When life hands you radiation…radiate
“It’s a rare ill wind that doesn’t blow in some good.” – my mother Last week I told you I was dealing with radiation by starting a special project, 33 dresses. It now has it’s own site at www.33dresses.com and facebook page at www.facebook.com/33dresses. Here’s the amazing video my BFF made for me. Finding the good in something bad isn’t just blowing off the bad. That won’t work. There is… Read the Rest
read more →3 things to do – when you don’t want to do – what you have to do
We all want to go through tough things with grace. But it’s even more important to go through them with integrity. Integrity = no faking. So how do you do both? My great news – I won’t have to do chemotherapy, just radiation and hormone therapy. Yay! (Radiation sounds like a Cinco de Mayo party in comparison.) But now that I am about to do it, it’s not sounding much… Read the Rest
read more →What I did on my cancer-cation
For the last two weeks, I’ve been on a kind of vacation from cancer. It’s the honeymoon period between surgery and treatment where you just keep feeling better and better. Three weeks past surgery I finally felt like myself again. Sure, I would still hit a wall and need to stop sometimes, but I was back at 100%. Back to facilitating strategy on the whiteboard in meeting rooms! Back to… Read the Rest
read more →The good news about what you lose in a crisis
It’s Lent and many people are giving things up. Maybe you are too. Diet soda seems to be the most popular sacrifice this year. Good luck, it’s apparently more addictive than cocaine. Yes, really. In lab studies when they offer cocaine-addicted rats their choice of more cocaine or artificial sweeteners, rats choose the sweeteners. Wow. It’s got me thinking about what I’ve given up and lost because of cancer. Most… Read the Rest
read more →How I’m getting my PhD in Cancer
Surgery went great on Friday. The cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes. Celebration! As I heal up and prepare for treatment, I realize that the last 30 days have been quite a fascinating education. Like walking onto some new campus… Congratulations! You’ve been admitted to Cancer. The welcome parade will be held next week. Wear your pink ribbons. Pay these fees and take these entrance exams. Then we’ll… Read the Rest
read more →Happy Valentines Day
You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,… Read the Rest
read more →Of Love and Cancer
“What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what gets you out of bed in the mornings, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you. Fall in love, stay in love, And it will decide everything.” – Pedro Arrupe For the last two years, I’ve… Read the Rest
read more →Why NOT to quit your demanding job
I give a pretty scathing view of consulting life and working-so-much-that-you-lose-yourself-in-it. But let me be clear: leaving a demanding job isn’t a magic bullet. It may seem from my story like the best thing I did was leave consulting, but that’s not the message I want you to have. My consulting experience was an incredible gift that continues to teach me even beyond my time there. The best thing I… Read the Rest
read more →My favorite email
My favorite email this year was sending a holiday card that my family and I took wearing heavy wool sweaters on a sweltering fall day. – We actually had fun at the shoot, thanks to Pam – I was glad I got this accomplished and looked forward to sending it out – It felt good to be where we were, even in a year with so much push in it… Read the Rest
read more →Get a running start on the new year in December
My sure-fire guarantee for a happy new year is to have already started something I feel proud of in December. When I start a new year’s resolution in December, I’m already ahead. This makes me irrationally happy. 1.It’s like banked accomplishment. And then my new year’s resolutions can be things like “Drink more wine.” 2.There’s no pressure. It’s a warm up, a dry run, a practice. Having no need to… Read the Rest
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