Can’t escape it?

Relax and enjoy a sunset

Okay, what are the odds? My husband Mike and I took a wide departure from our usual routine, going out last night to a play.  I can’t remember the last time we saw a play, and we were remarking what a nice escape it was for us to just immerse ourselves in the story.

But I kept hearing a familiar voice beside me. I didn’t want to stare because he was right beside me, but I caught a side glimpse. It looked and sounded like my oncologist’s nurse practitioner who I just visited on Monday. My husband assured me it wasn’t him. I thought I was going crazy.

As we were leaving, I turned around and sure enough it was him! What are the odds that with more than a million people in our city, I would be sitting next to the man who discussed my PET scans with me the day before? I thought God was trying to tell me something, but I can’t imagine what. It seems sometimes that I cannot escape the topic of cancer. And with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in full swing, even a football game turns into a pink melange.

Even though I am writing this book and doing this blog, I know that cancer is just part of my life. It does not define who I am. I think it is so important to just escape and forget about it. Focus on the good things in life and be grateful for them. Take time to do the things that bring you pleasure and comfort. For cancer survivors who are in treatment, this can be a challenge. But I know from experience and talking to other survivors that it’s possible. Here are some things that I have found help me escape from it all:

• Experience nature. Go to a beautiful place and just immerse yourself in it. After my friend’s funeral, Mike and I took a walk in a nearby park and just sat by the stream and listened to the water flowing. It made everything stand still and peaceful for a while.
• Enjoy your kids or someone else’s. I had a blast with my 10-year-old daughter and her friend last weekend going through a scary Halloween trail. I was able to scream and act silly while connecting with my child.
• Watch something funny on TV or at the movies. I feel like I need to laugh at least once a day to relieve stress and have fun.
• Meditate and/or focus on breathing. I have trouble with this, so I purchased this neat gadget called Emwave personal stress reliever. It’s kind of like a pocket-size biofeedback system that measures your pulse rate and shows you with lights how to breathe at an optimal level. Find out more about it at www.heartmath.com
• Get out and do something fun. Just make sure your oncologist or one their staff members don’t sit next to you!

How do you escape it all? I’d love to hear your ideas.