the edge of the lake.  In just a few hours he and his wife would renew their wedding vows on the lake that had brought them so much joy.  Both were retired, he managed the feeding tube that kept her live; as they watched the colors of summer invade the lake. Salinger talks of joy being a liquid that can’t be contained, and as I listen to his words of hope I could feel the flow of joy igniting my spirit and energizing my soul.  Take in a splash of joy this week.    

Cancer Survivorship Week - Playback Dinner Theater

Last night MaryBeth and I attended the Art of Survivorship Dinner Theater.  It was an amazing evening where cancer survivors shared their stories and improv actors from the Houston Playback Theater, “played back” these life storms filled with moments of fear, discouragement, faith, joy, and love.  Common to all the stories was the struggle to embrace the whole journey, all of it, its highs and lows, and in this choice learning to thrive, not just survive!  Energize your life journey today and decide to thrive, not just survive!

Cancer Survivorship Week - Gaining Wisdom through Journaling

It was the summer before I started college and I was working as a trail guide for hikes into the White Mountains at a camp in New Hampshire for kids from the Boston ghettos.  My dad had sent me away for the summer for my mom was at home losing her long battle with cancer.  She’d bundled up all the letters I’d written her that summer, and when I look at them now I realize they are a journal for that time of my life.  They are full of life thoughts, deep, insightful feelings from a boy that was losing his first love.  Journaling is a think it, ink it process that provides us moments of reflection that better fuse our mind-body-spirit connections.  Start journaling today. 

Cancer Survivorship Week - Art of Calm

She wore glasses, a funky hat with sequins, was from California, and halfway through a six-week stay at MD Anderson.  Our initial deep breathing exercise changed her stress posture into a relaxed place of calm.  She was participating in an interactive session based on Brian Luke Seaward book The Art of Calm.  The session is designed to give participants the knowledge and tools to better use their five senses to stay centered and grounded.  Centering quiets the mind and provides a space where the heart can be heard.  In this quiet space we are grounded in our life wisdom and spiritual essence.  Find a place of calm today and move from “doing” to “being”. 

Cancer Survivorship Week - Attitude

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year, Cancer Survivorship Week, and all week I will teach “life classes” to patients and caregivers in the Gazebo, 3^rd floor Clark Clinic.  Yesterday, we talked about attitude and we shared stories about how it felt when we were first diagnosed with cancer.  Mark Nepo describes it as feeling like our life glass is cracked and our souls gets soaked with fear, anxiety, and anger.  But life goes on, and in time through love, caring and a positive attitude, we realize our life essence hasn’t changed, and we adjust to our new journey.  Dip your finger in your life essence today and checkout your attitude.

Shared Reflections

Last week I spoke at the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance Expo in Houston where 150 exhibitors and 1,500 women business owners, corporate and federal procurement executives networked and explored business opportunities.  I had arrived early and as I started to enter the convention center the amazing reflections on the building across the park caught my eye and heart.  I stood for a few minutes and thought about what life reflections others see and feel from me?  What imprints does my life weave and leave each day?  Do others feel my wonder, joy, shared hope, all gifts of my cancer journey?  Today, consider the reflections of yourself, you share with others.