Any thought about the future was initially difficult to manage, but I soon realized I was not going to waste any time I had left in my life and made it a mission to enjoy life with greater depth.
PUBLISHED January 09, 2018
Tamera Anderson-Hanna is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Addiction Professional, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and became a Registered Yoga Teacher while coping with breast cancer in 2015. She owns Wellness, Therapy, & Yoga in Florida where she provides personal wellness services and coaching and she is a public speaker on wellness-related topics. You can connect with her at www.wellnesstherapyyoga.com.
If I picture it, I can still hear the words, "you have cancer" and recall the fear associated with the diagnosis. The words, "what if" quickly followed, and after being concerned about my children, my thoughts were of all the things I might not get to experience or would miss if my time was limited. Any thought about the future was initially difficult to manage, but I soon realized I was not going to waste any time I had left and made it a mission to enjoy life with greater depth. As I reflect and am now cancer-free, I embrace the memory of the diagnosis to remind me to live and never stop enjoying the everyday joys of life. My fear is now taking life for granted.I was speaking with one of my yoga teachers in late 2017 as we are planning a potential retreat for cancer survivors at some point in 2018. She reminded me of the importance of helping others find the joys of life, even after being cancer-free. Sometimes we focus on how our body looks. For others, it might be finding joy in the car they drive or the home they buy. Sure, things can bring joy, but what are the accomplishments and memories that we will embrace when we no longer have time left to make new ones? Will it really be a car or house we find most satisfying? Maybe we learn about or explore deeper joy after a cancer diagnosis. It has to do with embracing how we want to be remembered, the relationships we form and the memories we create on our path of living.
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